Easy Permanent Shop Vac noisy bearing fix
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- An easy and PERMANENT Shop Vac fix for noisy bearings.
When your Shop Vac begins making loud squealing noises when you shut it off adding lube to the top bushing will quite down a Shop Vac but only temporarily.
Instead of having to periodically disassemble your Shop Vac to add lubricant I will show you how to replace the brass bushing with a 608 sealed bearing which will last for a long time compared to the bushing.
This is an inexpensive, about $3 to $4, and easy fix. I have done several Shop Vacs with this repair and they have all run nice and quiet for a long time.
Here is were I purchased the sealed bearings:
www.jsbgreatbe...
You can find cheaper bearings, for spinners, roller blades, etc... However, I wanted a decent bearing so that I won't have to do this again anytime soon.
Hope this saves you from trashing your Shop Vac.
Please remember to Like and Subscribe.
Thank you sooo much!!! I’m super thankful I didn’t have to replace my $10 Facebook marketplace shop vac! My “brass” bushing looked like a civil war era relic. You deserve an award for this video!
Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad it worked out.
Perfect example of planned obsolescence. What a waste that all of these shop vacs end up in landfills over a part that wouldn't cost the manufacturer 50 cents a piece.
Thank you for posting your solution.
@@gohorns2323 You are welcome 😊
Thanks for the video was able to repair all three of my Shop Vacs two made around 2007 and my newer Shop Vac mini from 2020 with the same bearing.
One thing to note as explained in the video it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to only press the bearing on the motor shaft until bearing cap is FLUSH with the motor laminations where the screws go through.
The bearing is a tight fit between the inner race and the motor shaft but a rather loose fit between the outer race and the bearing cap. So you want to drive the bearing on just far enough so the loose outer race wedges itself inside the bearing cap and won't move. I pressed the bearing on too far while repairing my second shop vac and there was a slight grinding sound when the motor powered off.
This was because the bearing outer race was wobbling and spinning inside the bearing cap (I was able to see the shaft wobble with the motor running). Luckily I had the tool (a split bearing puller) to pull the bearing back off so I could drive it back on properly. Long story short take your time and drive the bearing on little by little and test fit the bearing cap. It's easier to install than it is to remove.
Glad it worked out. Thanks for the positive feedback and noting the the fine adjustments. Hope your vac works a long time. I am still using the vacs in the video on a regular basis.
You saved my 20 year old shop vac from the landfill. Although my vac looked different on the outside, the bushing section was identical and the bearing replacement fit perfectly. The biggest problem that I had was dealing with all the screw and bolt heads that had rusted to the point that screwdrivers and sockets wouldn't fit.
Glad you were able to get it apart even with the rusty fasteners. Thanks for the positive feedback. Cheers.
Hoping you exchanged the old rusty screws for nice new ones!
So helpful!!! Let me help too perhaps...
Measure the shaft diameter before ordering the 608-2RS bearings. That is an 8mm shaft, 8mm ID bearing. 26mm OD.
My Craftsman 2.0 hp, 6 gallon had a different diameter, 10mm, so I needed a 10mm ID bearing. Also, instead of a 26mm OD bearing to fit in the upper housing, mine was much larger, 30mm, so rather than the larger ID but same OD, like a 6000-2rs(10mm ID, 26mm OD) I needed the 6200-2rs to take up the surrounding space in the upper housing.
PS....look at the thin squirrel cage fan to confirm there is no debris stuck to it like mine had, causing out of balance vibration. That bearing was still fine.
The piece you replaced is not brass, brass is too soft to be used as a bearing. It is made from sintered bronze which is porous in order to provide a layer of oil between the bushing and motor shaft. As long as the oil is replenished periodically, the bushing will last indefinitely. The bearing you replaced it with contains a greater amount of lubricant, so it will last much longer. A sealed bearing is preferable to keep the dust out.
My shop vac has been screaming at me for years every time I shut it down. So I tried this fix six months ago, and it's been running great ever since. Thanks so much for the step by step instructions and the part number. It's nice to have a vac that works well again!
Glad to hear another successful vac repair. Thanks for the positive feedback. Hope it lasts for many more years. Cheers.
Thank you so much for posting this video!! I just ordered two bearings from the link that you provided - best of all - free shipping!!!
It really burns me - the sheer hypocrisy of our society where we are constantly preached to regarding conserving natural resources and how the land fills are filling up - so we should do our part! Well, while I have no issues with looking after our planet, this very common practice of built in and forced obsolescence has become very tiring. As stated else where in the comments, it sure appears as if these motors were designed initially to accommodate a bearing as opposed to a bronze bushing. Or is there a much more expensive vacuum cleaner ( "commercial" grade perhaps?? ) that does use the same motor but for an extra $xxx, the company inserts a bearing that costs them pennies and voila! An instant heavy duty vacuum cleaner!! Well, at least the manufacturers have not woken up and realized that they can rivet things together and make them "non serviceable" by the public. Well, not yet anyways.
A friend of mine has an air compressor made in the U.S. in the 1940's that was used daily until a few weeks ago when the crank shaft seal started leaking and the electric motor sucked oil into itself from the leak and it started to smoke. So for a mere $1800.00 he bought a new Ingersoll Rand - once a very good brand of shop[ equipment and yesterday, he discovered that the compressor was made in India. There is no way that this shiny, pretty looking new compressor is going to last for over 70 years, I'll promise you. Were I in his place, I'd spend a few dollars to have the electric motor cleaned and gone through and spent a few dollars on a new crank seal and just keep on keepin' on. Our attitudes today of throw it away and just buy a new one are for the most part, shameful, IMHO Just sayin'.....
