it was just a dry joint on the cut out unit. I re soldered it and it all came back to life. this happens when the motor overheats when it is choked in the collecting bag and when using non-standard collecting bag so the thermostat/cut out unit gets hot and the solder melts and gives a bad joint. it is straightforward to re solder back to board. this board is mounted on the back of the motor by one screw and one plug in connector. Mine is a Miele S726 newer than yours but come apart the same way. this cutout/thermostat is a safety device and it reset itself after it gets hot and cut out the motor so normally it should be ok but prolonged use it gets hot and give a bad joint and malfunction.

hope this is useful to you or someone else

( WARNING to test this thermostat you could link it out to test, if it is faulty Please you need to understand a bit of electronics ).

Keith

Congratulations on your excellent site. Browsing the Net there is a common fault but few replies - the vacuum cleaner will not start, or sometimes not switch off.

I have a Miele canister Cat'n'Dog 700 which has this intermittent fault. Its been repaired twice but not permanently. So today following your guide I detached the switch console from the rear of the machine. After experimenting and observing I found the on/off switch sometimes sticks, but more importantly, the switch block moves away from the pedal slightly. Then the switch can't be activated unless it moves back into place - which happens. Thus a puzzling and intermittent problem.

My solution is to tape a small piece of cardboard 6mm (1/4 inch) thick over the bottom of the switch block resulting in it being held in place by pressure from the body of the machine. Its impossible to see if this works - there may be more than 6mm clearance but its effective so far.

I'm happy to share this small idea because it is a simple but irritating problem.

After finding your site (which incidentally came up first in Google!) I then searched for " Miele vacuum won't start" "faulty switch" etc and seemed to get a number of hits. Could still be a rare fault.

My fix isn't quite as definitive as I thought, the darned machine switches on most times but not always. A little thump seems to help but that isn't exactly ideal. I might persevere and see what else can be done. A dab of hot plastic glue on the tip of probe which pushes the electric switch would slightly lengthen it, and give a closer contact.

Anyway the more information we can share on the net the better off everyone is. I was particularly annoyed about the problem because the Miele is the best vacuum cleaner we have ever had. We now have two. Also we have twice paid for it to be repaired without success. To be fair intermittent problems are the worst in anything.

Cheers
Winston F.

Finding the motor online was confusing until I learned that AL adds 11 as first 2 digits to the number on the motor as their catalog number. I found the motor listed as "in stock" at a online website, but for 3 weeks their communication was non existent once I got an auto reply to my initial order, and I canceled 3 weeks later when I found out from AL that Grainger was a distributor. Grainger did say 2 weeks lead time for the motor, but it arrived in about 7 days. Perfect replacement except I had to butt splice old connector wire since I didn't feel like searching electrical departments for right size connectors once I had the motor and my wife had been tearing her hair out in frustration with nothing but an old vacuum for 4+ weeks.

Your tip on not removing the bumper saved me time.

Thanks again,
Paul J.
Baldwin, MD

Sarah T

I have a Flamenco II which I bought in 2002. It quit running and here's how I learned to disassemble it.

1. First, make sure the machine is unplugged.
2. Gently pry the two black plastic lid hinges until the lid pops free -- be careful not to lose the small spring which seats on one of the hinges.
3. Remove the two black screws at the front corners with a Phillips head.
4. Remove the two small silver screws that secure the switch and recoil housing -- keep the two small springs with them. This will expose the switch which can be lifted off its housing.
5. To expose the motor housing and recoil wheel, remove the deeply recessed black screw that is between the two silver screw holes. Motor housing can then be lifted off.

Your page seems to be about the only such guidance on the entire internet.

Having been disappointed by what I would term Miele’s “promise much, but don’t deliver much” customer care and ‘valet service’ for minor cleaner repairs I thought I’d have a go at taking my 9 or 10 year old S556 Revolution 500 apart.

Seems to follow similar principles to yours but when I get to the bit about “Here it is, belly up. Nothing is holding it together at this point, so just lift the entire base (the big black part) off and set it aside. It is not necessary to remove the rubber bumper that goes all the way around the outside of the base” I find that with mine there IS something holding it together and I cannot fathom what. Guess its some internal spring clips or something within the design of the plastic moulding, for which certain pressure points must be known about to pop it open.

