How to Fix a Roomba making a Clicking/Knocking Noise 

Hi Greg and other readers! Great video and really helpful. Had exactly the same clicking noise and when I saw your video, began to dismantle my Roomba. When I did so, I found that the gearbox was remarkably clean. I cleaned out what does there was and generally inside, pout it back together but got the same clicking noise. Dismantled again, further cleaning but this time extracted all the cogs, one of which is encased in a small bearing..it is the biggest of the cogs. When I rotated the cog in the bearing, I found that it was not runnin freely so I cleaned with a spray cleaner and air line, oiled with a light oil, put it back together and heh presto, runs beautifully. Without Greg's video, would not have gone this far. Hope this helps other Roomba fans...what a piece of kit it is! Cheers, Phil in Luxembourg

And yet another Roomba saved from the landfill. I wonder how many you have saved over the years! My husband was primed to trash my old 531 and I fixed her right up! She lives to vacuum another day! Thank you!

Thank-you for posting this video. Here it is March of 2023 and this video saved my old Roomba 655 from the trashcan. It was making those clicking popping sounds just before giving the error message to clear the brushes. This video gave me encouragement to dig deeper into the Roomba. Bingo! The gearbox was loaded with fur and fuzz. We have a Siberian Husky and she sheds like crazy most of the year. Now, the Roomba is cleaning our upstairs game room as I type this. We have 3 Roombas and the 655 is the oldest. The other two are for the downstairs. I really like the self-emptying Roomba. That is really slick.

Had the same knocking noise, and clean brush message. Took mine all apart as shown here, and the gears were perfectly clean! So I thought must be some other issue. Put it back together and now it's running fine! Thanks for the video. Not sure what was wrong but it's fixed now!

Thank you for this -- did the trick, and now Rosie is working better (and quieter) than she has in years.

It worked. Ive cleaned everything but the gears before. I thought it was broken..... well works like new thanks to you! Cheers homie.... yes my unit is old but still chugging away.

Thank you for your video. The last one I watched was a video with no speech. I commented on their video 6 years ago and no response so I appreciate seeing you reply to your comments! I did as the video said, now putting it back together. Fingers crossed

Thank you so much for this video. I just bought a replacement aftermarket battery and a new official roomba charger for a roomba that was left behind by my passed mother. It was working okay for a bit then started making this exact noise. I really didn't know how to even google about this until i found your video lol. So grateful.

Like someone else said, it may be old but it still works, solved my problem, Thank you

This video was super helpful and well done. When disassembling, I discovered a washer. There was so much gunk to clean, I had not noticed any washers, but one was stuck on the cover that is removed to access the gears. That made me think there must be more so using my trusty magnet I searched the hair/gunk but no luck. That was because it was nylon - 2nd discovery. So I sifted through the gunk and found one more - I expected either 3 or 6. Watching this video and searching the comments, I saw no reference to these washers or which gears they go on. So ---- if you are taking apart, watch out for these and report back on which gears they go. I am thinking on the outboard side of the 3 without the metal bushings.....THANKS AGAIN!

Con tu video me has salvado mi Roomba. Gracias

I have a Roomba that has been around for SEVERAL years. Always been able to take care of it until that darn clacking sound started. This 65 year old grandmother was able to fix thanks to this video! Thanks for the tutorial!

This video was incredibly helpful! I cleaned out a prodigious amount of caked-up dust and hair at every stage of disassembly. Once I disassembled the gear box on my roomba, however, I found that the compartment wasn’t dirty at all. Instead, the trouble was that once of the gears had seized into place. I popped out the stuck gear, sprayed each gear with silicone lubricant (I was worried white lithium grease would degrade the plastic and attract dust), and reassembled everything. I checked that all of the gears spun freely before closing it all back up. My roomba runs perfectly now! Thank you for this video!

Been having the same clicking problem your Roomba did...followed the steps in your video and I'm back in business. Thanks for taking the time to film & post the fix!

It worked. I am beyond thrilled. I'd been cleaning the brushes over and over but could not get rid of that awful sound and that error #2 message. Thanks a lot

This video is over 5 years old and still helped me from the "error...check Roombas brushes". Good Lawrd my gears were disgustang. I resorted to a cleaning toothbrush dipped in alcohol and an exacto knife for the crevices. Thanks, How to Fix it Workshop!

