I am trying to install a new belt on my kirby and having problems. I know the red mark says belt off and the green mark says belt on....but when i put belt on ...the only way the crazy hook grabs the new belt is when its the red marker not the green...so what is the proper way of putting the belt on the brush roller? thanks karen

You probably not doing it right. Replacing the belt is one of the things you have to learn how to do it. It is not really user friendly and made very easy by design. HERE is step-by-step instructions.
Hope this helps

Complete instructions how to change/attach the belt you can see on our website:
http://www.goodvac.com/articles.asp?id=143

Good luck,
Rocky

Here's my online guide...


http://reviews.ebay.com/KIRBY-CARPET-SHAMPOOER-INSTRUCTIONS-MANUAL-DIRECTIONS_W0QQugidZ10000000004594992

Hope it helps...
Marci

Follow these instructions step by step and it should help with the problem...

http://reviews.ebay.com/CHANGING-THE-BELT-ON-A-KIRBY-G3-G4-G5-GSIX-ULTIMATE-G_W0QQugidZ10000000003720039

Hope this helps,
Marci

1)First, you turn the square belt lifter on the front of the power nozzle until the red arrows line up (belt off of the Kirby's driveshaft but on the "hook" inside the power nozzle) 2)Remove the power head from the front of the machine. Now that it is off the Kirby, you can turn the square belt lifter until the green arrows line up. (Belt on, which means on the driveshaft on the front of the Kirby when the power nozzle is on the Kirby which makes the brushes spin. Now that the power nozzle is off of the Kirby, the belt isn't actually resting on anything but the green arrows will still point to belt ON ) This removes the belt from the "hook" so that it can be slipped off the brush roll. 3)Turn the power nozzle upside down and release the two clips that hold the metal baseplate on and remove the baseplate. 4)Grab the brushroll and pull it out of the power head. Slide the new belt onto the center of the brushroll. It will hang loose...it doesn't have to stretch around anything yet. MAKE SURE THAT THE BRUSHROLL SPINS FREELY!! If it doesn't, you'll burn all new belts quickly due to the added strain on the belt. 5)Look at the ends of the brushroll. The brushroll has three height settings..you should see notches AND NUMBERS on the sides of the brushroll's end caps. ONE notch (also #1) FACE UP on BOTH sides is the first setting and should be used when the roller is new. Three notches is the last setting used before a new roller is needed and should be used if the brushes are short and worn. Put the brushroll back in, making ABSOLUTELY SURE sure that the SAME NUMBER of notches and the same raised number on the edge are FACE UP on BOTH sides. This is important, as the brushroller will be unbalanced if inserted wrong. Also, one end cap of the brushroll is larger than the other and will only fit onto the larger notch in the power nozzle. 6)Replace the baseplate by fitting the front clips into place and then push it down in back and secure it with the two rear swivel clips. Make sure it fits securely down over the bumper on all sides with no suction leakage. 7)Turn the belt lifter to where the RED arrows line up, making sure that the inner "hook" grabs the belt and stretches it up while you are turning it. Once you have the belt stretched up, put the power nozzle back onto the Kirby and lock it in place. 8)NOW...turn the belt lifter back to GREEN. If the little green light on the power nozzle lights up when you turn it on, CONGRATULATIONS!!! The brushroll is spinning!!

