Dyson DC17 Brought Back from the Dead, Deep Clean and Restoration. 

+Sarah Goldstein I'm so glad you got your Dyson back! Glue the lower seal in the canister if that was your issue, I did and it has been great since with no jams or excessively dirty filters :)

I took the canister off, filled it with soapy water and then rinsed it out thoroughly. When the water comes out clear, let it sit and drip the majority of the water out. Then get out the leaf blower, and hook it up and blow it dry. Leave it in the sun for a few hours to dry and there is no need to take it apart.

Yeah where the black tabs meet the bar is the worst catch point for hair, hopefully your cyclones are cleaner than this one was lol

Ditto! I couldn’t believe the dog hair jammed in there! I also cleaned my roller wheel. It was a little gummy and I think that contributed to capturing all that dog hair but it’s definitely an area that collects a lot of hair.

+enawn00 Thanks so much for your kind words. I just figure I'm the ape at the zoo who takes a bit more time to figure out how things work before getting frustrated and smashing it on a rock to open it haha :)

Yeah I used to pick up vacuums at colleges, which is how I got into doing this. My first vacuum was a shark that was brand new that someone sucked up still wet brownie mix... then they just threw it away during move out week. Of course this is me being broke back in college with no vacuum so I was happy to have it lol.

gpelite That's pretty much how my brother and I got this one. I got the cyclone unit taken apart today- totally gross. 4 of the 8 cyclone cones were clogged and I needed a screwdriver to dislodge solid masses in 2 others. This was purchased new by the former owners, who left it outside when they moved. It sat outside in the weather for a month before we brought it in, just in case they wanted to take it. I'm waiting for a new roller and belt to arrive- when it does, I only have the hose and the plastic casing for the roller to clean. Then it's assembly time and into use. The motor starts right up when it's plugged in. I'm also gonna get a few attachments for it- getting it free and spending a few dozen hours cleaning it saved us around $500 or more for a vacuum like this one.

Tina Gallagher Great to hear! Yeah the brush bar on this model is powerful so be careful on delicate carpets as it has been known to pull strings. Its a beastly machine for the money with that independent motor. Class A fiber agitation in my book.

Yeah I'd have to agree with you, probably would do it in the tub next time since I have a tripod now lol. The counter was high enough to shoot one handed and it was an impromptu thing.

@@gpelite6616 i think mine needs deep cleaned like that the issue is pet hair ect keeps wrapping and clogging the little holes on the shroud and its getting annoying

@@TheVacuumWizard sadly all my Dysons with this design do this too. It is even worse when the tabs that secure the lower portion catch hair on them and create piles of their own. I have to constantly remove these wedged clumps by hand from the main canisters. This is most likely why Dyson moved to the finer mesh designs, but the powdered fine dirt/dust will always be a byproduct in the cyclones and main body.

Yep we had a hard time figuring out the tabs too. But we disassembled that entire thing and now it looks brand new. Just waiting for a new belt and can’t wait to see how it runs again. I had so much sludge in the upper portion I was shocked.

+Nathan Enabnit Yea the HEPA was smelly on this one too, had to replace it. The heat from the motor really cooks whatever is on the HEPA sending the aroma into the room.

+Sarah Rockwell Thank you for your feedback!

This is true, they can go bad like any belt driven device. Usually you can source a new motor head, but the prices vary a lot.

@@gpelite6616 Thanks for the reply. Dyson DOESN'T carry parts for the DC17 anymore. I fixed mine with a small piece of plastic and a hot glue gun. Works GREAT !!!

Daniel Truong I've heard this varies a bit, thanks for the input. Hope you enjoy it :)

T15 here too.

It's as good as finding money, happens a lot too. Keep an eye out for Rainbow vacs too. A lot of people don't know what they are and they're in the trash all the time!

so I've been using it alot and discovered why it was trashed, I guess the motor overheats and shuts off after ten mins of use. its kind of annoying, but I've learned to be fast.