Thanx for this video I called roomba they said my roomba brush compartment was broken needed new one I ordered it decided to check online and found your video did gear cleaning and now my roomba works great I called roomba back and cancelled my order u saved me some money that I did not want to spend as I bought my roomba second hand :)

Although this is an old video, it helped tremendously. I wouldn't have thought it would be 'so difficult' to get at the gears or they could get so dirty. But once I got inside to clean it out, I saw that there are openings in the gear box where the axles meet the gears and I guess that's how the grime gets in there. You'd figure they'd make it easier to get at them if they need regular maintenance. Thanks again for the video.

So helpful. I had gotten part of the way on my own, but was afraid of breaking something so put everything back together without getting to the gears. Your video allow me to fix it!

Thank you!! I was going nuts trying to figure out why my Roomba kept telling me to clean the brushes. They were clean and the compartment was clean but it was still clunking. I had never noticed those tiny screws on the side, but sure enough, the gears were clogged and no longer moving. I followed your instructions and now its as good as new!! Great video!!

You just saved me a couple hundred bucks because I was gonna go get a new roomba - I followed your instructions and now it's back in action!

Thanks a lot. Sat down with Video, a beer, and a few tools and got this done. I went ahead and cleaned the pivot wheels while the cover was off. Lubed as many axles as I could find, and like new. This thing is trying to topple the trash can each time it bumps into it. Got a new lease on life!

Bob has been out of action for the last year and was heading for the bin. Thanks so much for posting this fix as he is now back in action :-)

Thanks so much! I followed your clear instructions and Rosie is running smoothly again! I'll add my favorite Roomba tip for cleaning all the nooks and crannies. I have long hair and multiple cats so I have to remove hair on a regular basis from around the ends of the brushes, etc. and the best tool I've found is a SEAM RIPPER. Cuts right through the hair and reaches in to all the crevices.

Why this info is not available on the Roobma trouble shooting page is beyond me, so frustrating. Thanks again for posting a video on what we need to do.

I absolutely love my Roomba and was literally distraught the little guy wasn't working well. It's now running like new again, thanks so much! Must have with two cats and two dogs!

Great video! Mine was doing that "only going in circles" thing also, replaced the IR sensors (both = $9.58) and its worked perfectly since!

Before you tear into your Roomba this far, remove the two brushes and pull the yellow caps off the end. Clean out the junk under the caps and the brass fittings, lubricate, and reinstall. I had cleaned out the brush compartment as described in this excellent video, but that didn't solve the problem. Only after cleaning out the hair and gunk underneath the end of each brush did it work well again.

Great video, Roomba was 'chattering' across the floor occasionally and "it seemed like the right thing to do." Interestingly enough I had not received the "clean the brush" alert even when it was balled up with Cairn Terrier hair but it did 'chatter'. After cleaning it no longer 'chatters' but has stopped twice to tell me to clean the brush, even though the brush doesn't have much hair on it. Suspect that it might be caused by the screw I left out (another issue). But on the morrow I'll be receiving new brushes and I'll pick up a replacement screw later today. Your video was a great help and I think I'll have my 665 in top shape. Just to note: I also have a 700 series but the 600 does much better at picking up the pets' fur. Then it will be off to reprogram for automatic cleaning cycles. Possibly add racing stripes ... the younger Cairn likes to cruise.

indeed. I followed your video and fixed the same issue of my 7 year old roomba (500 series) which is in excellent condition for another 7 years. It is an engineer marvel. thank you!

Sir, you are amazing. I had the same problem, after watching your video I managed to clean the gears for my Roomba 581. Now the Roomba is going and going. Thank you.

Lol. If I collected all the hair my dog sheds, I can make a sweater by now. Tribbles! Good on getting the little gremlins out. 1) Tip: take a picture of the gear box so you can refer to it when putting it back together.

thank you Greg. I suffered for 2 hours trying to fix that damn thing. I didn't dare to open the last box, till I saw your video. Thanks to your video, my roomba is as new.

Wow, excellent video. No more clicking and Roomba is back on task. Irobot should hire you....you're great!

Thank you!! I was ready to give up on my roomba. Your instructions were very clear and best of all, they worked for my roomba!

Excellent diagnosis, good camera angle and spot-on instructions. Glad I found your video! Cleaning the gearbox fixed the issue for me as well.

Great video, took both of mine apart. I didn't have a transmission issue, I had a yellow cap issue. The yellow caps at the end of the brush and sweeper are supposed to turn freely. Mine had junk packed under the sweeper, yellow cap. Cleaned and put back together, fixed. Thanks again! This is the way you replace the battery too, I assume.

Thank YOU. I am clueless on mechanical things, but you were so easy to follow. ALL FIxed.