Thanks for the feedback. Please let me know how your repair goes.
I know exactly what you're saying. I've got a 1934 General Electric Monitor Top refrigerator that was originally purchased new by my great grandfather and all these years later it still runs. For safety reasons I did replace all the wiring when i restored the cabinet since the insulation on the wires was quite brittle, and its hermetically sealed motor is still running like a champ in my garage all these years later. I doubt any fridge today will last anywhere near as long without major repairs along the way.
Gary Cook your so right
Gary the sad point is that most people today cannot operate a pair of pliers. Somehow they have the money to get it fixed so it doesn’t mean diddly squat how long it lasts.In my positive self-talk I keep telling God that He put me on this Earth to fix things. i am 80 and started fixing vacuums as a kid because our family owned a hotel. I built all kinds of models in my teen years and started mechanic work at age 15. Praise the Lord for having a brain that works and a tool box that’s too heavy to steal.
This worked! Lubricating the shaft did not work, but this easy bearing replacement did, and my 25 year-old shopvac now works like new. The place he linked has free shipping too, and I realized I've ordered bike bearings from in past years. Thank you!!!!
Glad it worked and thanks for the positive feedback.
Another thank you. And another 20-something year old machine saved from the landfill.
Yeah! Thanks for the thank you and positive feedback. Cheers
Just received a 10 pack of bearings for 9.00 and did my first repair of my 4 shop vacs. It sounds so quiet and better than when I first purchased!! Excellent tip!!
Awesome. Glad it worked out for you. Thanks for the positive feedback.
Do you have the link to get??
@@dannymoreno03 I’ll try and see if I can find it. I swapped out 3 of my 5 shop vacs and they bearings have fit in all of them and they are diff size vacs. Next one I’m trying on a rigid vac that is making noise
Thank you! Just what I was looking for. Good tip with the socket underneath to not damage the fan impeller
Thanks for the positive feedback. Hope your repair goes well.
Thanks so much for this tip, did this mod last night, now the vacuum sucks insanely strongly and is much quieter.
Great. Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad it worked out well.
Thanks for the great video! A couple tips for folks at home: use a ball-peen hammer instead of the claw hammer. Ball-peen hammers are typically forged for hitting metal while claw hammers are forged to hit nails into wood. You can damage or break your hammer (and injure yourself!) if you use the wrong one. Also, rather than set the shaft on a concrete block when tapping the bearing on, set it on a wooden block to soften the blow. Thanks again for saving me the cost of a new shop-vac!
Thank you for posting this! Fwiw, I was able to pry out the old brass bushing with a small flat head, then twist out the clamp ring with a pair of medium duty wire cutters. Pressed the bearing into the housing first, instead of the spindle (added tin beer can slivers to firm it up), and pressed that onto the polished spindle, with gentle tapping. Works like a new vacc! Yup, it totally sucks. :)
Great. Glad it helped. A thumbs up is appreciated if you haven't already done so. Hope it lasts for a long time.
#RFPearson, thanks for the beer can tip. Good idea to keep the bearing seated. Worked like a charm.
As an old machinist my first concern was eliminating the potential for a spun bearing. The beer can shims (not Bud Lite) worked perfectly! Thanks for that and thanks to General Jackson7 for a great video!
You sir are a genius !!
I lubed the bushing and it worked for a while but the noise came back eventualy.
I'm looking forward to try your solution.
Thanks so much for sharing that video !
You're welcome. I hope it works for your vac. Thanks for the positive feedback. Please update how it went.
Great video and just ordered my replacement bearing. Please note the link no longer works but I was able to figure out what I needed from the data in the link itself. Looking forward to getting my Shop Vac back up and running.
Just did this to my shop vac and it works like new!! Thanks for posting your video. I actually took a 608 bearing out of an old vacuum that had broken brushes.
Well done!!
Glad it worked out. Thanks for the positive feedback. Cheers
Fantastic explainer video, and good insight on the planned obsolescence in the engineering. I'd say more likely than not, the actual designing engineer(s) created that specifically for the bearing so that it would be a higher quality product, and the finance side ddcided to not only cheap out on the parts (because bushings are still marginally cheaper, even buying in mass quantities like these companies do) and would fail, requiring either service or repair. Crappy practice, but it's unfortunately commonplace nowadays, so it's good to see people finding ways to lengthen the lifespan with cheap and easy fixes like this
I did want to note that, especially for people wuth less experience in the repair and restoration field, press fitting these bearings is often a safer and easier choice than percussive application using a hammer like this. There's less risk of damaging both the drive shaft and the bearing itself, and is most often easier to execute precisely.
To do this at home without expensive tools like a full-size press, you can easily flip the operation around: instead of putting it on a hard surface and pressing the bearing down onto it, instead push upward like many people do to work new tire rubber onto wheels. First, find a solid, sturdy surface to press up onto, like a car body, anchored desk/tabletop, or countertop (just make sure its secure and won't be damaged by the upward pressure). Place a jack of some kind with a flat surface on top (I use an automotive floor jack, with either a wood plank or other flat surface on top to spread out the force) onto the ground directly under the tabletop, and then put the motor assembly on top of it. Set the rest up just like in the video, with something like a socket to fit over the bearing and shaft on top of the bearing to be installed. As you raise the jack up, it put pressure from the socket onto the bearing, which will gradually and evenly force the bearing onto the drive shaft of the motor in a precise and controlled manner.
This will save the potential headache of a warped or damaged bearing or shaft, which could either be a much more costly and/or skilled repair, or necessitate replacing the parts entirely.
