Introduction
For lack of a better place for me to post this instructional, I have taken to placing it on my blog.This blog is more geared toward my passion of multimedia immersion. The type that takes you out of you surroundings and envelops you to a whole new experience. But, as a hand-on kind of guy, there are times that my adventures entail fixing 'stuff''.
Dyson DC-39 Triggerhead Teardown
The triggerhead of our DC-39 was no longer spinning. Upon inspection it appeared that the mechanisms that caused the brush to spin had seized. Curious about the possibility of tearing down the head to correct the problem, I couldn't find anything online. Instead, I embarked on my own unguided endevour to tear down the $75 unit and, as an after thought, I took pictures as I reassembled the unit.
For your convenience I have laid them out in order of disassembly. I do not know the proper terminology so I just made it up.
I spent almost three hours on this thing, but that combines looking for information online (none that I found), figuring out how to take it apart with minimal breakage, and taking pictures.
Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteI also looked for any manual and I found this useful, since I have the same issue. I will take it apart myself.
ReplyDeleteYou are certainly welcome. Good luck on the tear down!
ReplyDeleteGreat advice.
ReplyDeleteAwesome write-up. I found the plunger was sticking due to the red ring not rotating freely. When I took this apart I used a locksmith's graphite spray (dry lube) to solve this, then reassembled the rubber gaiter with a small drop of silicon lube. This solved the brush stalling.
ReplyDeleteAlso worth noting that if the valve at the other end of the turbine (under the air filter on the head) is sticking you will get poor performance too, so worth cleaning and applying a little silicon lube here too.
Interesting! If you happened to have taken any photos of where you applied the silicon lube I would like to include them along with your advice into the post. nathanielcustom @ g 2-the mail dot com
DeleteCan someone tell me what to do. My brush spins. But about a month ago when vacuuming, I heard a rubbing sound as if the wells were not rotating on my hardwood floors. After checking, it appears my brush cover is not retracting any longer and kind of droops on the floor. I don't want to purchase a new nozzle if I don't have to.
DeleteThanks
I'm afraid I don't understand your symptoms. What do you mean "[the] brush cover is not retracting any longer and kind of droops on the floor."?
Delete7/13/16 Update:
ReplyDeleteThe brush was still freely spinning, but it seemed to slow down even when on short carpet.
I took the assembly apart, but some lubrication on the black sleeve of the valve since it seemed to fold in on itself and stick. I don't believe this actually did anything, but it has been included here for thoroughness.
To ensure all brush parts were moving smoothly I added lubrication to both ends of the gear shaft and brush removal cover (brush has a pin that spins within a plastic retaining boss).
I wiped down various moving and sealing parts.
The brush appears to be spinning less inhibited.
The process of disassembly and wiping down parts may have been the major contributor toward resolving the issue.
On second thought, it may have been the stick that someone got jammed inside the airway on the floor unit. Half the tube was clogged severely restricting the airflow.
DeleteThis post is amazing because of all the detail you added to it. You saw a problem, you did your research and went for it. I love that you added pictures of every single step that you did. It helped to me exactly what you were doing. In the end, you got it all back together and it works. Win!
ReplyDeleteAlison Norman @ Power Boss
It truly makes me happy to hear that this post was of value to you.
DeleteFirst, thankyou for making the disassembly so much easier. This however led to A new defect that caused the 'failure to spin'. The turbine disk shown in your photograph 17 had all of the teeth driving the belt worn down. I can only assume that the machine was operated with a slack belt tension for an extended period and now there is no way that the belt can transfer the drive from the turbine disk. Spare parts could help but I wonder why the belt was low in tension to start with - there is no adjustment here like there is at the brush end of the drive shaft. I guess it is a lesson not to believe the spin that this machine was 'designed by engineers'.
ReplyDeleteNoel, the teeth on the gear or the belt were worn down?
DeleteOn the subject of replacement parts, I don't see anything online for the gears. There are a couple old hits from auction sites for replacement belts.
For reference: There are two belts. 07157-01-03 (step 5), drives the brush. 22262-01-02 (step 17), is the belt that runs between the turbine and main drive.
