FIXED! Roomba Error 26, $0, No Parts Required
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- I picked up an expensive iRobot Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum with Automatic Dirt Disposal from the sidewalk. It has the dreaded ERROR 26, which seems to plague Roomba robots and typically requires purchasing a new cleaning head module. However, I found a way to fix it in 10 minutes without any cost.
The lubricant I use in the video is WD-40 White Silicon Grease. DO NOT TRY TO USE NORMAL WD-40.
Skip directly to the fix here: 03:00
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/ @gerrystech
Unfortunately this did not work for me. I tried silicone lube multiple times. I noticed my motor would not rotate as smoothly even after adding lube. I ended up buying a new motor off Amazon for $30 (part number 20n636p010) and it worked. Thanks to your video, I was able to take it apart easily and fix the issue. Thank you!
Hey that's great news. Thanks for sharing the part number. I'm sure it will help other people as well.
Slightly drilling out the metal bearing holding the axle was the next step that did work for me.
Thank you so much for this, it was very helpful. Gave me the confidence to fix my Error 26 problem. I made sure to clean out the Roomba fully, reseated the little plug beside the dustbin and replaced all the consumable parts. None of that did anything.
Took the Roomba apart, lubricated the motor shaft and washers using silicon WD-40, put it back together and the thing is running now with no problem. Your guide was a life saver.
Great job!
Super helpful! I had this taken apart to the plastic wheel but didn't realize it could be taken down further. Stripped it, lubricated the motor, and so far it's been working great! Saved me a new cleaning head module!
That's awesome to hear! Glad the video helped you!
Same here
Gerry your video saved me $160 and it was very easy to follow. I cannot thank you enough for this. My machine had an Error 26 and I was about to toss it in the trash but I didn't want to be beaten by no damn machine. You saved my bacon man. Thanks a million.
Thank you, I appreciate the comment. It's great to know it's helping people to fix their own units.
Masterful solution!! Worked for me too. You are a very patient and straightforward explainer, thank you for the video.
Fun fact if this info helps anyone in a similar boat as me-- I have an i3+ and the video resolved my issue. I had recently spent ~$80 on new rollers, filters, and brush heads through iRobot after 4 years of doing ZERO maintenance (whoops). My whole machine was clogged up with dust/gunk and the parts were obviously in disrepair. After replacing the parts and doing a surface level wipe down, I thought that would fix the problem.. then the plague of "Error 26" came. The manual's troubleshooting didn't help and I didn't want to spend another $80-100 for a cleaning head. After pulling off the cover and removing the cleaning head assembly as instructed in the video, I found another plethora of dust clumps. I thought THAT would fix the problem too but alas it didn't. So then I finished all the steps up to lubricating the motor with WD-40, and now the machine works like a charm. TY, Gerry.
That's great news. Thanks for leaving a comment. Another one saved from the trash!
Thank you Gerry - worked like a charm!!! I was skeptical when I was putting it back together, but it fired right up and took off cleaning! Thanks thanks thanks!!!
One day later update...it crapped out again with the same error, so I had to order the whole unit again...Thanks though!
Bad luck. A least you gave it a try. Mines still going strong!
Fantastic tutorial Sir, thank you so much for posting! I got to removing the motor assembly and found a little chunk of drywall. Seems like that was my problem! It’s been working great since.
Nice! I'm glad it helped you.
Had the same issue, every time the vacuum came on, it coded out with a 26 code. I looked it up and found your video and watched it and followed the steps, and so far, it works. Letting it rest and charge now, will see tomorrow how it works, thank you!
Thanks for the comment. I'm really happy it worked out for you.
@@GerrysTech It went out today twice on its own schedule and went back to base, all is good so far. Thanks again!
This worked for me, so far! Figured the worst case is I break the cleaning head module more, so dove in. It's running great now, so hopefully it'll last! Thank you for the video.
That's great news. I'm glad you took the plunge and tried the fix.