Just wondered if others had contacted you and you might either know an answer or be able to point me in the right direction? I think the models are known by different names over here in the UK to what you have.

Andrew T.

Best,
Thomas

power cord was dead, your post helped with the disassembly; I enjoy keeping high quality German products going forever, seems to me the way of the future. Bought it in ’99, figure it’s got another 10 years in it at least.

Thanks again.
Joe N

Thank you,
Lydia C.

Have you ever changed the carbon brushes ? I used to do this with my scalectic cars, easy as long as you respect residual current. I have my S571 vac motor out but can't figure how to open the case to change the brushes

Hope you can help

Cheers,
Carl

PS Found the answer on a related website that has credited you with inspiration http://www.asciimation.co.nz/bb/2009/12/29/tearing-apart-my-miele-s5210-vacuum-cleaner

thanks anyway and I love your work (but no donation as yet)

I can only wish I had found your site 2 years ago when a friend had the same cord problem with her Miele S548 vacuum. I wish I had taken pics then and had the for-site to upload them to held others. That said, do you have any idea where I might find the small circuit board that mounts to the motor of the S548. The power rectifier is fried but the motor appears good. Thank you in advance for any direction you can point me in. If I am successful in the second repair I will give you the pics to post.

Irv S

Hi Jim

497-2426-5-ND TRIAC 600V 25A TO-220AB
497-2426-5-ND TRIAC 600V 25A TO-220AB

I did a little research about the chip and found they use it on most of their vacuums. If this chip fails there is no current to the motor whatsoever, I believe it's part of the speed control circuitry. It looks like a typical three leg voltage rectifier chip, the center leg is cut and not used.

The chip is made by ST and is a MRC BTB24 600BW. It can be ordered through Digi Key Corp. online, www.DigiKey.com their part number is: 497-2426-5-ND their description is TRIAC 600V 25A TO-220AB current unit cost $1.99 handling and shipping by first-class mail is about $4 so for under $10 I ordered two and saved my friend several hundred dollars.

If you feel this information might help others, feel free to post and edit as you like.

Keep up the good work,
doc

Anyway, before I take it apart I was wondering if you think I would need any parts first. My cord is completely out of the vacuum. If I press the re-wind button nothing happens. If I press the button the cord might go in an inch or less. If I do need parts could you tell me where to get them as our local place has closed down?

Also, what do you think of the replacement bags, the envirocare bags?

I purchased the machine in 1995. It’s a S248I.

Thanks for any advice, appreciate.

Jim

First, some descriptions: The assembly consists of a take-up reel that contains the majority of the spring and two shafts - one for the cord reel and the other for a small spoked wheel. The spoked wheel simply serves to support the cord reel as it turns. The cord reel has some internal spring clips that make electrical contact to some rings on the assembly at the base of the cord reel shaft. This is the part that was making intermittent contact once the tabs broke. The end of the spring from the take-up reel slips into a groove in the cord reel and it is very easy for the spring end to come out of the groove when putting it back together.

So here are my instructions, assuming you have the cord reel and the spoked wheel off of the assembly: Take up the entire spring onto the take-up reel. Now unwind about 6" of it (anymore and it gets difficult to handle). Keeping a grip on the take-up reel so no more spring comes out, slip the spring end onto the groove on the cord reel . No doubt at this point the spring is twisted up - that's OK. Ultimately what has to happen next is this: the cord reel has to slide back onto the center shaft of the assembly in such a way that the spring is not twisted, and the spoked wheel has to slide onto its shaft. In doing this, you'll need to make sure that the end of the spring stays in the groove on the cord reel (this may take some awkward positioning and some trail and error so don't be discouraged). Don't get distracted by the odd bend in the spring near the end, that is supposed to be there. Just make sure the spring isn't twisted, as that will prevent it from winding onto the cord reel properly. Once this is done, you're almost there.