Thank you Nathaniel for yor comments. Further investigation from the owner of this machine suggests that the brushes may have been jammed for some time prior to the component reaching my bench. I suspect that the slackness of the drive belt connecting the turbine disk pinion to the brush driving spindle was sufficiently slack to then allow the belt to rub against this pinion for some timr, resulting in weaing the pinion teeth away. What surprises me that the design of this part was apparently set such that jamming of the brushes could result in stripping of the turbine pinion gear. I would have expected that an organisation that markets its product on the basis of excellence in engineering might have had a more efficient approach. I can only assumne that the intrusion of the "marketing MBAs" called the tune. In an attempt to fight back my next 'when I've got time' project is hunt in my junk box for a possible replacement PVC pinion to weld on to the turbine disk. Wish me luck
Deletethis is great, used the guide earlier today when stripping down my unit as the shaft had seized, saveed me a lot of money for a repalcement - thanks !
ReplyDeletealso, all the screws smaller than T10 are T7
DeleteI'll see if I can make an edit without messing up all the pictures.
DeleteHa.ha. found this page after pulling the head apart. Yep...Slack middle belt has worn the teeth off the small gear. By the way i did not remove the red plunger bit on the head. I just lifted the clear slide off of the clear tabs.
ReplyDeleteDisappointed dyson dont sell parts or replacement heads.
I think we are starting to see a pattern in long-term effects of the belt design.
DeleteBrilliant Guide thank you so much saved me a good £60+ I followed all the steps then managed to free up the spindle, put some wd40 on for good measure. Some tips,
ReplyDeletestage 8 was the worst bit, finding an exactly sized screwdriver would make it much easier.
Stage 16 I didn't bother with, no need to take the clip of you can get the gear off without doing this
putting back together stage 9 make sure the plunger is correctly seated before starting on stage 8 - again very hard unless you have the correct screwdriver.
works good now seems a little weaker than I remember but still much better
You know... you may be right about that clip. It has been quite some time since I have taken my unit apart, but I don't see why the belt couldn't be removed with the clip left on.
DeleteIn part, I was trying to tear the unit down as far as I could manage, which did include the clip... but it looks like it did not result in anything further being removed.
Hello Nathaniel,
ReplyDeleteJust curious, but do you know where to get parts to fix the head? I have a stripped top gear in the trubine (step 16 piece) and can't find a replacement anywhere.
I don't know of any vendors that sell parts down to this level. A complete trigger head assembly runs below $70.
DeleteAnother option, depending on your personal connections, is to 3D print a new gear. If you are unfamiliar, this would require drawing up the gear in CAD, generating machine code from the drawing, and then executing the code with a 3D printer.
Dug it. Very complete. My 39's head isn't spinning. Given the obvious design flaws with belt, gears, and the clear plastic piece that fits in the valve, I'm not feeling ambitious. If anything, I will probably just replace the head. I found your site (best ever) after my teardown. I got mine as a used gift from a friend. Crazy engineering in this. Your pics will help the reassembly.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compliments. I recently saw a DC-39 at a pawn store, and if I remember correctly, they wanted around $100 for it. I was tempted for a moment, but couldn't justify buying it for parts.
DeleteOk, so here is my story. The brush spin slowly, and stop when put on a carpet. But when I took the head apart and blocked a little the airway (put a piece of paper on the opening inside the head) it start to spin like crazy. Almost as in the regular setting there was not enough suction power to spin it when on the carpet. any ideas? Thanks, and this page is a great find!
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that the suction created by the vacuum itself is shared between the mechanisms that spin the brush and the inlet that draws the debris into the vacuum canister.
DeleteBy partially blocking the rectangular, debris inlet (as we'll call it) more air passes through the filter screen side of the valve assembly (Step #11). This seems to indicate what you are thinking; a lack in power is available to spin the brush head.
This could be caused by any number of reasons. The first would be a worn out or poorly lubricated piece in the mechanisms that spin the brush. The second could be that the valve assembly is not making a proper seal (Parts in Steps #12-#14?). Third, the valve itself (Steps #7-#10) is not regulating the on/off of the airflow properly. Or lastly, the vacuum itself is not providing enough suction --- check for blocked airways (or worse, a failing vacuum).
The easiest place to start is by removing tubing pieces and angle pieces from the assembly to reduce the amount of components that could be inhibiting airflow. Also check that the red-seal of the valve is pressed up against the clear plastic when the unit is running --- this is when the airway is opened for spinning the brush.
If you don't find anything blocking the airways. Then I would proceed with systematically taking apart the trigger head and perform some tests on the operability of each component. This will be somewhat challenging as you will have no baseline to determine if things are operating properly, so keep your eyes wide open and think through how you think each component should work.