Thanks again fkr both the insjght and the excellent tutorial video. Keep up the great work; it is much appreciated!
I just did this fix on a 10 gallon Shop Vac and it worked. I didn't have a new 608 bearing available but I did find one in a burned up motor from a Bissell upright vacuum. The Shop Vac runs great now.
BTW I didn't have to remove any of the machine pressing on the motor shaft bracket. I simply used a small screwdriver to pry the clip out.
Thank you so much! I don't know if I thanked you before. My son gave me one of his skateboard wheel bearings and I fixed the shop vac two years ago. It's just now worn out after 2 years and I'm getting ready to put in a new bearing. I'm hoping a wiper arm puller is going to fit under the bearing to pull it. The arms are too thick on the pullers I've got...
This guy is a genius! Works like a charm. You don't have to cut the housing, forever. Put the housing in a vise and punch out the bushing an pry out the retaining clip.
Thank you for the compliment. But now my hat fits a little tighter. Hope your vac keeps working for a long time.
So the bushing is surrounded by a felt ring, that needs to be oiled since it s the oil supply for the bushing. If that isn't saturated with oil, the bushing will run dry pretty quickly. Replacing it with a ball bearing is a good solution too.
Thankyou for taking your time to share this! Can't see how this isn't an intentional failure point. I will add some bearing retaining compound on the outside of the bearing to tighten up the housing play. This really made my day. Again, thankyou!
Thanks for the positive feedback. Cheers
I had a similar shop vac that had the same noise. I've been repairing electric motors for many years and find lubricating just the bearing is a short term fix. As you could see when you removed the bracket and retainer for the bushing there was a piece of felt around the bushing. This is designed as a reservoir for oil to lubricate the bushing, which, is not brass but porous bronze. If you thourgholy soak the felt with 5 weight NON DETERGENT OIL...Detergent oil will build of a greasy film on the bushing and prevent lubrication..it will last for many years. The last time I oiled mine was over 8 years ago.
Also, when replacing a bearing into a shell or bracket, it's important to have a snug fit because if there is a loose fit the bearing will spin inside the bracket and wear away the support allowing the armature to touch the field causing overheating and fire. The easy way is to apply some epoxy to the bearing before final assembly
I hope your vacuum sucks !
Hi and thanks for the tip on the epoxy. I had lubricated the fabric before but maybe not with the oil you suggested. It did not last but a few months. However, with my work the vacs are used on a daily basis. And yes, wishing someone in this case that something suck is a good thing. Cheers
Joe, just looked for 5 weight non detergent oil online and can't seem to find any. Can you help me out with a link?
Use 3-in-1 oil, in the blue can. It's made specifically for electric motors, is non-detergent, and only costs a few bucks on amazon. I've used it to lubricate sintered bronze bushings in antique Emerson fans, as well as many other electric motors and have never had an issue with it. This is the product: www.3inone.com/products/motor-oil/
I have 3 Shop Vac's. Two had the death rattle and I wound up doing this mod to all three yesterday. Comments: A) I used the orange HF hook tool that you used on the oil pad cover and was able to extract the screens without tearing up the edge, with the help of pliers. B) If I do this again, I'll use a block when first putting the bearing on. On one unit, the bearing went from resistant to shooting on almost too far using the socket. On with the block and then "gently" with the socket. Thumbs up.... I wish I'd known this a decade ago.
Thanks for the positive feedback and tips. Always good to read through the comments to learn additional tips so Thanks for contributing. Cheers
my pre 1988 Craftsman 32 gallon shop vac has an upper and lower bearing. I rebuilt the vacuum and the motor. You should see the huge size of the brushes, they are super long, like new too. It has a metal top got rusty so took it all apart to paint it. I noticed the upper bearing is a loose in the motor support. You can wrap a piece of painters tape round that to tighten that up. You want the motor spin centered. You do not want the bearing to ever drag in the motor support, that can wear that pot metal. The 32 gallon old Craftsman uses a C clamp bearing strap with screws and has a channel cut for an oring to lock the bearing outer rim to the motor housing. I made my own bearing puller using a 2 inch long section of rectangular box steel (3" by 1.25" by 8 foot hollow steel post), made a hole and a slot and a 3/8 nut and bolt to push off the bearing. Slide the slot under the bearing and screw the bolt down on motor shaft and it easily pulls off the little bearings from motors. The steel pole thing is strong galvanized box pole about 3/32" thick. May have 50 years ago been part of an outdoor clothes hanger system.
Great Fix! I started looking for bearings after watching this video for my 2 shop vacs. I saw on eBay they use these bearings on blade runner wheels . I then remembered I kept some wheels from my son's skates years ago . I popped them out and installed them on both vacs. Worked just like the video. No more growl. I'll see how they hold up.
Great to repurpose some bearings. Thanks for the positive feedback.
@GeneralJackson7
They originally engineered it with the 608 bearing, but the vacuum lasted too long in testing. So they used a brass bushing which judging by its mass probably cost them just as much or more than a chinese made ball bearing. If you sell a vacuum that lasts 20 years you won't sell another to that same person for 20 years, that is their logic.
Hopefully they don't change the bracket design.
I bought one it has the bushing and Ive used MORE than 20 years. I wish the poster had test fitted that 608 bearing in the bottom to see if it fit though!