This is the part that took so much trial and error. At this point, I pulled the cord out about 6 feet and tried to retract it. It retracted about a foot or 2, but then the spring got dislodged from the cord reel and I was back to the beginning again. At first I keep thinking I must have let the end in the groove get out while I was sliding the cord reel on the assembly. I kept being more and more careful but nothing changed, time and time again. Here's the deal - the part of the cord reel where the groove is located is where the spring winds around the cord reel when you pull the cord out. If you look at the shape of the plastic piece with the shaft that the cord reel slides onto, there is some small amount of clearance (about 1/4") around the area where the spring winds around. This is designed to allow enough space for spring when you pull the cord all the way out. However, when there is only a little bit of cord on the reel, there is another problem. Once the tension is taken off of the cord (during retract), the spring has plenty of room to move and nothing really forcing it back onto the take-up reel, and this is what I kept experiencing. OK, lots of exposition, HERE IS THE SOLUTION! Once the cord reel is on the shaft, pull the cord out about 6'-8'. As before, some of the spring will wind onto the reel. Now, keeping the reel where it is, pull the cord back through and manually wind it back onto the reel. It's THAT SIMPLE! What you are doing here is filling the clearance in enough to minimize the expansion of the spring when the tension is released and this will keep the end of the spring in the groove.

So there's the part I wanted to contribute, certainly doable but you may need some patience. I hope my descriptions are adequate. Just keep in mind the money you are saving yourself.

For those that are interested, or may be looking to do something similar, I had one other problem to resolve. With the tabs broken off the reel, I had to find a way for it to make good electrical contact with the base of the assembly. Luckily, the shaft that the cord reel slides onto is several inches longer than the cord reel is, which gave me room for my solution - slide a c-clip onto the shaft to retain the reel the same way the tabs did. I used my Dremel tool to cut a slot around the shaft so the c-clip of the right size would fit. I also put a plain washer in between the cord reel surface and the c-clip to ensure the reel didn't get torn up over time.

If you're wondering, it's been several months since this repair and the Miele is as good as new, not a single problem.

thank you so much!

sue

Your Miele page got me started but my Flamenco turns out to be a rather different beast. Attached are some photos that show how to open the Flamenco and possibly similar models. Additionally, I show how I repaired the friction roller on the cord reel - a fix that probably applies to many models. You are welcome to post the photos and instructions on your site.

The top of the Flamenco must be removed to expose the third of the three case screws you will have to remove. To remove the top, open the vacuum as if to replace the filter bag. The whole lid assembly attaches via hinges that are simply pressed down into the main case. Gently pry vertically upward on each side to remove the lid (see topremoval.jpg).

Next unscrew the three case screws (circled in casescrews.jpg) and you can open the vacuum.

I discovered that there is a small friction wheel that fits between a wedge and the outer edge of the cord reel. This prevents the cord reel from rewinding until the button has been pressed. This wheel is hard plastic with a rubbery coating. The coating had rubbed off in one spot so whenever that slick spot was next to the reel, the cord reel would slip and the cord would not stay extended (see slickwheel.jpg).

I carefully pried the wheel loose from its plastic holder, got some heat-shrink tubing slightly larger than the wheel from my toolbox, and shrunk a small piece of it around the wheel. I then then trimmed the excess heat-shrink at the edges of the wheel (fixedwheel.jpg). I used plain heat-shrink and it has worked fine so-far but if the tubing ever slides off I will redo the repair using adhesive-lined heat-shrink (available at marine-supply stores if your hardware store doesn't have it). After applying and trimming the heat-shrink, snap the wheel back into its holder (replacedwheel.jpg).

Finally, reassemble the vacuum by reversing the above steps. Sliding the lid-hinge tabs back into place may require firm but careful pressure but is not difficult. I'm pleased to say that following this repair, the cord-reel has been working like new.

Cheers,
Steve C.

We have a Miele S538 Monte Verde and it started to have intermittent power problems when extending the cord after about 6 years. In our case it turned out to be the contacts in the recoil assembly.

I removed the recoil assembly from the case (it just lifts out) removed the cord drum from the assembly, sprung out the copper contact arms slightly and also made a plastic washer (14 mm hole, 20 mm diameter, 3mm thick) that goes on the outside of the recoil shaft and provides more preloading on the contacts when the assembly is installed.

