Out of the Workroom and Into Service

Further to my Aerus Lux 9000 Makeover post, here he is back in service. I did the living room and bare floors to give him a good workout.

The full ensemble shot. Assuming the Aerus Lux 9000 was introduced in 2003, that makes him 15 years old. Not too shabby looking for a 'teenage' vacuum, I have to say.

Just for the hell of it, here are the Aerus Luxes (?) 9000 (top of the line cylinder) and 6000 (top of the line upright) posing together. As mentioned elsewhere, the companions for these two machines were the Lux 7000, Lux 5000 or 5500, can't remember which, and Lux 3000.

Matching graphics, colors, and logos. Pity about the scar on the Lux 9000, but what can you do?

Piecing Together a Classic

The Renaissance C104A now has an original set of dark grey wands.

They work fine, and are in good shape. Naturally, I washed and Armor All-ed them before putting them into service.

In service. This classic* machine is now a little bit more complete. I still need to get an original Sidekick II and a new cord winder with light grey cord and plug.

One of the 'problems' of actually using the machines I collect is that things tend to wear over time, so bits and bobs do occasionally need to be replaced. Then, the problem is that the originality of the machine might be impaired, if one can't find original matching parts. It's a tradeoff between keeping a mostly useful machine going, and 'ruining' it's collectable value. I'm not sure where to go on this one.

In addition, it's a great pity that the hose, which is completely original, barely matches any colour on the machine. Pretty much every picture I've seen of a Renaissance C104A shows a very light, almost beige-ish hose. Perhaps when this model first came out, the hose was actually a closer-looking grey to the trim? Who knows? It's also true that many Electrolux/Aerus hoses are not a close colour match to the machine. Either way, the Renaissance C104A is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the nicest looking Electrolux/Aerus model ever made.

*The Renaissance first came out in 1993, which makes it 25 years old, which makes it, according to all the conventional definitions I've seen, a classic, or, if you prefer, vintage machine.

Aerus Lux 9000 Makeover

Its great to tear apart a vacuum again, after not having done it for a long time. The Aerus Lux 9000 desperately needed a new motor housing, as the original one had literally cracked into pieces (not sure how this could happen, but it did). The housing also smelled a bit, as did the motor and fan unit, so, I decided to pop a new motor in there. Luckily, I happened upon this:

Yes, the rubber seal at the back of the bag chamber is a little dirty, but of course it'll be wiped off before installation. Otherwise, this is a complete unit, consisting of motor and fan unit, motor housing, wiring, circuit boards, hose inlet, and auto-shutoff system hoses. The only thing I'm retaining from the original mechanics is the cord winder. I might mention that I also need to put on a new cord winder pedal and front door latch, and these are on the way.

Naturally, after I 'tore the guts' out of the machine, I washed it as thoroughly as I could, and let it air dry. As a matter of fact, I scrubbed it with soap and water, and then water and vinegar.

The base of these Style R machines is riddled with ribs and narrow crevices, so I gave up on getting all the dirt out, but its definitely cleaner. The wiring harness seen is the old one, and will be replaced.

Here is the machine partially dismantled, with the cracked motor housing. Oddly enough, I can't remember where the motor and fan unit is. I did take it out a while ago, so it must be hidden in a box in my storage room somewhere.

I'll definitely add to this post when the new motor and harness goes in, and, of course, after everything is installed and the machine is running.

My patio could use a paint job, for sure.

UPDATE 2018-09-15: Things are getting closer to completion. The motor is in and fully connected up; now, I just have to wait on my front door latch, connect up the auto shutoff system hoses, 'nail' everything down, and it'll be good to go. The cord winder pedal is brand new.

UPDATE 2018-10-08: I finally got around to finishing off this project. Here is a test of the new motor:

Note that things are not completely 'nailed down' yet. I just stuck the top cover on and put in a bag to test things out. I'm happy to say that the motor sounds and sucks strong. Yay! I tested it first with a crappy old hose that I wouldn't miss if it blew out, and then, when all was good, I tried my good hose. Everything worked like a charm.

Finally, here is the completed machine. Everything is installed...the cord winder and rewind pedal are in place, the motor fully connected and screwed down, bag chamber snapped in place, wire harness and auto shutoff hoses connected, front cover, with mechanics and latch, fully connected, two halves screwed together, and bag, carbon filter, and HEPA filter installed. The Aerus Lux 9000 is back in business as a working machine. Perfect. Note that the Sidekick is there merely to test if the electric accessories worked properly, which they did, and also note that my patio, which needed a serious paint job in the prior pictures, has received one.

On a purely personal note, this is the first time I've ever seriously worked on one of the Style R machines, and I'm quite happy with the result.

The Crevice Tool: Small, But Significant

In my posts on the Lux 4000 and 6000, I noted the fact that neither came with the 'baby' crevice tool, which clips on to the side of the handle. I did have a couple of older ones, but the problem was, none had the small ridge on the outside that keeps them secured to the handle of the Lux 4000 and 6000. Consequently, in use, the crevice tool would fall off and, not infrequently, disappear under some article of furniture.

Well, problem solved:

Here it is in use on the Lux 4000. Pity it couldn't be white, but then again, the 4000 and 6000 have black cords, black switches, and black undersides, not to mention that my 6000 has a black HEPA filter, so, it does technically match.

Most importantly, at least this one won't be falling off the handle all the time.

The 88 Retires from Active Service

For a vacuum lover and collector, its truly sad when a machine has reached the end of its usable and useful life, but, what the hell...it has to happen to everything and everyone. I turned on my 88 1st version the other day, and noticed that the motor sounded very whiny. In addition, it emitted a slight burning electrical smell. Oh well. I'm officially retiring the 88 1st version. It served me perfectly well for a number of years, and heaven knows who before that, since 1961, so I'd say that's a 'life well lived'. Of course, it'll remain in the collection, but retired from service.