Thank you so much! That was the exact problem. Had my roomba for over a year with two dogs.

You are so awesome to do this video! I did exactly what you said and I saved my Roomba's life!!! I thought he was a goner!I almost felt like a Dr. Bringing Roomba back to life!!! I used vaseline since I didn't have the lubricant you mentioned on hand. Worked great!

Thank you so, so much for this video! My roomba was making the same exact noise, and I thought my roomba was a goner! I had never cleaned the gears before nor ever opened the gear box. My roomba is good as new!

Thanks for this video. I had this exact scenario and followed the instructions. It worked like a champ! Sure enough dog hair had clogged the gears and was the cause of the knocking noise along with a brush error. Keep up the great work!

Thanks so much! This problem was perplexing me for months! Wish I had found your vid sooner! I was getting to buy a new one, saved me $300!! For all others, take care to take off those little yellow ends of the brushes - hair will get trapped under there and cause the same problem. Check if that works first. You may need pliers to get them off to clean properly! Tweezers and an exacto knife will get the hair off that is wrapped around the stems. Q-tips work well for cleaning around the gears, too.

Thanks for posting this. Was super easy to follow and I was able to solve the clicking on my old Roomba following your instructions.

Many thanks! 3+ years of cleaning up after 4 cats left my Roomba innards in a similarly furry and click-y condition. This worked like a charm!

Thank You so much! I just fixed my IRobot. No more clicking sound and it runs smoother! Great Video!

Thank you oh so much. We were ready to scrap our Roomba but we watched your video and she is working like a charm now. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Genius!!!!!

Great video I'm amazed that I was able to fix my Roomba in a couple hours-Thanks!

Excellent tutorial. My daughter is having this problem with her's. Now, thanks to this detailed tutorial, she can repair /refurbish her's.

Great tutorial, steady camera work, clear instructions, nice step thru. My roomba is whirring around without the clunking gears :)

Fantastic! Thought my Roomba was a gonner as it was clunking so much but this fix worked beautifully! So clear and easy to follow - ~Thank You!

Yup. That's the sound it's making. ...starting to wonder if I've simply replaced my time sweeping with robot maintenance. Thanks for the tutorial!

Great video - the only thing I might hesitate on is adding the lithium grease as it binds the dust particles and would make the second cleaning a little more difficult and possible gunk it faster - have you done a second cleaning since using the grease? I've repaired other items that operate in dusty environments on plastic gears and recommend graphite powder instead as it doesn't bind dust particles... thanks for the video!

Great video, but if you have this knocking sound AND your main brush isn’t fitting into its slot well, the problem Is more likely that there’s hair jammed up underneath the small yellow hex cap at the end of the brush. You can pull it off and clean off the axle.

Thank you so much!! I was told the circuit board is probably broken - irrepairable!!! It was absolutely filthy ( just one dog) and now it works like a charm again!! Was just about to order a new one!!! Thank you!!

Thank you for the video. Couldn't figure out what was wrong and couldn't believe the crap in the gears. Much appreciated.

Thanks a lot Greg. My roomba started doing this today, and I kinda had a feeling that what you described was the problem. I'll clean it up and hopefully it will run smooth again. Great video.!

Thank you. Saved me loads of time and annoyance at that clunking noise.

Great video. Do a follow up video when it has this problem again to see how the grease on the gear performed. It's been my experience that grease is a dirt and dust magnet. It will be good proof that it works well if you never have to clean it again. Either way, great video.

Thanks so much! The noise was so irritating (as was "Error 2: open Roomba's brush cage and clean brushes). Worked a treat :)

I was having a Knocking sound,I turned mine over and noticed I had a Bottle Cap hung up in the brushes. So happy that’s all it was, I Love my Roomba! 😄❤❤

Thank you very much! Excellent video and instructions. I fixed my roomba which had this exact problem. I pull lots of gunk out of the gear box. THANK YOU!

Nice video, helped me get mine sorted out. I'd skip the grease though, any potential benefits would be heavily outweighed by the accelerated gunk build up.

Watched your video and fixed the thing in 15 minutes. Many thanks!

Thanks for the video! I was finally able to fix that stupid clicking noise and the constant clean the brushes error.

Thanks for posting. I tried it, gears were already clean, took out what lint I could find, put her back together, still clunking and erroring out. I replaced the brushes and viola! purring like a kitten. I used to have to force the brushes in place, the new ones dropped in easily. That must have been the problem with mine.

