Roller will not spin

the pedal on the left turns the brushroll on and off

Try open the bottom cover where the motor is located. It seems the the power belt is broken. Guides and Manuals Eureka

HI There,

Usually when the belt breaks immediately, this indicates that your roller brush has gone bad and needs to be replaced. I have never seen the motor shaft being damaged and causing belts to break before. When the roller brush can't spin because it's bearings have worn out, the motor shaft continues to try and turn the belt, but since the belt can't spin the motor shaft at that point burns right through the belt.

To make sure that it's your roller brush, remove the brush from the vacuum cleaner, and hold it using just your two pointer finger tips, holding just the bearings caps at the end of the bar, and not the bar itself.

Try to spin the brush using your thumbs. Does the brush spin freely without resistance? It should spin completely around 3-4 times on each spin. If it doesn't spin, then your bar is bad.

If the brush doesn spin, and it continues to break belts, this means that the belt is being installed incorrectly, and is being pinched by the roller brush. Pull the belt forwards after installing to make sure the brush spins freely.

Hope this helped you,

Chris Jones
GoVacuum.com

Hi There,

Here's how you can replace the belt on your Eureka SmartVac 4870. I have taken pictures of the repair to help you better with this.

Here's what you'll need in order to complete this repair:

- Eureka Style R Extended Life Replacement Belt, Part 61110
- Eureka SmartVac Model 4870 Roller Brush Assembly, Part 61520 (Only if the brush no longer spins, or the brushes are worn out)
- Phillips head screw driver

Step 1. Turn the vacuum upside down so that the brush roller is facing upwards. Unscrew the three screws that I've highlighted in red.




Step 2. Remove the bottom plate after unscrew the three red highlighted screws. Once you remove the bottom plate, you'll have full access to the roller brush and belt area. Remove the roller brush by pulling straight up on the roller brush itself. Discard old belt, and test roller brush to ensure that it spins freely by holding the very end of each side, also called the bearing caps with just your finger tips. Try spinning the brush with your thumbs. The brush should spin several times around with each spin. If you notice the brush doesn't spin at all, or if you feel some resistance when you spin the brush, this means that your bearings are either gone, or will be soon. It may be time to consider a new roller brush at this time.



Step 3. Remove the new Eureka Style R belt from the packaging, and wrap one end around the the metal pin, on the opposite side of the roller brush. This pin is actually the motor shaft that spins the belt, which spins the brush.



Step 4. Wrap the other end of the belt through the side of the roller brush that has the pulley, and use the roller brush to stretch the brush roll back into the agitator housing. Make sure the end caps fit in the housing correctly by making sure there are no gaps between the roller brush housing and the end caps of the roller brush.



Step 5. After reinstalling the roller brush back into the housing with the belt attached, pull the belt forwards towards the brush. The brush should spin when you do this. Make sure that the belt is not pinched underneath of the roller brush or this will cause the belt to break immediately when you turn the vacuum back on.

Step 6. Reinstall the bottom plate, making sure that the little notches on the front end of the bottom plate tucked underneath of the reverse notches on the bottom housing of the vacuum cleaner. Tighten all 3 screws back into the bottom plate. Make sure the vacuum is set to carpet mode, and turn the vacuum on.

If you have any questions about this repair, or if you notice that the roller brush stops when the brushes hit the carpeting, please just use the clarification request form here on the Fixya repair page. I will then be happy to walk you through a little more advanced repair of replacing the clutch in the Eureka SmartVac that controls the rug/floor switch. Most of the time though the belt will be all the vacuum needs.

I hope that this was helpful information to you. If this helped you, please be so kind and rate the repair as helpful by clicking on the thumbs up icons in the top corner of this repair.

Thank you very much,

Chris J.
GoVacuum

Greetings,

When a brand new belt breaks in 5 seconds, this can only mean 1 of 2 things.