Well just did mine today and it WOKS!!!! This was a road side pickup and when I came home I turned it on no noise BUT the moment I turned it off it just made that noise. So called the bearing shop in my town and they had it in stock, cost me $3 and BAM it purrs like a kitten!!!! THANKS for your video!! BTW I was able to remove the bushing cage without doing any damage to the housing. 😁
Awesome! Love saving $ and keeping it out of the trash. Yes, I've since learned to remove bushing without messing up the bracket. Cheers
Just picked up a Craftsman 20 gallon vac at the curbside. Someone had thrown it out with all of the attachments. Plugged it in and it made that noise on shutdown, ran good, though. Now I know what to look for. Probably a bit different, but I'll bet I can figure it out. I have a B&D battery powered weedeater making the same kind of noise. I'll bet it's the same thing. Thanks a million, General!
Repaired a friend's B&D palm sander...same bearing. Please let me know what you find inside the Craftsman vac. People have asked about different vacs but I've only done ShopVac brand. Would be good info to know. Thanks
Made this fix yesterday and it worked like a charm. Many thanks! On my vac, the bearing was not snug in the holder and was not snug on the motor shaft. I used CA glue (super glue) and an accelerator after cleaning the bearing holder and bearing thoroughly. Also, I removed the bushing clip by cutting it slightly with a dremel and cut off tool and didn't have to damage the holder. Shop Vac does have a limited lifetime warranty and will replace the entire power unit. I didn't have a receipt and the replacement cost was $70. This fix took me 30 minutes with the help of this video.
Thanks for the positive feedback and glad it helped.
many, many thanks. easy peasy after seeing your video.
Notes: when replacing screws, put drill clutch on lowest / least torque setting which seems perfect for going into plastic.
Skateboard shops sell 608 bearings but are rubber one side only with steel on obverse -- thus the -2rs noted in the video. With steel side inside the bracket housing (has a solid cap), I'm hoping it will last. if a little play, wrap a single layer of electric tape around bearing and trim off excess.
You're welcome. Glad you fixed yours. Thanks for the positive feedback
What a great video! I don't know how many Shopvacs I've thrown away... BUT... it is now 2023 and I've got to rebuild Shopvacs and many other things to get by. In 2018 the 608 bearing at the referenced site may have been $3 to $4 dollars. NOW it is $6.90. Why the rant? Because I went on a fixed income a few years ago. The economy sucks for the small guy. So this bearing has gone up by between 73% and 276% (one early commenter paid $2.50 for theirs ranging to the $4 quoted in this video). Gas has increased by 35% to 50%. I can still afford a gallon of gas (1 gallon 🙂) but eggs, milk, home improvement supplies and of course bearings have risen exponentially. So remember this when you go to vote. All politicians on both sides need to address this. BTW, social security increases don't cover these price increases. Outrageous. Some may challenge my numbers, some will say it happened under two different administrations, even others will point out that inflation is not linear... and I agree. But it doesn't excuse the inflation in our economy that doesn't phase the upper class which your politician belongs to. Are telling your representatives what is happening? They don't seem to know about this or what to do when I send a concern to them.
My Shop-Vac was making the same exact noise. Tried the oiling method first, but it too, stopped working after a short while. Ordered the bearing, replace bushing with bearing, and behold, a practically new vacuum that really sucks!! Great video tutorial!!!
Glad you were able to fix your shop vac. Thanks for the positive feedback. Hope it lasts a very long time.
Fantastic easy fix! I put this off for years. Mine is a 12 gallon and the edge of the bracket that holds the bushing was factory crimped to retain the parts. I tapped the bushing out from the other end with a tiny screwdriver. The bearing fit right in! Now it spins easy and the vac has power and no noise!! Thank you!
Awesome. Glad to hear. A thumbs up is appreciated if you haven't done so already.
Another THANK YOU!!! for letting us know about the 608 bearing that fits right in the bearing support bracket. Mine is working as it should now.
The bronze bushing isnt designed to turn, the top shaft of the motor just spins inside it.
Dirt and dried out lubrication causes the noise.
The proper fix is to take the bracket off as you
showed, and clean the inside of the bushing and shaft, with a q-tip,
then put grease inside the bushing and on the shaft. Then put the
bracket back on.
Putting a bearing in there all that does is make the motor
work harder , having to turn the bearing. In the bushing it just spins
freely.
I had a squealing motor, and watched your vid and mathias vid, which did help me,
but I decided the top bushing just needed what I said above.
So thanks for the vid. I was glad to be able to fix mine, I didnt think I could even get
to the motor, but after watching the vids I knew there had to be a way.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad it helped. I use the vacs on a regular basis. As I mentioned in the video I did try cleaning and lubricating the bronze bushing and felt but that only lasted a few months. Perhaps that would be a longer fix for the occasional user. I have vacs going strong on a couple of years now with the bearing installed. Cheers.
I just did this repair. What I found out was inline skate wheel bearings are the exact same ones as well. You should be able to get one at a sporting goods store. I used a piece of 220 grit sand paper to smooth down the motor spindle and the bearing slid on without any hammering. Otherwise you'll never get it off if you need to replace it one day. Thank you for this video!
I was thinking this too, but a small puller tool would probably get it off
Over the last 10 years I have replaced 5 vacuums for this same problem. Today I was carrying a 6th out to the trash after trying to unsuccessfully fix it with grease. I suddenly thought, “TH-cam fixing this.” One hour later after sourcing a bearing from an old roller blade wheel, I was up and running again. Thanks for the video. I might just be on my last vacuum.
Great! Hope it lasts for a long time. Thanks for the positive feedback.
Also, you may want to order a bearing from the link provided in the description or somewhere that sells high quality bearings designed for high speed. The roller blade bearing may give out sooner as it is not designed for high speed. At least you know what to do now. Cheers
@GeneralJackson7 and folks watching this, please remember to order the best double sealed "ball bearing" 608-2RS bearings you can, NOT the 'quiet' or only listed as 'roller bearing' versions! The 608 bearing family is used in all sorts of applications, including skateboard wheels of all things, and are not created equal. The operational RPM range and especially temperature rating are extremely important because bearings meant for light duty use will have grease that will simply liquefy and drain out in very short order causing the bearings to overheat and seize.