Thanks! Much appreciated. Again, this is a great page and I wish all DIY were as clear as this. Well done!
ReplyDeleteNo problem. Keep me posted on what you find or if you need additional help troubleshooting.
DeleteWell, I took the unit apart, and I believe I found the problem. If you look at step 15, the picture on the right, you will see a "membrane" that is attached to the inlet plastic part on the left and glued to the white ring. The glue gave up and this membrane is now only partly attached to the white ring, so now suction power is less powerful due to the leak. I will try to glue it back, hopefully restoring the full suction power to be delivered to the gear.
DeleteExcellent breakdown. I got to the last step and you left me hanging though lol. It wasn’t the gear that is stuck for me; it’s the turbine. I’m afraid to break it trying to pry it off and can’t imagine what’s under there besides some bearings which I may lose. I guess I’m guying to try some oil. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteNever mind! Found some WD40 and that did the trick! Now let’s see if I can reverse these directions haha
DeleteSent you a few bucks. You saved me a ton. Thanks!
DeleteThank you very much! I was going to suggest soaking it in WD40, but wouldn't know how successful that would be. I never stripped it down past the steps above.
DeleteI want to reiterate that I've seen these units start to show up in pawn stores and, for some, replacement parts might be obtained this way.
Mannnn it just won’t let me be. It stopped turning again tonight and I thought maybe the bearings seized up again. Nope. I couldn’t turn it by hand so that was my first thought, but when I tried harder, the screw cap popped off and the brush came loose with it. I took the brush out and the little toothed ear or whatever spins fine. No, the dang screw cap is stuck on the end of the brush so when it’s locked the brush won’t turn!! Why??? I can’t screw it off at all. I even tried some lock pliers and only managed to scratch up the brush cap. It won’t come off the brush! I don’t even understand, because I don’t think there’s even much in there to stick. It’s just a pin to hold the brush in place on the inside right? Omg any help will surely get you another donation haha. I’m lost
DeleteYou are right. The brush and the brush cap do not lock together. A receiver hole (metal) in the brush cap slides over a pin (metal) on the brush.
DeleteSomething may have jammed in there or one of the pieces deformed? Maybe you could try freezing the parts and/or put them in boiling water to see if changing their size may do anything. Immersing them in WD40 or something that can break down grime may be another option.
In this photo you can see that some grime and hair fibers have collected in the brush cap. Hope this helps.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ouPtWPKrNGSFdvlPH7QL1Y_dTMgvOdWo
You Sir are an Absolute legend, I searched for ages trying to find any useful info re this very problem, finally to come across your post/thread.
ReplyDeleteFollowed your breakdown comments and pics & it was all quite easy, at Number 15 the part with the "Tab", if you pull it apart from the other end after removing the 2 screws it comes apart easier, as the tab is a locking tab to secure the 2 pieces together, which you push the other piece into once reassembling, just fyi.
Also the 2 sizes of screw drivers/wrenches need are a T10 & a T8 ( for the 4-6 smaller screws)
I lubricated both ends of the drive shaft & bearing, worked it till it came free, then added more spray & spun it for a good couple of minutes while letting the lubricant sink in.
Once assembled it works like new, the only down side was my wife saw me complete the job & yelled YAY & proceeded to tell me to then Vacuum the Lounge...no good deed goes unpunished i guess.
Thanks again, Most helpful.
Shame on you for fixing such a useful tool.
DeleteGlad the guide helped.
first i have to say thank you a million times over. i have scoured for the last week trying to find anything to give me insight on why my dyson dc 39 brushroll would spin fast when not touching carpet, then stop when it hit carpet i eventually found out that alot of this is contributed to the agitator within the black sleeve of the triggerbrush, if you slip off the sleeve there is a plastic piece with a spring in it. well it had brocken in half but because the black sleeve was covering it you couldnt see it. it took 4 attempts at disasemble and reasemble trying to correct this. i krazy glued the piece together and now the brush spins while rested on carpet also. except there is a loud humming noise as it spins. i was ready to give up last night after many conversations with dyson they were of no help. today i stumbled across your blog and hands down i have never seen such great display and attention to detail showing a breakdown. i now realize the small spring by the belt i put it in incorrrectly so i will once again attempt it. honestly you have no idea what your blog meant to me today thank you
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome and thanks for the compliments. I would love to put more tear downs together of random items, but as you can see, having posted this in 2014, I just don't find the time to commit --- without sacrificing thoroughness that is.