Unlike your version our model has only one screw holding the control panel. I couldn't figure out how to get it off because the two molded plastic clips at the rear are tucked up underneath. One website said to just lift the control panel from the front until you hear a crunch and it will come off. That seems to be what you do but be prepared to catch it when it comes off.

Thanks again for your help.

Regards
Larry

Thanks for sharing your experiences with Miele vacuum cleaner repair and providing an opportunity for others to share, as well.

I just recently experienced an intermittent electrical connection and seemed more frequent when cord was fully unwound. I found I was pressing the cord wind button more than the power button to get the vacuum to work :o) Anyway, here are the steps I used to resolve my connection problem.

Model: Red Star 312i

Root cause: - electrical connectors (in white cord wheel) no longer had sufficient tension against connectors (in black component). Probably just from component loosening up as it ages.

Resolution: - bend electrical connectors outward (in white cord wheel) so they have sufficient tension

Procedure:
1) disassemble vacuum (I did it before I saw your page, but found your page in the middle of my efforts and used your tip for removing the lid.) so that cord winder component is accessible.
2) remove single screw that secures cord winder component
3) unplug plastic connector (release the small clip on the side of connecter)
4) slowly remove cord winder component from vacuum housing
5) ensure cord is fully wound (this leaves spring wheel fully retracted and, therefore, without tension against the white cord wheel
6) disconnect the spring from the white cord wheel (line up the white cord wheel so that the spring attachment location shows through opening in the black component and remove spring with needle-nose pliers)
7) remove white cord wheel from black component (pull white wheel up from black component with it horizontal. Careful, there is a little white guide wheel that may fall out of the black component if you do not have black component horizontal.)
8) carefully bend copper connectors outward approximately 1/8th inch
9) also check all 4 metal clips (attaching black and white wires to electrical connectors) to ensure they have tight fit
10) that's it.. follow instructions in reverse to once again enjoy the consistent purr of your Miele friend ;o)

Here's a tip on fixing the problem where the machine won't turn on because of a fault in the cord winder.

I assume that the cord winder maintains electrical contact when rotating, similar to an electric motor, by means of a commutator and carbon brushes. In my machine one of the brushes wasn't making contact with the commutator anymore. The white plastic wheel that spools up the electric cord rotates around a black plastic axle and, in my unit, also has some lateral movement along the length of the axle. I found that if I pushed the wheel toward the outside of vacuum that the out-of-contact brush now had contact with the commutator. When I let go, it returned to its out-of-contact position. But how to keep it moved so there is good contact?

I took 2 small tie wraps (those plastic strips with the grooves that securely tie wires up--http://www.tiewraps.com/tiewrappage.html) and tied them around the end of the axle closest to the motor. The wheel now rests against the tie wraps and is kept far enough toward the outside of the vacuum that the brushes stay in contact with the commutator.

Problem solved.

... jeff

I just replaced the cord winder on my Bahama Blue Miele using your instructions. A few changes and updates:

This is a newer unit than yours, and it seems Miele has now shifted from Phillips head screws to Torx. To do the basic disassembly as you have described, you need a #T20 Torx driver. If you get into some of the smaller parts, like the switches, you need a #T10 Torx. I strongly recommend that anyone starting out on such a repair on a machine that uses Torx screws, just go out and get these two drivers (not just the Torx bits). They are inexpensive and will save you lots of trouble.

The filter is not screwed in, but just snaps out now.

I determined, with a continuity tester, that I needed to replace my cord. Of course I would have liked to replace just the cord, like Georgia B. However, I followed her instructions ( I thought) and zip- tied the two halves of the white plastic cord reel together. But I got the dreaded spring explosion anyway. This happened when separating the white reel from the black winder body. The spring is captured within the black body piece next to the white reel. Perhaps I should have zipped the reel to the black side piece, then tried to remove the cord. But in any event, I felt that $115 for the winder assembly was worth it in order to complete the job without endless hassle. Once I had the part, ordered from Vacuums 24x7, putting it back together was relatively easy. I do note that the reel assembly is marked with something like, "Complete assembly only" implying that it is replaced whole, not disassembled. I can see why.