When in doubt contact the bearing manufacturer for a spec sheet before buying.
I agree. Thanks for your input.
Excellent point for quality selection.
Your still getting comments after a few years. I have an actual shop-vac model lb550b that makes the same load sound. I took my shop vac apart to see if I had the bridge holding that bushing. Sure enough I do. I just so happen to have an assortment of nice bearings that may fit. I’ll cross reference and install this week with a response. Thanks again for the video.
You're welcome. Hope you are successful in your repairs.
Effective, to the point video. Some things I would add: get a good quality bearing like the SKF 608. I bought mine from Rodavictoria USA on eBay for about $4 and confirmed with SKF that it was genuine (apparently, there are fakes out there). The issue with the bearing spinning in the housing needs to be addressed somehow (and it is not in the video), but there are plenty of just plain wrong approaches in various posts. Use an adhesive and you will never be able to take the housing apart again. The electrical duct tape approach is a good idea (good for up to 221F), I used a bit of plumbers putty to secure it in the cavity, that is good to 250F. Thanks again for the video, would never have thought of replacing the bearing, that is genius.
Thanks for the positive feedback and good tips on the repair. The two in the video are still running good with lots of use.
Thank you for taking the time and explaining thoroughly! My shop vac makes the same noise and now I can fix it. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
This video is extremely helpful brother. Much appreciate. Coincidentally that’s a standard skateboard size bearing…. Robbed an old board, re-packed, did ur hack and good as new!!! Love this!!!!!!!
Glad it helped. Thanks for the positive feedback. Cheers
Done today! Ordered the $4 bearing, took 1 hr to install, because i removed more bolts than needed, and it was harder to line up all the plastic so the screws would fit in the holes than to remove the old bushing (i used a hook nose tool and it popped the mount right out. No dremel, no notching of the holder. Works like a charm. Next, is the Utube video to spin the canister filter around on a screw and nut to remove all the fine dust and not have to buy another canister. My shop-vac is about 20-30 yrs old. this is a great video. thanks!
Great to hear you fixed your shop vac. Thanks for the positive feedback. Hope it lasts another 20+ years.
Thank you @GeneralJackson7. I have an older ShopVac Hangup series with the blue canister that had the same squeal upon shutdown. In case anyone needs to know, you can dissemble those and it is the same replacement bearing. The biggest pain is getting that old retaining clip out of there. I could not get enough of a grip with any of my 5 types o pliers. So I used a cutoff wheel on a Dremel to shave down one side so I could get underneath it. The rest was a piece of cake.
Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad you fixed your vac.
brass bushings are generally designed to be porous and absorb oil--longer lasting in hot applications such as a printer fuser. the bearing is probably much quieter in this high speed application tho
It is my first comment on you tube. Your tutorial is a five stars help for an inexpensive and easy solution to give a new life to a tool that would have gone to the garbage. Of course you have to be a little bit handyman with a few tools but the result is amazing. Anybody can do that following your step by step instruction. And yes, I bought a good quality double side sealed bearing with your precious provided info for the right size. Thanks.
Thanks for the positive feedback! Glad it helped you save a vac and $. Cheers
Good tutorial! Took me a little longer, but I'm old!! Went smoothly, started up nice and smooth... I used anti seize on the shaft, slipped on easy, I used a snipet of electrician tape to shim the bearing...it was a smidge loose...All good! Thanks!!!!
You're welcome. Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad it worked out. Hope your vac runs for many more years.
Great video!!!!....🤔One thought I had about the bearing being lose in the bracket is making a shim out of metal from a soda can may give a tight fit. Or possibly a very light application of JB weld to the outside of the bearing before installing the bracket would work too.
Thanks for the positive feedback. BTW..great movie. Cheers
The reason is simple. It's kind of like "one size fits all". The same motor may be used in dozens of applications. It may even be used for the same application just different models. Below a certain price point you get a bushing. Above it you get a bearing. You find this often in commercial vs consumer grade equipment. The good news is if you understand this and are mechanically inclined you can use a product until it dies, rebuild it, usually with the upgraded parts and your good to go. I found my Ridgid on the curb being tossed out. Cleaned it up, went through the motor and replaced 1 bushing and 2 new brushes and it's going strong at 8+ years.
Isn't it great saving stuff from the trash
The reason is cost (for them) and also planned obsolescence, they can't sell you a new one in 5 years if it doesn't break. Time to go and take mine apart and see if I can't get it sorted the same way, thx for the video. Might even have a bearing that fits at work, looks exactly like the ones we use there in our assemblies that we build.
Let me know how it turns out.
This is awesome! I have replaced a few power unit assemblies over the years on a couple trying to save but this is obviously a great better then factory fix. Nice work 👌
Glad it worked out for you. Thanks for the positive feedback. Cheers
I just performed this fix for my 8 gal shop vac...runs like new...you are the master!....Thank you
Great. Glad it worked. Thanks for the positive feedback.
This is just pure awesomeness! 👍 I bought another vac and opened right before I found your vid. I needed more power and I was also tired of the oiling method.. Now I have 2 🤣 Thank you so much what a blessing 🙌
Awesome. Glad it helped. Hope your vacs run a long time.
Finally performed this repair on my whizzing/burning-smelling Shop Vac, and it worked perfectly. Thanks!
Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad it worked out well for you. Cheers
I just finished your suggested remedy and it worked great. Grease from the brass bearing was pretty much gone. I have 2 Craftsman shop vac types and never had any issues. I will never buy a Shop Vac again. Especially since a bearing would be so easy to incorporate in the design. Thank you for your excellent video.
You're welcome. Glad it worked! Thanks for the feedback. Thumbs up please if you haven't already done so. Thanks.
Time is money. Worth ordering parts? Nah. But I happen to have 608RS lol. I had a similar issue with a table saw. It would run, but when under any load, it would flip the breaker on the saw. Ended up being a completely unsupported motor shaft end. Easy fix with a bearing and runs like new.
Thank you for your video. I also had tried simply oiling the bearings, but it only worked for a short time. Then I discovered your video, ordered the bearing you suggested, and did the same repair on my shop-vac. The most difficult part is removing the clip that holds the bushing in. The gasket cushioning the brass bushing was totally shot. Nowt he noise problem is fixed! I assume this is a permanent fix but time will tell. I really appreciate you're coming up with this idea and taking the time to post the video!
I'm always glad to hear back from folks who this video helped. Thanks for your reply. Please give a thumbs up.
Thank you for this video. I successfully followed your process and replaced the bushings on two shop vacs with similar symptoms. The bearings worked fabulous.
Great to hear. Hope they both run good for a long time. Thanks for the feedback.
Where did u get parts?
*oh............ my............. god..........* This was a GREAT video. I Luv it. (my 2 stage blower is $200 plus ship)
I have a cleaning biz, my $700 portable extractor "broke" on the job. I knew it was a bearing... it made the *SAME NOISE* and even began smoking a tiny bit too (like your shop vac). *ALL these little centrifugal blowers are built the same . dang . way...* I just lubed the old bushing...... now I'm gonna go size it up for a replacement (permanent) bearing. *LoL* This is fantastic. ......... *and SO MUCH cheaper* ... *AND stickin' it in the eye of the designers*
GOOD GRIEF
............... *What would it COST them to put a dang permanent bearing in there in the first place?* LoL
Thanks for the positive feedback. Hope you have great success in repairing your equipment.
perfect video. I have 3 shop vacs, a 14g, 16g and a 2.5, all of which eventually began to have the run down noise which one would assume, in addition to being annoying, is an indication of imminent failure. Going to try this fix!
Let me know how it works out for you.
Just did this fix to my shop vac and it's working good again with no horrendous noise! Thanks for posting this information!
You're welcome. Hope your fix lasts a long time. Thanks for the positive feedback.
Yes sir! Thank You for posting this up. Just did it, $2.76 on Amazon, maybe a half hour work, saved my favorite Shop Vac!
Glad to hear another vac rescued from the trash. Thanks for the positive feedback.
Holy smokes. I had the very exact problem (Except my bushing clip had also broke) and I was looking for information to see if this very exact solution was possible,
I got TH-cam bingo.
Most awesome. Bravo.
Glad you found this video. Let me know how your repair goes.
Absolutely fantastic! Thank you!
You're welcome. Thanks for the feedback.
Just try this on my 15 year old Craftsman 5 HP Wet/Dry and it worked great just as you showed. It went from a very noisy unit that just started to smoke to a much quieter vac that even seems to be as powerful as it was when purchased. Thanks for the info!
You're welcome. Great to hear. Thanks for the positive feedback. A thumbs up is appreciated if you haven't already done so. Thanks.
Did you use the same bearing as posted in the video? I too have a Craftsman 5HP w/d that needs this 'transplant'. :)
Anyone know of this same bearing will
Fit a rigid vac?
About to do this exact thing, as soon as I get that bearing set. Thanks.
Let me know how it turns out.
I actually pulled mine out of the trash and will try this for sure. Thank you.
You're welcome. Let me know how it turns out and if you have any questions. Good luck.
Did it end up working?
You could affix the replacement ball bearing outer race in the bore by applying a thin coat of Ultimate Gray RTV--by JB weld--give it a 1/2 day to cure.
Found this bearing info online....
For the most part, 608 is the “size” used for fidget spinner bearings. The actual dimensions of a 608 bearing is 22mm total diameter, 8mm bore and 7mm width.
I was wondering if the bore and width are the same on all 608's? If so, I can save a few bucks because i have a few fidget spinner bearings already. So, Would I be correct in assuming that, if the width and bore were different, it would be a different number bearing?
Great cost saving repair! Thank you!
Just did this to my shop vac while I was in there for a failed power switch. The terrible noise is gone. Thanks!
Great. Glad it worked. Thanks for the feedback.
This works like a CHAMP! My Shop Vac used to sound like it was going straight home to Jesus at any moment, and this made it sound. brand. new.
Great. Thanks for the feedback. Skateboard bearing will work, it might not last as long as an industrial bearing. But after you've done it once it doesn't really take too long to replace. Hope you both have a long time to go before seeing Jesus in person.
Interesting approach for fixing this problem, thank you for sharing. I bought a brand new 3 hp/6 gal Shop Vac and after less than 15 minutes of run time, it is already smoking and making that noise. Thinking I may try another brand after reading up on the bushing problems.
Hopefully you can get a refund or exchange. I've not taken another brand apart yet...would be interesting to see if there's any difference
Thanks for sharing the bearing number!!! I was able to get out the retaining ring without any damage to the bracket by using a sharpened nail.
Great. I assume your repair fixed the vac. Hope it lasts a long time.
Thanks for this excellent video. It may help me figure out what to do with a Craftsman model. I've done amateur repairs on Eureka upright vacuum cleaners for 40 years. The power-off spin down sound has long been my indicator of problems and successful repairs.
