I am not very mechanical. The handle release button on my Hoover Elite Rewind was fine when I last vacuumed, a week ago. Today when I went to use it, the button was frozen. It’s almost impossible to vacuum with the handle in the upright and locked position. Any tricks or repair tips? I have basic tools.
Thanks for any help!
That’s a tough one to say without seeing it. I’d start by either putting a bit more weight into it or pushing the handle forward while stepping on it.
I just went and looked at my vacuum, pushing the entire handle forward would fix a “torque lock” type situation.
If the mechanism is jammed, well, there’s not really much going on down there. A pivot and a spring. I’d start with a flashlight and just see if something is wedged in down by the pivot. Beyond that, all I can suggest is to start dismantling that area. Either removing the back, bottom or taking off the wheel. Whatever will gain access to that corner.
I think you’ll be okay if you aren’t mechanically included. I can’t imagine it would be more then a few screws to at least do some exploratory surgery. No belts or hoses, nothing electrical is going to come into play here.
Thanks, Joey.I tried shoving the handle forward while putting my weight (I’m kind of a lightweight) on it, but nothing happened. I looked under there with a flashlight, but I couldn’t see anything wedged anywhere.
My concern is that if I try to take it apart and can’t get it back together, I won’t be able to use it at all. I just vacuumed my living room by scooting the vacuum along with my foot–slow, tedious, and impossible to vacuum under anything, but better than nothing.
I sure appreciate your advice!
Did you try swearing at it?
I found some parts diagrams, but I don’t think they’re going to do you much good.
It’s not ‘normal’ vacuum cleaner. I can’t find a picture of the back, but from looking at some exploded views, I’m thinking the entire rear panel might need to come off to gain access to the pedal, but I really can’t say for sure.
It’s #3 in the 3rd diagram
In 99 percent of cases this lock pedal fails to engage and the vacuum falls down all the time when parked. Your condition is unusual. The catch is not very robust. I think you would be safe in applying much extra force to disengage the latch. Holding it down when doing so might help. Bare in mind that at some point you could have the problem of keeping it parked upright. Other than having the latch not work, the chance of other damage from this brute force application is minimal.
How old a unit is it? If it were me I would try some wd-40 - put a newspaper underneath, or rag - something to prevent any excess from making a mess, etc. Seems like it would worth a try for the effort and cost.