I'm willing to bet you need a new HEPA because it is not allowing air pass through. I bet it is full and keeping the exhaust in. You could take it out to test if it is this issue and run without it for awhile, if she runs longer without your HEPA you found the issue :). You also could have debris in the motor itself like I did, but that is much less likely (you would have terrible suction too). You don't NEED a HEPA to use the vac, but it cuts down on fine dust and particles recirculating in the air.

gpelite your probably right, I'm thinking about doing a tear down soon and putting a different motothead on it.

I'm so glad you got good use out of it :)

Lucky as heck... dream find right there.

gpelite I'm all done now, works like a charm! Thanks for this video.

This!

Lori a Galbraith on berber, heavy duty, or high quality no string pull brands yes. On cheapo\low grade, or area rugs you can only use the hose wand and whatever air driven accessories you have for it. It is one of the stronger motors I have come across with a stiff brush bar. All good things if your carpet can handle it!

I have a love/hate relationship with self adjust tech. It makes the process faster and can work wonders, but you lose some of the ability and control to adjust to piles and delicate carpets on your own. A lot of times when I hear complaints like yours for the vacuum there are clogs forming on the wheels, brush bar, or the literal plastic/skids are worn away from rough use (I've had people tell me their Dyson is used on concrete or on their stone patio) which eats away the plastic like sandpaper over time. Also the springs that adjust the levels can be worn or go missing (on one or both sides) allowing the vac to ride so low it is hard to move. Take your time, go over your machine, see the wear points because you are right, something has probably changed, clogged, or become worn from the original purchase.

I had that disengaged to remove it fully, but the front was catching on the tab shown with very little play. It would not release with just the back clamp for my unit.

@@gpelite6616 yes you have to rotate the cyclone clockwise or counter clockwise while depressing that release button at the same time and it easily comes apart

@@crystalchandelier8176 I appreciate you sharing and am sure that would be helpful to someone, but it would not pivot or rotate in my situation. The machine I had was neglected severely and the crusted in dust and debris would not allow me to rotate or dislodge (and I hammered on it hard with my hands to get it to budge or break free more); I had to bend up and clear straight down even with the flex of the back latch disengaged. There is more than one way to do something given circumstances in play this was demonstrating one particular one I found in my specific situation. Both methods obviously have worked out if you were able to service your machine accordingly. On a brand new machine or one that was cared for, sure, I am sure the latch, pivot, and twist probably works just fine.

So happy it helped!

I do not have a video on the main motor, but if you can get to it with my steps towards the end of the vid. It is really easy. Do you not have any power up at all or just in the brush bar? The brush bar switch will sometimes wiggle free and stop the bar from turning (which happened to me when I was cleaning the lower motor base). If the entire machine isn't turning on yeah I would look at cord issues then motor connections, possibly a bad ground or carbon brushes (which are more rare).

There is actually a point in the video where I show you the plastic enclosure with the motor. The motor is so easy to take out I actually decided not to put that in the video because I gave all the tips to access that area. Be sure your motor is actually bad though it's a tough little unit and usually it will be the broken belt or something before that motor goes out. The brush bar will jam up the motor and destroy things before the motor actually is the issue. Once you remove the brush bar to access that little area all that's holding in the motor are a few screws with the case. Very easy swap out. Please check the brush bar ends and be sure they spin freely and your belt is still tight and not broken first before ordering a motor :)

I still can't hear it, but you're right it was going in the background lol. Love them blocks.

Well replacing the filters is number one, they can be boiled but it is always much better to replace them like you are doing when soiled from misuse. If you did this tear down already in the video I would check under all the flaps of the seals. If they sucked up wet matter there could be embedded mold and such you can't quite see. You will need to take off and scrub them well. Clean all the ridges out where the seals sit as well. The exhaust HEPA filter area can hold dust/mold which keeps heating up and producing an odor. Heat produces odor and scent, so around the motor and exhaust is a key area a lot of people forget about. Make sure you are replacing the HEPA filter and not just the one washable pre-filter., The HEPA one on this model is hard to clean and is the #1 source of odor. Other than that the regular tricks of vinegar (for mold) or baking soda (general odor) soaks help neutralize the odors in the canister and other parts. Hope this helps!