You're welcome. Keep me posted on the craftsman vac. Curious to know if it is build similarly.
My Shop Vac is mid-1990s vintage and it recently started squealing while coasting to a stop, but still isn't as bad as the example shown in this video. I'm willing to attempt this bearing repair to eke out a few more years of use. Shop Vac deliberately designs obsolescence into their products. Within five years of purchase the power switch failed and Shop Vac refused to supply a replacement slide switch, so I cut and filed the switch opening to fit an adequately rated off-the-shelf rocker switch. If the replacement switch should fail, I can now easily purchase another.
Thanks for watching and a thumbs up. I hope your motor is the same setup so you can replace the bushing with a bearing. Kudos to you for making repairs and not throwing stuff into the trash.
Yeah, I placed the order for a sealed ball bearing last night, just after watching your video. It's a small enough monetary risk that if it doesn't work out, I wouldn't suffer a great loss.
+GeneralJackson7 - Well, it _almost_ worked. In my case I didn't need to press the bearing onto the motor shaft, as it was a very snug fit, but it slid into place with finger pressure alone. The outer race was a little loose in the motor end bracket by a few thousandths of an inch, which was easily solved with three little strips of aluminum duct tape on the outer bearing race, along with a few drops of Loctite 271 to secure the outer race in the end bracket. After reassembling just the motor, the shaft was easy to turn with my fingers, showing just the amount of drag I would have expected from the commutator brushes. I put everything back together. reattached the blower wheel, then test-ran the power head for a few seconds, whereupon the motor bogged and seized. I disassembled it and found that the factory original lower-end ball bearing had seized and spun in the plastic motor end-housing, melting the plastic and essentially ruining the motor. Even if I hadn't attempted to replace the upper bronze bushing with a ball bearing, it is likely the motor was at most hours away from self-destructing anyway. Tough luck. Soooo - it's off to the hardware store to buy a new shop vacuum.
Bummer. Thank you for the update. Sorry to hear the other end went bad.
I wish I had watched this before tearing even farther into mine. I’m definitely going to be trying this. Thanks for the great advice!
You're welcome. Let me know how it turns out when you make your repair. Good luck.
Awesome fix! I have a model 90L400 (blue 10G 4HP) and bearing/bushing started to squeal on turn on/off. The motor# 8132997 is still available, but half the cost of a new vac. Although before I got around to doing this fix the squeal started happening while running. Then next thing I know a cloud of smoke come out. I thought I had taken it to far and now killed the motor. But I let it cool down and tried it and the motor still run. So before using it again I did this fix.
This motor fix is just like in the video. Although I was able to just stick a screw driver in the busing, turn it sideways and pop it right out. Then just grab the retainer clip and pull it out with pliers. I did not need to cut the bearing housing. I used the same bearing as in the video and it was almost the perfect fit. It fit the shaft just right with only a little taping needed to get it on. But I found it had just a little play in the bearing housing. I warped the bearing in some "heavy duty" aluminum foil, taped it in the housing, and trimmed the excess off. I took it back out of the housing and then put the bearing on the shaft as in the video, and then the housing back on the bearing with the little aluminum foil cover.
Now it runs nice and quiet again...
Glad it worked out for you. Thank you for the feedback...I always like to hear back from folks that this video helped out. Hope your shop vac runs for a long time.
Thanks for this video! I replaced the bushing on my shop vac today and am back in business!
You're welcome. Always glad to hear another successful repair. Please make sure to give a thumbs up. Thanks
Thank you.. Very helpful.Was wondering if I could just replace the bearing and how or if it would fit , as I have many bearings of different sizes already..Thank you for sharing..
You're welcome. Let me know how it turns out.
Instead of epoxy you could use LocTite Bearing Mount. A bit pricy but it specifically designed for rotational forces. I hope your vac sucks
Joe Farnham
Thanks to your post, I was able to use my ShopVac for a couple more years. The plastic support for the lower bearing cratered while in the "blow" mode. Judging by the sound, I think the motor was over-speeding after your repair. Has anyone else had this type of failure?
Best explanation and solution for this problem of several vids I've watched. Well done!
Tha ks so much! Saved me buying new shop vac! Perfect fix! Really appreciate the tone to make the video and share your knowledge!
Glad it worked out for you. Thanks for the positive feedback. Cheers
Thank you for the info. I have exactly that problem and it is also a shop vac. I have never had this happen to me with the Ridgids yet.
You're welcome. Hope you have a successful repair.
Thank you so much for this video. You're description of how to install it is perfect. I have a large Shop-Vac and it's running like a pro. Thank you!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad it worked for you.
Great video and easy to watch and follow directions. I just saved myself a lot of $$$ and also saved a perfectly good shop vac from heading to the dump! The little bearing cost just a few dollars - used the same exact one in the video. Took about one hour and as I watched the video, it was well explained and the pictures were perfect. Everything went just fine. I felt a great accomplishment and wish every do it yourself video could be as well done as this one. Thank you!
Wow! Thank you for the kind critique and compliments. You're welcome. I'm glad it worked out for you. I love the knowledge sharing on YT and glad I had opportunity to share. Hope your vac lasts a long time. I appreciate a thumbs up of you haven't already done so. Thanks.
Thank you so much for this excellent video. Videos like these is why i love youtube!!!
Thanks for the positive feedback. Cheers
It’s been a while since I didn’t see such a great video in TH-cam, thank you so much 🙏🏻
Awesome, awesome, awesome!! The older units seem to have much better windings as well. Thank you for sharing!
You're welcome. Thanks for the positive feedback.
Nice work and thanks for posting it.