Note on ordering the part: It came in a reasonable amount of time and everything, but I couldn't get a status on the shipment at all. The tracking function at the site never worked, and I even emailed them. I got a shipping confirmation on the same day that it arrived at my doorstep. So there it is. Thanks again, and if I need to do anything else on the machine in the future, I'll be confident.

Steve A.

My Miele Solaris Electro Plus would not power up. I took it apart and discovered power wasn’t getting from the electrical plug to the two prongs on the side of the cable reel. I could wiggle the cable reel around a little and would get power intermittently. Basically, the problem was that the cable reel assembly had gotten to where it would allow too much side-to-side movement, causing the contacts to lose contact.

The fix: I simply took up some of the slack by putting washers on one side of the black plastic shaft which runs through the center of the reel. I cut the bottom out of two plastic cups (the kind you get with a large drink at fast food places). This gave me two flat, plastic pieces which I could make into washers. I then drilled a hole through the center of the two “washers.” As the 3/8” hole wasn’t large enough to fit over the shaft, I simply took my Dremel tool out, put on the small cylindrical sandpaper attachment, and used that to enlarge the holes to enable them to fit over the shaft.

I then reassembled everything, complete with handcrafted washers. My Miele now works like new and I saved the price of a new cable reel, approximately $100.

Caution: Don’t let the reel assembly come apart or you’ll have a heck of a mess trying to get the spring rewound properly so the cable reel will work. Mine came apart and I didn’t take the time to rewind it. No problem. I just simply coil the cord up when I’m finished using it. Not a big deal.

William H.
Leesburg, GA.

The model I have 248i comes apart differently, if you want to add this to your page it would be nice since I did not find anything else re: 248i

1. remove two screws under main cover
2. remove accessory door by pulling gently at 90 degrees to main body
3. remove felt strip under hinge of accessory door
4. remove the two screws you see that were hidden by the felt strip

Thanks again
Kirk

thanks for your page on stripping down the Miele vacuum cleaner. I buggered mine vacuuming up sanding dust after filling and sanding a car so I had to strip it down to clean the motor brushes. Even though mine is a different model (a S5210) I figured it would be similar and your page encouraged me to write up my own tear down.

That is available here: http://www.asciimation.co.nz/bb/2009/12/29/tearing-apart-my-miele-s5210-vacuum-cleaner

They are beautifully made machines and I am pleased to say after stripping mine down, cleaning and reassembling it is all working properly again.

Thanks!
Simon

Jerome

I saw that many people said the spring would pop out so I studied the winder and if you continue to let it rewind after the unit is out it will come to the end of the spring and the spring will stay in the little self-contained reel attached to the case. You can then take the white reel with the cord in it out and you will see copper springs with contacts on them, clean and sand these contacts and the metal plates they ride on and, with your finger rebend upwards to get good contact and put everything back together. maybe a little elec grade grease on each.

Don't forget to slip the spring back in the slot in the white spool and rewind a few turns before mounting back in the unit. I have the s314 I but I think all the units are similar.

This is easy to do and best of all it will fix the problem for free!!!

R. Anderson

Thanks very much for taking the time to post these pictures and guide. I used them to repair a similar model. On mine, the cord winder was only providing power intermittently depending on how far out the cord was pulled. It turned out to be too much grease had worked its way onto the metal tabs and circles that make the turnable electrical contact between the white spool and the black plastic housing with the "axle".

One item to add about dealing with the spring. If you let the cord wind up one extra turn or two, as if it would be going further into the machine, the spring loses all its tension. From there, you can look and see where the spring attaches to the hub of the white spool and turn the spool a little further and disconnect it easily, again with no tension. From there, you can just lift the spool off and the spring remains on the smaller spring spool. In my case, I just had to clean up the excess grease with a Q-tip, and I was back in business.

When putting it back together, I reconnected the spring to the white spool, and gave it one turn to add some tension to the spring before putting it back in the vacuum. For folks repairing or replacing their cord, I thus recommend disarming the spring by fully winding the cord onto the spool, and then turning it a an extra time or two. After that, you can just lift spool out and unwind the cord by hand.

Thanks again for this great site!

cheers,
Tim

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