Beater bar not engaging,

something wrapped around beater or damaged and or debris at bearings

Up to my experience in my Panasonic vacuum cleaner, if the beater bar is not working this could be because the 'Carpet/Floor' selector switch is in the 'OFF' or 'FLOOR' position. In both of these positions the beater bar will not rotate. Move the selector switch to the 'CARPET' position. When in this position the beater bar will rotate once the foot pedal is pressed.

If the selector switch is in the 'CARPET' position and the beater bar is still not rotating it could be that there is something entangled in the beater bar, or the belt is worn or broken.

To check this first unplug the vacuum cleaner

Inspect the beater bar and belts to ensure that there is nothing entangled in the beater bar and that the belts are intact and are not excessively worn. If the belts are excessively worn they may slip resulting in the beater bar not rotating.

The vacuum cleaners often have an overload protection system inside the nozzle, which stops the nozzle motor when the beater bar jams to prevent belt breakage. After clearing any lint build up or jamming you may need to reset the overload protection, by pressing the reset button on the top of the floor nozzle.

Sounds like the little motor that drives the brush is going bad. You need to replace the cleaner head.

sounds like hair or string or something like that is wrapped around the beater bar(the long brush under the head that brushes the carpet) keeping it from turning. The belt that drives the bar is getting hot because the beater bar is stuck.

Have you accidentally switched off the beater bar via the dial on the head? Some models have a 'hard floors' and a 'carpets' setting (which disengages/engages the beater bar).

Tammy May:

Unplug the machine and remove the foot plate (at the bottom of the vacuum head) and check the belt that drives the beater brush/bar. if the beater bar is hard to turn, pull the beater bar and belt out, check the inside circumference of the belt to see if the motor shaft has worn it down in one spot. If so, remove the two bearings (one at each end of the beater bar) and remove the hair, carpet fibers, strings and any other junk from the bearings and the ends of the beater bar. lubricate the bearings with oil (thin machine oil like 3 in 1 oil works best. roll the bearings with your hands until they spin freely. Now would be a good time to check the bottom of the foot plate where the dirt is vacuumed up. check the hole in the middle of the foot plate and check the hose for clogs if the hole and foot plate hole are clear, reassemble the bearings on the beater bar and install the beater bar (with a new belt) and reinstall the foot plate. The machine should run well for you.

Hi its Darran at Dyson.

Check that the brush control dial is in the centre position when upright and then moves forward when the head is released. If the brush bar is still not spinning when switched on in the vacuuming position, check the base for blockages and remove any threads or hairs from the brush bar as outlined in your user guide or on our website.

If you are still having difficulties, please contact our Helpline on 0800 298 0298 (UK) or 1866MYDYSON (US).

Kind regards
Darran
Dyson Customer Service

When the vaccum is upright, the beater bar is not engaged. When you tilt the handle back, the clutch engages and the beater bar begins to turn.

There are two likely possibilities for the "screaming noise". First, and most likely, is that the beater bar cannot turn because of a build up of debris or the beater bar is broken. In eaither case, the clutch belt is spinning on the non-moving beater bar causing the noise. Remove the beater bar, inspect for hair, carpet fibers or other items wrapped around the bar. Also inspect for cracks in the plasitc at the ends of the bar. Clean or replace the bar as needed.

The second possible cause is the clutch assembly. If you were unable to fix the problem with the first solution, it is time to take the vacuum in for service as replacing the clutch is somewhat difficult.

Here is a YouTube video link that will walk you through the process of removing the beater bar as well as the clutch if you decide to go it on your own: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_CtaFcc5HU

Hope this helps.

If this is a Dyson with a protected belt that can't be replaced then it will have to be sent out to Dyson or get a Dyson servicepersonnel to check it over - protected belt motors are difficult to fix by yourself. If its clicking all the time, then it means the belt has to be replaced. In the mean time check that there are no obstructions on the beater bar and behind it and also check that the brush stop roller at the top of the hood is in the right position. It should move automatically when the handle is swung down in normal operation. 

You need a new belt, they stretch after awhile and will slip.