I had pulled my shopvac apart and lubed the bushing. Of course it did not last. Was thinking of pulling it apart to see what it would take to replace it with a ball bearing. Searched to see if anyone had gone ahead of me. You did and thanks. Even had the roller skate bearing on hand from another project.
My motor shaft was a slip fit on the motor shaft and the bearing a sloppy fit to the housing. I used 3M super black weatherstrip adhesive on the outside and Loctite on the motor shaft.
Thanks for watching. Hope it works well for you. Please let me know how it turns out. Check out my video on inducer fan bearing replacement at the 3:25 mark. I show another way to cure a loose fit on the shaft. th-cam.com/video/6OpSAfp7zfA/w-d-xo.html
Please remember to thumbs up if you liked it. Thanks
Thank you VERY MUCH for taking the time out of your day to share your knowledge and help others save money and the environment!!
I just performed the bearing installation on a Shop-Vac 2.5 gallon today. My motor actually had a black plastic cover which I just used a flathead screwdriver to pop it off and then I could see the motor like you have in the video. I actually had a box of skateboard bearings that I had purchased a while back. They just so happened to be the exact same size except I got a whole box of them for $10 I think. Before installing the bearing I just popped one side of the seal off the bearing and filled it with Lucas red and tacky bearing Grease. I think the bearing in the shaft will last longer than the whole shop back now LOL 😁
But I just had to comment and thank you very much for all your time and effort in sharing this. Shop that sounds like brand new now!! God Bless 🙏
Thank you for the positive feedback. I'm glad to hear it worked out well and another vac saved from the trash. Hope it runs a long time to come. Cheers
I was hoping you were able to find this same bearing because I couldn't find it anywhere. I think the people at Shop-Vac must have a looser definition of this supposed maintenance-free lifetime greased bearing. I take good care of my shop vac, but I guess they are not designed to last for a couple of years. This doesn't surprise me now that I think about it. No company will make it very long if they design a product that will last a lifetime. Haha, it reminds me of the fall of the old furniture companies. They made things exactly the way the customers wanted, but their downfall was making too sturdy of furniture that literally lasted FOREVER. However, what I did with mine was that I took the inner fabric thing out and packed it with some Mystic JT-6 grease and put it back together. It is now gentler on the ears. Thanks for this video...now I can stop searching for this dang part.
A wide assortment of 608 bearings can be found here: www.vxb.com/searchresults.asp?Search=608&Submit=
They're located near me in Anaheim, CA and have reasonable shipping (i usually just drive there and pickup at their will call). Also, i have no affiliation with them, just good experience with their products.
You can also find the same bearing in roller blade wheels (608zz) and upright vacuum cleaner motors (608rs). I got mine out of a burned out motor that went to a Bissell vacuum.
Thank you for making this video. Now I can stop Shop Vac's "time to fail". My Shop Vac sounds normal, but it makes a whine when I shut it off. Your Shop Vac appears to be a late 90's model.
You're welcome. The shop vac repaired in this video was purchased new from a big box store in 2015.
That cheap bushing lasted three years. That is a good thing that you replaced it with a bearing. If you did not replace it, the motor would have died. Now that you replaced it, it will last a long time!
The bearing I used is a standard skateboard bearing, btw.
Came to the comments to say the same thing. Looked up the 608 bearings online, saw a bunch of ads for skateboard bearings. Looked up the specs - same dimensions: 8mm I.D., 22mm O.D., 7mm height. Found some old bearings my son had replaced on his board that I had saved, BAM! Almost perfect fit. Shaft and depth were perfect, but the O.D., while being 22mm, was too small for the bearing cap by about 10-15 thousandths. It fit nicely, but was too loose for my tastes. A couple of drops of CA glue around the perimeter and everything is back together and working perfectly (and QUIETLY!!).
WOW! worked perfectly!! Thanks, I love these awesome hacks. Got mine from the link you gave and did not have to do any sanding, etc.
Awesome! Glad you found this video. Thanks for the positive feedback. Cheers
I got the same bearing and put it in. The rotor was slightly wobbly and I tested it and it was grinding and sparking. So I took it apart and put a piece of cardboard from an old file folder. cut a thin strip and put it in the mounting piece and then put it back together. The cardboard acting as a thin shim around the bearing and it fit pretty tight. The rotor did not wobble. Then I tested the motor (mounted in a vice because it has a lot of torque) and it worked fine. Now to put it all back together and see if this is a permanent fix. Note: with the original motor before the repair, I mounted it in a vice and could not tell which end was making the awful noise. So I first sprayed the end where the brushes are with oil and it made no difference, then tried spraying wd40 on the fan end and the noise disappeared so this was definitely the problem end. I had the same brass bushing and got a bearing 608-RS in a package of 10 (only a few dollars from china). I could not buy a single on so I have 9 left over. I noticed that you put in a 608-2RS bearing, and maybe that is why mine was slightly loose on the outside circumference.
Glad you fixed your vac. I just came in from the garage after fixing another vac that someone abandoned because of the squealing. Now I have a great 5hp shop vac for the price of a bearing.
I'm not sure how long the cardboard piece will last on your repair. Read the comments for suggestions from others. For the one I just repaired I used a small amount of JB Weld epoxy to mount the bearing in the bracket. The same 608 bearing from different manufacturers will vary slightly in size and vary in lifespan.
Good luck and hope that your vac works for a long time. Please thumbs up if you haven't already done so.
Also, if your china bearings don't hold up check the link in the description for where I bought my bearings.
Thanks, you rock. My shop vac has been doing this for a while. But recently started getting very hot. This fixed it right up.
Great. Thanks for the positive feedback.