DeleteMy problem appears to be the valve (step 8-9-10) is fully retracting (red gizmos pressed against the clear window), opening the bypass (step 12) and depriving the turbine of airflow. To my untrained eye, the moving piece of the valve appears cockeyed when relaxed, but flat when retracted.
ReplyDeleteIt appears the valve is more fully retracted than it should be. If I pop the plunger guide off the valve, it runs like heck, but that's open loop and I'm not sure I want to do that.
Seems like the valve to plunger guide is broken or the plunger is broken. Guessw I need to tear down to see. As I slide the brush-head into the hose fitting, with the vacuum running, the brush drive starts spinning, but when I complete the connection, the valve closes and the brush drive stops.
I am deeply grateful for this illustrated tear-down. Information is always half the battle. In my case, the brush suddenly stopped spinning when in contact with the rug. Getting down to step 3A, on my own, I stalled at step 4, but stopped because I didn't think my problem lay in that direction - under certain conditions, my brosh spins just fine, it was not jammed.
Thanks for this! A bit nerve racking when you have to pry the belt cover off, but it worked out great. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI am having trouble putting the spring back from step 5a back in. is there an easy way to do it?
ReplyDeleteI put the spring in while holding the rig in such a manner that the spring was vertical. Then I slowly placed the gear/belt thingy in position and pressed them into position with the plastic spring plate on top of the free end of the spring. It was positioned perfectly and then I used a pair of tweezers to worry the spring into position. It's not easy. Important: be patient and have a good work space so that you can track and locate the spring when it pops out during this process.
DeleteI think those are all good pieces of advice. It has been quite some time since I've last torn down the triggerhead so I don't remember the process.
DeleteI imagine I first put the spring into the circular cavity of the "receiver" component, then placed the "receiver" into position (like in step 5a as these pictures are actually taken during the reassembly), and finally compressed the spring until it slid into place.
Thank you so much for compiling these instructions. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteSure thing!
DeleteThank you so much for this post! I had torn my trigger head down to step 16 searching for the reason the brush wouldn't roll but needed to be able to compare what I had been left with vs what it should like. I had only a small amount of the gear left, not enough to drive the roller but enough to gather some rough measurements. I designed and 3D printed a replacement gear and after fitting it and re-assembling the trigger head the brush is now rolling! I had to shave down the remainder of the gear and some of the plastic around the pin to get it to fit and reused the snap clip to keep it in place. If anyone would like to use the same design you can download it from here https://www.tinkercad.com/things/9SSBZG3TpCa I am by no means an expert but this seems to have worked for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the praise and contribution Nicole. I'm am very happy to hear that you could give your unit some more life.
DeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great guide! I recently used it to repair an old triggerhead that appears to have been left in water. I went beyond step 18, and would not recommend it - in the process I broke the black plastic piece twice, and also bent the second gear that you pried off.
ReplyDeleteThere is a metal shaft running the length of that housing, which has two press fit bearings holding it in from either end, and the pair of press fit gears. In my case it, and the bearings, had rusted and siezed completely, so had to come out.
I had to dig into the plastic to get beneath one of the bearings, and then could tap out the shaft. I also snapped off the tube from the gear housing, which is glued back on...
For the turbing itself, the stationary white dome-stator can be pried off easily. This reveals the worst part: another set of stationary blades, made out of the black material (glass filled PBT), which hold the hub in place (and shape the air a little). I destroyed all 21 of them trying to take the turbine off the hub, and failed to glue then back in. They are the same size as all the other blades, so incredibly weak and fragile (to, say, hammering on the turbine shaft)
(The turbine is on two tiny bearings, with a spacer between them)
After cleaning and oiling everything (light oil only for the turbine), I re-mounted the hub using three tiny screws, which allowed me to position it centrally enough, and don't impede the airflow. The main shaft needs to be pressed-in-place with the bearings with a vice.
Overall a nightmare of a contraption. The glass-filled PBT is fragile, and that black piece in part 18 is press fit together with no way to disassemble.
Aren't you bold? You have certainly taken it further than I ever did and appreciate your contributions.
DeleteAmazing that this guide still finds value to a few of us out there.