Gerry your video was well done & quite useful. Though the $0 lube of the motor didn't work for me, you did show me enough to order just the motor, and not the full brush assembly, saving me $$. Got the new motor installed in a few minutes and it's working like a charm. No more Error 26! Thanks again!
It didn't work for me either. Do you have a link to the new motor? Thank you
That's great news. Can you share the details where you got the motor?
Thanks Gerry - worked a treat - Roger is now better than ever! Also smoothed the plastic around the spindle with fine sand paper as was a bit rough. Would recommend taking photos as you go to ensure you know which way round everything was
Great tip!
Gerry your video was very helpful, now my robot is working for the last 45 minutes. Hope it will continue in the next few days.
Thanks, that's excellent news. Mine is still going strong.
Cookie (an i6) is back in action thanks to your informative, easy to follow instructions. If I can do it, anyone can. Thank you!!
Thanks for your kind comment.
Thank you for this. I didn't have lithium grease, so in a pinch I used Vaseline, I figured like you said, can't break it anymore than what it was. It now works again.
Nice, I like lateral thinker.
Ha! Totally fixed it. I couldn’t feel any difference in the resistance of the motor before and after, but it absolutely worked. Crazy. Now what to do with the $120 worth of parts I have on the way? Lol. Great fix. Thanks for the video.
I would hold onto the parts. You don't know how long this fix is going to last. And it's always possible something else in that unit is going to break and be unfixable. Great job in fixing it though.
I just followed your advice using video and it seemed to work perfectly! I could definitely tell the armature was smoother once I lubed it. Must have been it. I so appreciate your video!!!
Great to hear!
Good help brother. Just saved me the $$$ of replacing the head unit. Appreciate the knowledge ✊🏻
That’s great! I was hoping that it would save somebody some $ and keep stuff out of landfill 😀
Adding my thanks to everyone else! My dog had chewed up a beanie baby and I made the mistake of letting the Roomba try to clean it up. That ended in an error 26 caused by one of the plastic beans stuck in the motor. Didn't even need the silicone lube! Thanks so much!!!
Thank you for the kind words. I'm happy to help you out.
Just commenting to say you saved another roomba! 🎉🎉
Nice!
Thank you so much for this video!! Tried everything to fix error 26 and this seems to have fixed it, at least temporarily. Much appreciated.
No worries, thanks for commenting. Mine unit is still working fine so fingers crossed 🤞 for you too
Thank you! Unfortunately, one of my screws got stripped because it was in there so tight, but it works on reassembly! Thank you!
Nice! Sometimes you can't avoid stripping screws. I've done quite a few myself 😊
Thanks for the video. You fixed worked out great on my j7. BB-8 can continue cleaning the carpet!
Thanks, I'm glad BB-8 is back on deck :)
I had to slightly drill out the metal bearing holding the axle, because lubricating alone didn’t do the trick. Thanks for the steps to get it apart!
Your welcome. So you drilled out the shaft that the rod goes through? Did it make it louder or wobble at all?
@@GerrysTech doesn’t seem to be different volume than my other i7s now. I BARELY drilled it out using a bit that was already smaller than the hole. More like a shaving around the interior of the hole. Maybe I did more to clean the hole than shave it down??
@@BLKSG6 that's really good information to know. If there's grit or something inside the hole then cleaning it out might make the difference between it working and not working. It must be incredibly sensitive when it's sensing how fast the motor is turning.
Worked like a champ. I used silicon lube instead. It's dutifully back at work in the salt mines. I noticed the plastic fan wheel had a few missing posts along the outer perimeter but don't think that's a huge problem. Also, didn't think much about the slight smooth resistance I felt when rotating the fan as I figured it was simply the motor mechanics. I tried your method and immediately noticed a marked lessening of resistance. In retrospect, after the fix, it felt more like a brushless motor with the slight magnetic resistance during rotation. Liked, Subbed.
Thanks for the sub. I’m glad you got it working, regarding the broken fins on the fan. I had the same thing. I think anything large that passes through can potentially break off some of those fins. I guess if enough of the fins are broken, it will stop sucking properly. and you’re right about the brushless motor having resistance because of the magnets. I don’t think I showed it on the video but I actually turned the bell housing and shaft around and poked it through the other side to eliminate it when I was checking to see if there was any resistance, to be fair it was subtle, but obviously it’s there because this technique fixes the problem.