1)First, you turn the square belt lifter on the front of the power nozzle until the red arrows line up (belt off of the Kirby's driveshaft but on the "hook" inside the power nozzle) 2)Remove the power head from the front of the machine. Now that it is off the Kirby, you can turn the square belt lifter until the green arrows line up. (Belt on, which means on the driveshaft on the front of the Kirby when the power nozzle is on the Kirby which makes the brushes spin. Now that the power nozzle is off of the Kirby, the belt isn't actually resting on anything but the green arrows will still point to belt ON ) This removes the belt from the "hook" so that it can be slipped off the brush roll. 3)Turn the power nozzle upside down and release the two clips that hold the metal baseplate on and remove the baseplate. 4)Grab the brushroll and pull it out of the power head. Slide the new belt onto the center of the brushroll. It will hang loose...it doesn't have to stretch around anything yet. MAKE SURE THAT THE BRUSHROLL SPINS FREELY!! If it doesn't, you'll burn all new belts quickly due to the added strain on the belt. 5)Look at the ends of the brushroll. The brushroll has three height settings..you should see notches AND NUMBERS on the sides of the brushroll's end caps. ONE notch (also #1) FACE UP on BOTH sides is the first setting and should be used when the roller is new. Three notches is the last setting used before a new roller is needed and should be used if the brushes are short and worn. Put the brushroll back in, making ABSOLUTELY SURE sure that the SAME NUMBER of notches and the same raised number on the edge are FACE UP on BOTH sides. This is important, as the brushroller will be unbalanced if inserted wrong. Also, one end cap of the brushroll is larger than the other and will only fit onto the larger notch in the power nozzle. 6)Replace the baseplate by fitting the front clips into place and then push it down in back and secure it with the two rear swivel clips. Make sure it fits securely down over the bumper on all sides with no suction leakage. 7)Turn the belt lifter to where the RED arrows line up, making sure that the inner "hook" grabs the belt and stretches it up while you are turning it. Once you have the belt stretched up, put the power nozzle back onto the Kirby and lock it in place. 8)NOW...turn the belt lifter back to GREEN. If the little green light on the power nozzle lights up when you turn it on, CONGRATULATIONS!!! The brushroll is spinning!!

Hope this was helpful :) and thank you for using Fixya!!!

please clarify what you mean?
Do you mean motor bearings or brush roll bearings?
brush roll bearings can be adjusted to lower the brush closer to the carpet when worn.
to do this remove the front brush assembly, there is usually a sticker below the belt hole showing RED = POSITION 1 HIGHEST (ie a new brush roll)
GREEN = POSITION 2 MIDDLE (brush part worn)
BLACK = POSITION 3 LOWEST (brush fully worn)
At each side of this there are 2 clips unlock these and remove the bottom cover.
Release the belt tension by rotating the belt release at the front.
Before removing the brush roll, at each end of the brush roll there is a grey plastic bearing carrier (Square at the ends) MARK this with a pen or marker just so you know the original position, also look closely for the coloured markings as indicated above or numbering 1,2 or 3.
If RED or "1" is showing you need to remove the brush roll by pulling it out and rotate the endcaps to Green or "2" and re-insert the brush roll, If Green or "2" is showing then rotate the endcaps to Black or "3" and re-insert.
If Black or "3" is showing then the brush roll is worn and cannot be adjusted any more, fit a new brush roll and insert with RED or "1" showing.
To re-attach the belt, move the belt to the middle of the roll and rotate the belt knob at the front ensuring the belt engages with the hook on the inside.

Vibrating – that usually happens on some short fiber or very dense carpets. When nozzle goes against the carpet fiber Kirby starts jumping. Try vacuuming the same place while facing opposite way.

Belt – red arrows means DISENGAGE. When you install the nozzle on the Kirby unit while green arrows match you will not be able to turn it on red. You must follow sequence (starting from nozzle off the Kirby, green arrows match, Kirby front lifter all the way up by pressing one of the pedals):
1. Turn Kirby knob to match red arrows. You will feel some tension and hook inside of the nozzle is supposed to catch the belt and stretch forming a loop for the Kirby shaft.
2. Put the nozzle on the Kirby and lock it on with the latch.
3. Twist the knob back to match the green arrows. YOU ARE DONE

Go to GoodVac.com Kirby vacuum online manual. There are some small details that you may want to pay attention to if you have removed the brush roll to install a new belt. Also there are some pictures that will help you understanding the process.

If the green light is off, then its time to replace the band. This video shows you how.

Try a new belt. The ends of the brushroller are different sizes, so you can't put it in backwards. There are numbers and notches on the ends of the brushroll. These notches/numbers need to match on both sides when installing it. (probably need both ONES face up). Make sure that the beltlifter arrows are green on green before you install the brushroller. Once you get the brush in and the baseplate back on, turn arrows to red on red to lift the belt up before reattaching the nozzle to the Kirby. I have included a link to help with other potential problems. If you want a manual, or need any more help, contact me through the links on my guide page.

http://reviews.ebay.com/COMMON-PROBLEMS-WITH-THE-KIRBY-VACUUM-TROUBLESHOOTING_W0QQugidZ10000000003800312
Marci