1. The roller brush itself may be bad and need replacing. If the roller brush's bearings lock up, and the brush can no longer spin freely, this will cause the belt to burn up immediately after you turn the vacuum on. You may test your roller brush by taking it out of the vacuum, and hold it on the very ends of the brush with your fingertips. Make sure you are only holding the bearing caps and not the brush itself. While holding the two bearing caps with your pointer fingers, try to spin the brush with your thumbs. Does the brush spin freely? If no, then you'll need to buy a new roller bush for your vacuum, unfortunately the bearings are not sold separately on Hoover vacuums. If the brush did spin freely (you should get at least 7 rotations out of one spin) then see reason number 2 below.

Your model uses Hoover Agitator Brush Part 48414132.

2. The belt was installed incorrectly. When a belt breaks immediately like this it can also be a result of it not being installed properly. When installing the next belt, after you have put the roller brush back into place, pull forward on the belt to make sure that the brush spins when you're pulling forward. Sometimes I pinch the belt underneath of the brush roller, and it will not spin freely, and will burn immediately if the belt is pinched.

It really can only be one of these two problems. I hope that this repair solution was helpful to you. If you need me to clarify something, please just request clarification here. If it did help, please be sure to rate my repair Helpful. Thank you so much!

Chris J.

I will attempt to walk you through the belt change on your Riccar 8955 upright vacuum cleaner. I have taken pictures for you for each step to ensure that it's done properly. What you'll need to have handy for this repair;

- Phillips Head Screw Driver
- Riccar 4000 / 8000 Series Belt
- Riccar 8000 Series Roller Brush With Clutch Assembly (only if the brushes have worn down, not necessary if brushes are still long)

Step 1: Make sure the vacuum cleaner is unpluged, and turn the vacuum cleaner upside down so the bottom plate is upwards. It's easiest to do on a work bench or counter top.



Step 2: Unsrew the two metal screws on the metal bottom plate with your Phillips head screw driver, and remove the bottom plate from the vacuum cleaner so the belt is completely exposed with the roller brush.

Step 3: Remove the belt guard that sits to the left of the roller brush, and is a metal part that protects any dirt & debris from going over to the belt. Here's a picture of that part being removed;



Step 4: Remove the Rug / Floor actuator arm from the clutch on the right hand side of the roller brush. Simply pull the metal actuator arm to the left of the brush and out of the circle that it sits in. Here's a picture of that;



Step 5: Once you have removed the actuator arm for the clutch, as well as the belt guard, lift staight up on the roller brush and remove the roller brush from the vacuum cleaner:



Step 6: Once you have removed the roller brush, and the old belt from the vacuum cleaner, take one new belt and wrap it around the metal pin in the back of vacuum cleaners agitator housing. Here's a picture of where that pin is located with the belt wrapped around it;



Step 7: Once you have the belt wrapped around the metal pin (this is the shaft to the motor that actually spins the belt), but the other end of the belt through your new roller brush;



Step 8: There is a specific way that the roller brush has to be inserted. If the roller brush is not put in properly, this can cause all sorts of problems including the brush not spinning, and continously having to replace belts. You can see on the end cap of the roller brush (the right side where the belt rides) that there is two little teeth that protrude out of the end cap as well as an indentation on the opposite side;



Step 9: With the roller brush inserted through the belt, posistion the two teeth facing downwards. You can see in the vacuum cleaner where the roller brush sits, a little groove down inside of the housing. These two teeth need to straddle that groove. Also make sure that the little ring, or circle that the clutch actuator arm sits into, is facing upwards completely. It should be directly on top of the two teeth. Stretch the belt using the roller brush as leverage down into the agitator housing of the vacuum cleaner, making sure that the two teeth are facing downwards straddling the little groove. After the brush is back into the vacuum cleaner, take the metal actuator arm from the rug / floor switch, and insert it back into the metal ring (or hole) on the roller brush;


Step 10: Replace the metal belt guard that rests to the left of the belt. You'll notice on the belt guard that there are two little 90 degree notches on both sides. These notches need to face towards the belt or to the right. Here's a picture of the belt guard being put back into place;





Step 11: After inserting the belt guard back into the vacuum, turn the vacuum cleaner over so the top of the agitator housing is facing you. Change the the rug / floor switch from bare floors to the carpet setting, and the turn the vacuum upside again so the brush and belt are exposed:



Step 12: With the vacuum set to the carpet setting, pull the belt forwards to ensure that the brush is spinning freely. If the belts do not spin freely, repeat steps 2-10.