If the “missing parts” were little dot-like structures around the perimeter of the fan, this is normal. I have a few i7s and they all are like this.
Thank you! I did exactly like you said and my Roomba came back to life! 😂
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad to hear that it worked for you. That's another one saved from e-waste.
Actually worked!!!!! You are the mvp bro!
Great news, glad it helped you out
You are a gem!! Fix worked perfectly for me and you made it so easy to follow. Saved me big $$ for a while so thank you.
Thank you, I appreciate the comment.
It worked for me too. My roomba i6 is working again. Thank you!
My pleasure. I'm happy another unit it back to work.
Just a note on the i9s. The impeller/fan blade is attached with a very small screw. I cant tell if it was a small Torx or Phillips. You cannot just pry it off the i9.
Thanks for sharing that. I'm sure it will be helpful for somebody else.
Thank you, It was really helpful. It worked well and the error 26 was long gone
Thanks I'm glad it helped you out
Awesome! Your video saved my Roomba . Thanks a lot. The explanations are super clear
You're welcome thank you for leaving a comment.
Had the exact same symptoms, and the fix worked perfectly. One thing you might suggest before removing the assembly is to reach in and spin the silver hub to feel the existing issue/friction. I used WD40-specialist silicone. The reason to use silicone is that it won't gum up later. It's advertised as dries quickly, and won't attract dust. Only reason I had a can of that was a window repair tech recommended that spray for vinyl surfaces that start to get sticky after a couple of years.
That's great news, thanks for sharing
Thanks for the video. My Roomba is fixed!
Fantastic!
It's work for me ! Thanks very much.
It worked, many thanks from Germany!!!
Excellent, I'm so happy it worked for you. I was in Germany a couple of weeks ago. It's so green compared to Australia.
This actually worked. Thanks for the video mate!
Glad it helped
Thanks so much for the video! It worked for me... As of right now. 😅
That's excellent news. Mine is still going strong after repairing it so hopefully yours will keep motoring along
It worked here. Thanks a lot for sharing!!
My pleasure. It's great it worked for you.
Worked for me!!! Thanks so much!
That's really good news, thanks for leaving a comment
Good info thanks
Thank you for the comment. I hope it helped.
Thank you, it works now!!
That's great news. Thanks for leaving a comment.
You are awesome, this fixed the issue. Thanks
No worries
Good try...but its still heavily vibrating in the post fix vid there.
That's what mine actually sounds like now. (with no greese)
Seems like yours was seizing up on your first vid. At least you go it going.
I just ordered a new head unit from irobot.
But I will put some greese on my old one see what happens.
Can't believe irobot would use such cheap components, seems a like common issue.
Thanks for the vid!
Mines still going, so far. Let us know if the grease works for you. If you pull it apart have a look at the impeller and see if it is missing blades, that’s another thing I can see as causing a problem. Seems ridiculous to have to buy that entire unit. 😞
Thank you ! 😊👍🏼
You're welcome 😊
No worries
Thank you for the video. It did not work but is probably that.
Bad luck. But at least you tried. You can always keep the unit for spare parts.
I had to drill out the metal bearing holding the axle, which worked for me. Just a little bit was enough.
Hi not sure what you mean? I will take a look. Thanks
@@TentsUp at 7:33, he uses a screwdriver to separate the motor axle from the bearing that it runs through. I took a drill with a bit that was already smaller than the bearing, and used it to SLIGHTLY shave the inside of the bearing. This widened the hole (or maybe cleaned it?) and reduced the friction of the spinning motor.
it worked! you're a boss
Cheers👍
Is there a special reason to use the lithium grease? I have some "High-Tec-lubricant" that I use for the gears of my bike. Should be working the same way does it?
No you do not have to use lithium grease, but its good for this type of thing. I'm sure other lubricants will also work. Give it a go with yours and let us know the result.
