If your Flymo garden vacuum cleaner is running intermittently and not working at 100%, or if it's not running at all, there's a very good chance the motor is faulty. Fortunately, replacing the motor in a garden vacuum cleaner is actually fairly easy, as long as you know which steps to take. In this article, we're going to show you how to replace the motor on a Flymo Gardenvac step by step to return your appliance to working order.
What you will need:
- A long Phillips screwdriver
- A flathead screwdriver
- A replacement motor
How to replace the motor on a Flymo Gardenvac
Let's get stuck in! To learn how to replace a Flymo Gardenvac motor, either watch our video tutorial or read the step-by-step guide written below.
Safety first!
Remember, always make sure an appliance is switched off and unplugged from the wall before carrying out any work!
Step 1: Remove the bag and shredding line
To begin, you'll first need to remove the bag from the vacuum. Unclip the bag via the clip on the handle, then lift the bag away from the appliance.
With the bag removed, you can also then remove the shredding line beneath by hand.
Step 2: Remove the handle
Next, remove the garden vacuum's handle. First, unscrew the caps that hold the handle in place on either side of the vacuum.
With the caps removed, you can go ahead and remove the handle from the vacuum.
Once the handle has been removed, you will also need to pull out the screws that can be found beneath the caps on either side of the appliance.
Step 3: Separate the chassis
Now you'll need to separate the two halves of the vacuum's chassis. To do this, use a long Phillips screwdriver to unscrew all of the screws that hold the two halves together.
Once the screws have been removed, you will be able to easily separate the two halves of the chassis to access the inside.
Step 4: Remove the old motor
You will now be able to see the old motor inside the vacuum. To remove the old motor, start by disconnecting its two wires. Before removing the wires from the motor, however, we recommend taking a photo of them for reference. This will help you reconnect the wiring to the correct places on the new motor later.
Once you've taken a photo for future guidance, you can pull the two wires off their connections on the motor to disconnect it from the vacuum.
Step 5: Transfer the impeller fan and cutting head onto the new motor
Before fitting the new motor, you will first need to transfer some parts from the old motor onto the new one. These are the impeller fan and cutting head, as pictured below.
To remove this, you'll first need to loosen the armature on the bottom of the motor (pictured below) with a flathead screwdriver. When loosening the armature, make sure you have a firm hold on both the motor and the impeller fan/cutting head assembly.
To fully remove the impeller fan and cutting head, firmly press one finger onto the armature to keep it still. Then use your other hand to spin the impeller fan and cutting head. This will unscrew them from the motor spindle.
Before fitting the impeller fan and cutting head onto the new motor, you'll need to also transfer the small washer from the old motor spindle onto the new motor spindle. This is because the new motor will not come with a new washer.
You can then slot the impeller fan and cutting head onto the new motor spindle. Holding the armature firmly with one finger again, spin the impeller fan and cutting head until they stop turning to secure them on the spindle.
Then, with a firm hold on both the motor and the impeller fan/cutting head, you can use your flathead screwdriver to tighten the armature and fully secure the transferred parts to the motor.
Step 6: Fit the new motor
You can now go ahead and attach the new motor to its wiring inside your garden vacuum. Remember to use the photo you took earlier for reference to make sure you connect the wiring to the correct places.
With the wiring connected, slot the new motor into place inside the chassis, making sure it's nice and secure.
Step 7: Reassemble the vacuum
With the new motor fully fitted, you can now reassemble your Flymo garden vacuum. First, screw the two halves of the chassis back together using your Phillips screwdriver and the screws you removed earlier.
Then fit the handle back onto the appliance. Make sure you return the screws on either side first, and also make sure you screw the caps back into place after refitting the handle. Then, with the handle refitted, you can also refit the shredding line and then finally the bag onto the appliance.
And there you have it! All there is to fitting a new motor onto a Flymo garden vacuum. Your appliance should now be working properly once more!
If you find that your appliance still isn't cutting efficiently after replacing the motor, it's always worth checking if the shredding line is worn down, as this can happen over time. If so, it will need to be replaced, which you can learn how to do with our Flymo garden vac shredding line replacement guide here.
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