Thank you

Chris Jones
GoVacuum

Even though the brush is spinning, you probably need to replace the belt because it is stretched. It is probably slipping on the beater bar...

Jim

I have had problems with the belts on my Mach 5 overheating (smell of burning rubber) and also with the motor overheating and shutting down.
I learned the hard way that one of the issues might be that the roller/brush on the bottom of the unit has a metal bearing inside the roller/brush that can become clogged with hair (both human and pet hair) which effects performance of the unit.
It’s fairly easy to fix.
Lay the vacuum on the floor so that you can see the roller/brush. Then remove the phillip head screws that hold the protective plastic plate over the roller/brush. (There are about 6 screws that hold this plastic protective plate in place) Also, you will be removing the (1) screw that also holds the plastic plate over the belts. There are (2) belts that you can remove and when in doubt replace these (2) belts for around $9.00.
Once you have the protective plastic plate off that covers the roller/brush disconnect the belt is around the roller. Take the roller and cut off any hair that is wrapped around the roller. Next, grab the roller by each end and twist the ends caps and (1) of the ends will unscrew. Once you have unscrewed one of the ends remove any hair or dust that is trapped under this cap. (Be careful not to lose the small metal washer that sit on top of the bearing)You will notice under this cap is a metal bearing that can become clogged and jammed with hair. The hair should come out fairly easy and allow the brush to spin fairly easy once you have screwed the end caps back in place test that it spins freely. If it doesn’t spin freely replace the roller/brush with a new one for about $23.00.
When you put the belts back on the thick rubber one (Belt # 40201-271) has probably become stretched and should be replaced for about $3.00. The small diameter belt that goes over the roller/brush probably does not usually need to be replaced and does not usually fit very tight. I have heard that people will take the small roller/brush belt and turn it upside down to get a better fit.
I just did this on my Mach 5 and it runs like a new machine. I did end up replacing the roller/brush head.
Hopefully you will find this useful.

There's a Capt. Obvious fix to check before you go any farther. Like many vacuum cleaners, the brushes on the Bissell carpet cleaners, by design, only spin when the handle is not locked in the upright position, so be sure to plug it in, turn it on, and depress the foot pedal to lower the handle while watching the brushes one more time to be sure that the fix isn't that easy.

If the brushes still won't spin with the handle in the unlocked position, lift the handle back up into the locked position, power off and unplug the Bissell, and look down and see if either of the two belts that make the brushes spin are broken, as a broken belt, or a belt that's come off the track, is the next most likely problem. Both belts must be unbroken and in the right place for the roller brushes to spin.

These belts can be seen in the clear plastic pieces on either end of the roller brushes. If you're having trouble locating them, **with the Bissell unplugged so the brushes won't suddenly start spinning and hurt your hand**, try spinning the brushes with your fingers while watching for the belts. They're black, about the thickness of two quarters, and the bigger one of the two (on the left end of the roller brushes, as you face the front of the Bissell), is just big enough to fit around both roller brushes. The smaller belt, goes around the back roller brush on the right and to a smaller cog wheel behind it. If you see a broken belt, or a belt off the track, that's your problem.

Here's a video you can watch for free on Bissell's website that tells how to replace a belt. I'm sure the belts can be ordered online somewhere or found at some Bissell dealers or repair shops. Note, again, the two belts are different. If only one is broken, be sure to order the correct one.
http://cache.vendaria.com/vpop/VpopV6.html?ct=13&ctname=CT630X556D630X390&fw=630&fh=556&logo=49&fv=10&ap=vnd_bissell_change_belt_proheat_2x&purl=MAIN_bissell_change_belt_proheat_2x&iid=sbpgzLIuvIlJlJquLvumgwqKqvIqvv&bg=ffffff&nm=BZOpener&curl=&err=0&title=Bissell&tp

If the belts are intact and in the right place, does the metal cog wheel behind the roller brush right turn when the Bissell is on and the handle is dropped? If not, then the motor that turns that cog wheel must be burned out.

I love this vacuum but had the same problem.

SOLUTION:
take the roller off and flip the thin belt inside out. This fixed my vac and works great again.