Solved
Thanks a lot
That's great, thanks for leaving a comment
thank you
No worries
Nice share!
🙏
Hi there, would this make warranty void? Mine is aprox. 1year old and i could go back to the retailer. On the other hand, this doesnt sound too difficult. Is there a downside in my case? Thanks.
I imagine it probably would make it void. If it's under warranty you'd be better off sending it back.
For once, I am part of the group that can confirm this actually worked.
Nice!!
Does the fan motor keep the debris from sucking up once back to the docking station and tower?
When I was getting the error 26 the unit was still happy to charge and even attempt to empty the bin even though the unit was empty. So I don't think it's causing a problem. There's lots of people reporting completely separate problems with emptying the bin and a lot of it seems to do with dirty sensors behind the bumper. It would be worth giving the whole thing a good clean. I also found this official link from Roomba regarding bin emptying problems. Maybe it can help you.
homesupport.irobot.com/s/article/30568#:~:text=If%20Roomba%C2%AE%20continues%20to,and%2For%20the%20sensor%20ports.&text=After%20you%20have%20cleaned%20all,error%20by%20rebooting%20the%20robot.
So I can use WD40?
You can use normal WD-40 if you want. It won't hurt it but I don't think it's as affected as grease. White grease is especially formulated for metal on metal. Plus it smells great. I use it on all my door hinges and locks. if you use normal WD-40 leave a comment and tell everybody how it went.
Man, that thing is loud!
Yes, sorry I didn’t realise it came out so loud in the video. But it is incredibly loud when it returns home and empties itself.
Someone gave me a j7+ yesterday, And I go to factory reset it, and it says another account owns it, how do I bypass that?
I did it with mine. I think you have to use the iRobot phone app. Do a factory reset getting both the vac and phone on same wifi connection and it works.
I love my roomba but this error is getting me nuts
Yep, it's great when it works
I replaced it and still don’t work
Well, at least you tried. :) The only things I can suggest are to keep trying for a couple of times to give the lubrication a chance. Also taking it apart a second time and reassembling it can sometimes help, you could also look at the impeller and see if that is okay because I noticed that on mine. Some of the fins had been broken off and I guess if its missing to many it simply won't be able to work properly. It's always possible that the motor is just burnt out. If all that fails I guess you're stuck with purchasing a new cleaning head unit.
Alguien me explique el paso de desmontar el motor ? Hago palanca pero no puedo sacarlo.gracias
Hi can you please explain in more detail which bit you needed help with? The translation to English isn't great. 🙏
Hola buenos dias ,a la hora de quitar el ventilador con el destornillador , para poder lubricar el motor.Lleva una marca blanca , tiene alguna posición para sacarlo?
Hi, don't know fore sure, I think the white marks are for testing the speed of the motor at the factory. Like the timing belt in a car. Anyway, I took no notice of the marks and just pulled it apart. I think the Roomba gives the error 26 when the speed of the motor is below a certain point for any reason. This is why lubrication fixes the problem in some cases. Cheers :)
@@GerrysTech vale gracias pero el problema que tengo es q no puedo separar esa pieza para sacar el motor y lubricarlo.tengo miedo de partirlo
On mine it is just friction fitted. Just take it slowly, pry a little bit, then rotate, pry some more and repeat until it starts to move. You might be able to just grab the whole impeller part and pull. My opinion is that its already not working, what do you have to loose?
error 13 ?
I haven't had that error yet. If I do, I'll definitely make a video.
Why doesn't normal WD-40 work?
WD-40 might work but it's not really a lubricant designed for this sort of purpose, it's great for lubricating things that have moisture involved, things that are rusted etc. Normal oil might work as well, like sewing machinery oil, but I think it's really a job for grease, and white lithium grease is fantastic for metal on metal, plus it smells nice. I use it all the time even in things like door hinges. If it is something rusty I would use regular wd40. Also the grease shouldn't affect any of the plastic parts it might come into contact with where normal WD-40 might. I hope this helps.