Kirby vacuum cuts on and off - Kirby G4 Bagged Upright Vacuum

It sounds like you have a short in the wire. At some point the wire was partially cut or it has broken inside the case due to bending. If it is sparking, you need to fix it before you use it or it will blow something in the machine by surging power to it or possibly set your carpet on fire rather than clean it. if you are comfortable fixing it yourself you can carefully cut the insulation casing away from the wires; don't remove it just cut a slit in it so you can access the wires inside. you will want to cut the wire completely where the short is. You will want to strip the two ends and reattach them then wrap them with electrical tape. try not to cut way too much or you will have a problem that one wire is significantly shorter than the other. Then just fold the insulation case back over the wires and wrap the entire section with a healthy amount of electrical tape and you should be good. or you can simply replace the entire wire. If you still have a warranty you can ask if this is covered. If not you can purchase a new wire online.
I found one on Amazon for $75 CDN
https://www.amazon.ca/Kirby-Ultimate-Generation-50-Electric/dp/B00KDPR4GK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1507822242&sr=8-4-fkmr0&keywords=kirby+vacuum+parts+wire
This part is being sold by the manufacturer and is not a 3rd party parts dealer.
Let me know if this helped.

Hi Rosann,

I tried to link the videos but go to you-tube and just search for :

Kirby G4 Vacuum Cleaner Instructional Video

you can cut and paste that if you like. there is an instructional video you can watch that will explain your unit without a problem. At least this might help you a little. Sometimes explaining a kirby is hard to do without one in front of me.

Good luck,
Mark

Make sure, that you installed nozzle back on Kirby correctly. How to do it you can see on our website:
http://www.goodvac.com/articles.asp?id=143

Good Luck,
Rocky

it has a cutoff switch two stop it from over heating check it isent blocked up sumwhere in the fillters or the pipes

Your Kirby has a cut off switch in the front where your hose attaches and also on the side where your bag attaches. If the plastic prong that activates the switch broke off your hose you vac will not turn on. If you put the head back on and make sure your bag is on correctly and the machine runs, you just need a hose end to fix your problem.

Try my troubleshooting guide...

http://reviews.ebay.com/COMMON-PROBLEMS-WITH-THE-KIRBY-VACUUM-TROUBLESHOOTING_W0QQugidZ10000000003800312

Hope this helps,
Marci

I suspect the safety/power switch. When nozzle is on the Kirby the protrusion on the nozzle casting must press the switch on the front of the unit (circled in red in the pictures below). See if that protrusion is not chipped off. It may be that a hook or even both are damaged (circled in blue) so nozzle is a bit loose and when you bump something it nozzle moves just releases the switch enough to shut the vacuum off. Hold the nozzle and try to move it. See if it is loose on the unit or not.
It could be the faulty switch too.

I am assuming that you are trying to remove the fan. On newer models there is a cut on the shaft (rear of the motor - next to comutator) that allows to use a wrench to hold the armature, it may be very similar on older models. maybe a hole instead of the cut... You would have to access the rear of the motor though. Let me know if you cant find it - I'll take one Heritage apart here in the shop and will see.

Good Luck

For belt replacement instructions watch video
http://www.goodvac.com/

Good Luck,
Rocky

Hi There, If it keeps cutting out when you move the handle it's usually the cable that has gone. Turn the machine on and waggle the cable if it cuts in and out then you can confirm it's the cable. Many Thanks Chris www.elidistribution.co.uk