Thanks a lot for this post. I followed all the instructions and my Roomba works as new

Check the brush and rubber “brush” first. Fur/hair can get tangled around those axles. It’s real easy to pop off the yellow cap of the brushes and check there first. (Thanks to Steve Ogden in the comments for mentioning that. That was my issue in the end).

Thank you so much for this video! I thought I needed to replace the motor. My roomba is back in action with no clunking.

This video helped me so much! Roomba wanted more than 100 euro for a new brush mount. They will hate your video :) Thank you very much sir!

Thanks for taking the time to make this video Greg, helped me fix my old trusty roomba :)

This was close to my problem, I think the real culprit was the silicon collector had a massive matt of hair under the yellow tab that caused it to spin inefficiently. How ever this gave me a great cleaning tutorial for all my future problems so thank you sir!

I got a used Roomba 565 I picked up for $30 with a nearly dead battery. I replaced the battery & the brushes with some after market brushes that came with the battery. & it was making these clicking noises. I followed your video & spent a good while cleaning out all kinds of hair, & dirt & whatever. I didn't have any lithium grease, so I didn't have any to put on. But when I got it back together mine was still making the clicking noises... To rule out all other possibilities I dug though the garbage and got back the brushes it came with & cleaned them & reinstalled them & the clicking is gone... Now I went on Amazon & seen if anyone else had this issue in the reviews & nothing... So.... My theory is the new brush has more bristles then the old one & it makes the roomba work harder to turn them... Stressing those gears more... Maybe their warn down to much? Or is the lithium grease really that important? What's your opinion? I could always replace the whole assembly with a new one from Aliexpress. But if you think a tube of that lithium grease will fix it. I'll buy some! Either way great video, very helpful!

THANKS!!! This worked perfectly!! Great instructional video!

I had to replace the cleaning case, and i bought one "upgraded" from the internetz with ball bearing instead of the original. So far it's been working perfect, several years later.

Thank you so much for this video and saving me getting a new roomba.😊

Awesome! That was exactly it and now it's working great. Thank you!

Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. Solved my Roomba problem!

Same knocking noise in my 10+ year old Rooma 5.7. Perfect fix!

OMG finally some help!! Thank you so much, this is exactly what the problem was with my Roomba. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Thanks man. This worked like a charm. Fixed the problem.

Thank you so much for the video. Opened my up and there’s wasn’t any hair. There was some small build up other places and that seems to have fixed the problems!!

I will definitely try this as mine is "Banging" like crazy, I only had it for like 1 mont and just cleaned the brushes without success. Maybe its because I have pets and it gets stuck inside as you showed. I will let you know if it works ! Birgitta

Thank you. This was easy to follow and it fixed my problem!

Thank you so much. Your video is a lifesaver. I was ready to go buy another robotic vacuum cleaner. You saved me $400

After talking my 655 apart many times and cleaning it I luckily figure it out. The Roomba is working perfectly but the noise cane from the rubber brush which had a tear and was rolling and flipping up against the bottom somehow. Took four hours to figure that out and I lost that sleep time because I wanted to solve the issue so bad. Smh

But that grease don't make all new dirt and airs paste a lot there in the cavity?

This is the exact info I needed, thank you!

Thanks for this video it was very helpful and solved my clicking problem!

Thanks for the video, my gearbox looked just like yours. Also my dog heard your dog barking in the video and barked at him. Apparently in newer models the gearbox is sealed better but I'm stuck with this one for now.

Thank you. My Roomba is working great again!

This fixed my issue. Thanks for posting this!

Dude! Was about to order a new Roomba. We owe you!

thanks a lot man! I finally managed to remove that scary clickin with your help!

Our model 675 started making a screaming noise, so loud you could not carry on a conversation in the next room. I found this gearbox and it was almost as nasty, packed with dust and fur. I used an old toothbrush and some 91% rubbing alcohol and cleaned it all. Much quieter, but read on... I believe my problem was the fact that the gear second in line from the motor had slightly bent teeth. So it wasn't able to take the torque and was skipping. I swapped it with another gear, but expect that one to fail in the future. Plastic gears feels a lot like a design decision in line with planned obsolescence, metal would have been a much better choice.

I've had "Alice" about 6 weeks now🌼 I absolutely love her! I have 3 short haired chihuahuas, a cat, and all hardwood floors. She is amazing! I feel like I have a maid! I run her everyday and everyday her little basket is full!

Worked like a charm! Thank you!

thank you so much. I've saved 50 dollars because of your video!

I have never cleaned it this well. Thanks

Thanks. Just what I needed. Nice job on the video itself.