Dyson & Sebo Vacuum Cleaner Repair & Advice Forums

Dyson Models => Dyson DC07 => Topic started by: trkbyron on March 24, 2015, 01:53:12 pm

Title: DCO7 All Floors - belt wear & plastic thingy!
Post by: trkbyron on March 24, 2015, 01:53:12 pm
Hi,
Did a big rebuild on my DC07 All Floors last year and it ran great until last month when the clutch to brushbar belt broke,actually had worn to about half its width before giving up. >:(
It took me a while to get somewhere with this one as I initially thought ok,pattern belt - low quality.As well as the belt failure,lots of the plastic case surrounding the belt had abraded badly,especially the coloured brushroll housing where it only has a small gap either side of the belt where it fits over the brushbar. After fitting a new clutch belt it was clear this was not a simple belt failure issue,more of a belt running off-center in a big way on the brushbar,it was always running into the edge of the plastic housing and clearly wearing itself and anything else to bits! I tried bending the lower assembly and twisting all the lower head/footplate bits to try to get the belt to run true with no success. :'( Even refitted the clutch to try and a get a slight "lean" as the belt ran through its gap in the lower plastics.In desperation I tried to smooth off the brushbar area with wet & dry where the belt ran and started to work out that the brushbar should maybe not have a concave surface where the belt ran but maybe a convex shape.A closer look at a couple of photos of new brushbars confirmed that the brushbar had worn down badly and was the main culprit. ;D I wrapped some thin masking tape around the brushbar spindle to build it up a little and it then was obvious that the belt ran more central without mashing itself up.What a learning curve!  :-X I had a pretty much complete lower footplate with brushbar assy. tucked away for years and really should have looked this over first,it would have been so easy to have worked out where the wear had taken place.Fitting this section has re-aligned the belt reasonably well where it spins the brushbar so no more plastic erosion for a long while - I hope. Anyone else had this sort of issue before.Is there anything else in the DC07 that can cause the clutch belt to run off center?
Ok, the small plastic thingy issue  :-\ There is a black plastic sprung roller clip which is fixed into the underside of the footplate,it moves as the cleaner is pushed along and acts as a guide running in a channel in the lower casing.It also seems to lock the footplate in postion when the machine is fully upright.Does this part which appears to have a small plastic roller actually rotate as the cleaner is moved eventually wear out? On both the ones I have the roller part of this seems to be worn down and the groove in the lower body of the machine casing is starting to be worn down by this thingy not actually rolling along the plastic groove which I am guessing is what it should do.Is this what you might expect with an elderly DC07 All Floors or is this daft little part something to replace at some point? I don't want to have to replace the complete lower casing as the thingy is starting to wear channels in the guide area of the casing.Anyone got an answer to this please? :angryman:
Title: Re: DCO7 All Floors - belt wear & plastic thingy!
Post by: beko1987 on March 24, 2015, 06:28:48 pm
That bit always jams up I find.  The wheel does pop out with a small screwdriver so you can clean it,  and a blob of grease has it moving again.

In your case you probably need a new one.  Mvacs will have some I imagine.
Title: Re: DCO7 All Floors - belt wear & plastic thingy!
Post by: beko1987 on March 24, 2015, 06:30:46 pm
I also see lots of worn plastic around the belt,  especially on the non clutch models.  As the belts wear they stretch and flail around.  Doesn't usually cause terminal damage,  but I've replaced a few with second hand brushroll housings.

Since yours is the clutch model,  is the metal bar fitted to the clutch cover correctly? Is the white clutch spindle worn at all?
Title: Re: DCO7 All Floors - belt wear & plastic thingy!
Post by: trkbyron on March 26, 2015, 03:30:17 pm
 ;D
Thanks for the reply,you also gave me guidance last year whilst I had the machine in bits which was a good help :bow:
The metal pin in the clutch cover is intact and located in the case casting correctly.The white clutch roller is still clean from last years rebuild and has no real signs of wear even though it is so old.I did notice that the plastic mounts in the lower case which hold the clutch retaining screws in place had started to split a bit so did a plastic "weld-up" a bit with a small soldering iron to get a bit more purchase,swapping the "Torx" heads for slightly longer "Cross-Head" self-tappers as there is a bit more to go in the length of the support holes before bottoming-up.Although this seemed to hold the clutch and cover tighter,it didn't help in re-aligning the belt at the brushbar end.I also had tried another clutch with the original lower footplate assy. thinking that maybe the original white clutch roller was worn at one edge and was the cause of the belt problem but it didn't solve anything.The replacement lower case was tried,I swapped both clutches out and still no real joy,maybe 1 mm better in centralising the belt.The Eureka moment  8) was realising the huge amount of wear in the brushbars spigot where the belt runs.Probably really obvious to someone stripping these down full-time.
Nice to know that you have also found the plastic "thingy" seems to not quite ride along its groove as it ought to.On both of the ones I have the roller bit does spin fine in your hand with no tension on it from the mounting spring. :biglaugh: (I even oiled them both) but there seems to be an awful lot of play (2mm at least) where this little roller wheel bit clips into the actual black plastic clip housing.I will try Mvacs to see if a new one is listed as a part although I would not be surprised if this was always included as part of the lower footplate assy,just like you can never seem to find the clutch to brushbar belt available as a genuine Dyson.Do they think people are too dim to strip the clutch down :icon_nod:
Thanks again for your help.
Title: Re: DCO7 All Floors - belt wear & plastic thingy!
Post by: trkbyron on June 08, 2015, 11:55:51 pm
 :smokin:
Well,over 2 months on now and the DC07 is doing great. Mvacs sorted me out with another black plastic "thingy" for a few pounds and as soon as it arrived it was clear that both the 2 I had were shot.The plastic rollers and retaining grooves the rollers clip into were just worn out.The replacement was a lot tighter fit surrounding the roller resulting in the roller,once under tension, gripping its track properly as the handle is pivoted during use.Polished up the wear in the lower case groove and job done :coffee:
Title: Re: DCO7 All Floors - belt wear & plastic thingy!
Post by: MVacs on June 09, 2015, 09:35:48 am
I will try Mvacs to see if a new one is listed as a part although I would not be surprised if this was always included as part of the lower footplate assy,

Its a part I have been meaning to add, so I just did: DC04 DC07 DC14 DC33 Upright Lock Assembly (https://manchestervacs.co.uk/Dyson/DC04-DC07-DC14DC33-upright-lock-ass-908822-01)
Title: Re: DCO7 All Floors - belt wear & plastic thingy!
Post by: beko1987 on June 09, 2015, 10:00:12 am
Thats a fantastic part to stock,  im out of useable spares!
Title: Re: DCO7 All Floors - belt wear & plastic thingy!
Post by: trkbyron on June 09, 2015, 10:17:32 am
 ;)
Oh well,looks like a few more people might be pleased with this little part then,the black plastic "thingy" still seems a fair name for it ;D
Many thanks guys.
Title: Re: DCO7 All Floors - belt wear & plastic thingy!
Post by: beko1987 on June 10, 2015, 10:37:27 am
I keep calling it a thingy now...

I always sticka drop of grease on these when i refurb them,  habit now!