Roomba Clicking Brushes Repair

Roomba was making clunking and clicking sounds while working. Everything looked clean inside, so I disassembled it for a look at the brush gearbox. There was tons of crap in there, so I cleaned it out, re-lubricated it, and reassembled it. Roomba is much quieter now!

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• roomba
• brush
• clicking
• clunking
• repair
• gearbox

[contact1araya]

What is that little piece of tape in 2:43 ?

[dfraser]

@contact1araya There's a small wire rope that limits the movement of the brush assembly. It has a nut on crimped on the end which fits in a slot on the blue chassis. The piece of tape just keeps it from falling out when you're putting it together.

[rb49er]

What kind of lubricant did you use on the gears?

[dfraser]

@rb49er I used Tri-Flow synthetic grease. Use something synthetic, because petroleum-based greases can damage plastic over time.

[heyyaaaa]

Do you do repairs for other people?

I have the same issue in the 530 and the circle dance in the 510

As enticing at this video is ... I am NOT mechanically inclined

[dfraser]

@heyyaaaa Nah, I don't do it professionally. Maybe find a local geeky friend, offer them cheetos, show them the video, and see if they'll help you out.

[jorojukkiz]

Thank you so much for this video! It was exactly what we needed to make our Roomba functional again! Our Roomba was so full of dust and cathair that there were huge "dustcarpets" under the covers. Here´s my tip: Use some kind of cleaning aerosol, such as CRC Aerosol Duster or equivalent to effectively clean all the dust after removing the bottom. Just remember keep the safe distance between the can & the Roomba when dusting. You wouldn't want to damage any fragile components within the robot.

[nocturnalia]

I'd like to add my thanks. My machine had loads of cat hair stuck in the gears, notably a wodge of compacted stuff between two of the gears which I suspect caused the problem. All cleaned out and it's working perfectly :-)

[gershonbenfranja]

Thanks. After watching the video and cleaning the gearbox of cathair, the thunk is gone. 

[albrechtra1]

Thank you for the video. I NEVER repair my own devices but I followed your instructions got rid of alot of dog hair and now am cleaning away like new! WIth my new found talents the toaster better watch out!

[bondfrenchbond]

Another way is to permanently seal the gearbox with a ball bearing modification. It's not for the faint of heart though and you'll need the right tools. You can probably find someone in your country who can do it for a little more than the cost of a new CHM but at least it'll last forever. Robotreviews forum has detailed specs. I'll post a DYI (probably) when my non-modded green CHM fails within the year.

[bondfrenchbond]

I fully expect these issues with the newest green CHM (which is very similar to the red CHM). They should have used sealed ball bearings with the black CHM but were too cheap. I'll wait until the first one breaks and I'll modify the one they send me for free with the sealed ball bearing method. You can find out about it on robotreviews forum. It's a shame because all I would need to do if I had the black CHM is upgrade the bearings. They are rare and selling for up to 200 bucks now though.

[kenandshari]

Thanks for the video. After experiencing the clicking problem and researching fixes beyond merely cleaning the brushes (was not solving the problem), I found your video. Although I have a slightly different Roomba model, the process was pretty much the same. It took me about 25 min from initially viewing your clip to having my Roomba back working like normal. Thanks!

[SchrodingersCats]

THANK YOU! Customer Support was absolutely no help. Your video was perfect in showing me how to fix my roomba. It works great now. As a girl who does not like dealing with this sort of stuff, if I can do it after watching your video, anyone can do it.

[TheLTumlinson]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Even I could do this and now my Roomba is working perfectly!!! You saved me over $50. You ROCK!!!

[fieldcat8]

Thanks, after watching your video on cleaning the gearbox I got the courage to try it....amazed how easy it really was.