Well it is not gobs of oil and it isn't soaking wet like you may think of lol. I lightly spread it to condition and wipe away any excess. What I prefer is silicone spray lubricant and wipe away. Still "wet" in a sense but works great. The seals themselves have such a small surface area and are often gaskets between parts that I haven never experienced the accumulation of debris in any of the units I have serviced. Never had a complaint yet :)

Thank you!

Thanks! :)

Assuming you have all the screws removed it is all about leverage in using a pivot point to force separation in the unit by pushing at the top and bottom of the unit if I am thinking of these 2 silver sections @ 3:25. You keep rotating it and the gaps get larger and larger as you apply force. Unfortunately this was impromptu so I do not have more footage, or at footage that is at least really worth anything.

I have never had a reclining issue except for the rear pipes on these being put on improperly after cleaning. It really is a toe tap recline system so that would signal to me debris or a part is not attached properly. There is obviously a catch to keep it upright but I have never had to service it. Usually the weight of the vac and the low resistance make it something you never usually have to service. Wish I could be of more help.

Were you ever able to solve this issue? I have found one on the street and it was filthy. I've changed out the filters, replaced the belt (it had broke) and blown out the cyclones. But it won't recline. Dyson on the phone was zero help and I took it into the store and they tried, but their main purpose is to sell new ones, as she did to the two people ahead of me and tried to sell me a new one also. She tried to lubricate it, but it's just simply stuck. I'm considering buying a $20 upright latch for it to see if I can get to it and change it out.

Sorry I glossed over this part when making the video, I should have recorded the motor cleaning but I wasn't sure if anyone would even have that issue. Plus the motor blades are razor sharp and this was before I had a tripod for the channel. So you can see the safety concern lol

Are you trying to ask a question or criticizing my free tutorial?

If I remember correctly you need to lay it down or on its side to get the brush/motor head to fully extend out flat (like you were vacuuming under a low coffee table and the vac canister is touching the ground) that should give you more room to reattach it. Then it slides on easier and you can turn the plastic screw to secure it. When I got mine from the shop, they obviously gave up trying to get it back on and really jammed it on when it was still upright instead of laying the whole thing flat on the ground.

Yeah I figured it out thank so much for the video

Crystal Weatherwax You are so welcome :)

I always start with the fact there might be a clog of some kind and the air flow is creating a whistle effect. Also check that air isn't being pulled past the seals creating the same thing. Easiest place to start. Next, likely it is going to be something stuck between the black tabs on the brush bar and the actual brush by itself or the bearings on the brush bar are grinding metal on metal. There is always a chance that one of the bearings in one of the machine motors has gone bad but that is much rarer. What you can do is take out the brush bar and belt and run the machine without it. If it still makes the noise we know it's not the brush bar. Next if it wasn't the brush bar or clog you have to get to motors and apply oil to the bearings to see which one quiets down and that's how you find the culprit in my case. Oil is a temporary fix and you want to repack them or replace them preferably. If you have a video of the issue it might be easier to diagnose

+gpelite The sound reminds me of my dads table saw cutting wood.its NOT a grinding...almost like the RPM's are racing up... Ok,so where can I get a new motor for this? and what do the prices range from?

Still sounds like it might be a failed bearing somewhere. It would be best to isolate it and make sure it is not the brush bar or brush bar motor before attacking the main motor (which is usually problem free). Brush bar bearings do that noise more often, which would be a simple brush bar replacement. Try to run the machine with the brush bar and belt completely removed first to isolate the issue as the main motor.

Maybe... Sharp ear lol

For a lot of the later Dyson models the cord must be completely unwound and off the unit before you can lift the wand because the top cord latch is built into the wand itself. Once the cord is off the wand should pull up and out freely when you extend it fully out of the hose and yank up. Hopefully that helps!

This model doesn't have a wand release button like the other models. I think you must pull the metal wand straight up and when it's all the way extended it will release from the vacuum. If the hose is binding on the metal tube it will make it harder to pull it up. Am I right ?

You cannot traditionally clean HEPA filters. I have gotten away with washing the washable designed ones, but even then the results are mixed. I tried to boil the HEPA on this unit and it was too far gone and too thick. Basically buying a new one (and maybe 2 right away, one for later) would be the best idea in my opinion.

gpelite thank you so much for your reply. I just placed my order for some new filters.

lol not my place