Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

As some of you know, I bid on a Hoover Z 400 because I thought it would be a good unique thing to have in my collection.  With shipping, it cost 77 dollars.  Well, when it arrived, it was shipped terribly!  It was sent with a thin layer of bubble wrap taped to it.... not even in a box.  I was horrified when I saw it.  The delivery guy said he'd never seen anything like that before in his life.  When I tried to use it, the machine would not rise up from the crouched position.  I immediately fired of a not so nice e-mail to the seller and filed a pay-pal claim.  The seller could tell I was serious about not being played with, he refunded the total vacuum price and shipping instantly.  I took the thing apart and it's in about a million pieces on my living room floor right now... but  I can't figure out why it will not rise up.  The pull ring was broken on the inside, and was actually superglued back together (the glue was still sticky, and it fell out at me when I took the machine apart.... what a COMPLEX machine!!!).  I'd like to figure out what's causing the problem with the vacuum just so I know for my own curiousity before I haul it out to the trash.  The machine simply will not rise up from the crouched position, it is stuck in the crouched position and the only way to make the area where the dirt chamber  is be vertical instead of horizontal is to recline the handle... it's not supposed to be like that.  Anyone have enough experience with these machines to know what the problem might be?  I can't get far enough into the machine to tell.... the while plastic "shield" behind the dirt cup assembly is something I can't seem to remove from the machine.... I'd have to cut wires and even then it seem stuck but I can't find any more screws holding it on.  I was really looking forward to getting this machine, but instead, a careless and dishonest seller turned it into a horrible experience for me... at least I got a refund....

Thanks!

Hello Vacuumfreeeke:

I recently did a service to a HOOVER Z 400 that was over 1 1/2 years old and used daily by at least one dozen different persons.  It was clogged from a nail as I recall.  It was quick and easy to work on and repair.  But the "z" mechanism was intact and worked beautifully even after all the different users, incluidng maintenance workers.  I suspect there is a hydraulic lifter that assists the elevation of the handle automatically when the cord pull is engaged.  The lifter is either bad or frozen from mishandling in the shipping.  It probably needs to be replaced if you can't get it to engage. 

Carmine D.

PS:  Another possibility Bobby is some of that super glue used by the former owner has mucked up the lift mechanism.

Carmine D.

Hi VF,

My suggestions are based on the fact that this is a "new" vacuum. From a collector's point of view, you may have to buy several of the same thing cheaply to make up a complete machine. This is not uncommon, for a vacuum model that's 40 or 50 years old but should not be the case for a machine that's been out just a few years.

There's more trouble here than the thing is worth. As you have beeen given a full refund and only lost a little time for the effort, hold on to any parts you think might come in handy in future and trash the remainder. Who was the carrier? I have never heard of UPS, FedEx or even the post office accepting an item like this unboxed.

Did you thoroughly check the seller's feedback? That is the first best thing to do when making eBay purchases. Also, look at the seller's number of prior sale. In any event, please be sure to include this in the seller's feedback so that others may be aware of his or her bad practices.


Best,

Venson