iRobot Roomba 500 Series User manual

www.RobotShop.com Ch. 8: How To Replace Roomba’s Main Brush Motor
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Roomba 500 Series Servicing and Repair Guide
Chapter 8: How To Replace Roomba’s Main Brush Motor

www.RobotShop.com Ch. 8: How To Replace Roomba’s Main Brush Motor
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This repair guide explains how to replace the main brush motor on a 500 series
Roomba. For details on how to first disassemble your Roomba, please see Roomba 500 Series
Servicing and Repair Guide Chapter 3: How to Open Up Roomba. Some of the 500 series
Roombas are pictured below:
Looking for a different guide? Please see the full list of repair guides available at the Ultimate
Roomba Resource Center.
Please note that if your Roomba is under warranty, servicing the robot will void the
warranty. For robots under warranty, please consult the warranty policy of the distributor where
purchased, and/or contact iRobot’s customer service.
8 How to Replace Roomba’s Main Brush Motor
8.1 How to Remove the Old Main Brush Motor
8.1.1 Start by flipping the robot on
its back with the bottom cover
removed.

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8.1.2 Loosen the four screws
holding the brush deck in place,
shown by the orange arrows.
8.1.3 Firmly grip the brush deck
module. You can grab it by the
brush guard or even by
grabbing its blue ‘frame’ at the
sides, down where the dustbin
goes.

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8.1.4 Pull up to remove the brush
deck module from the Roomba.
8.1.5 View of casing removed
from the Roomba.

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8.1.6 Flip the brush deck module
over, and remove the round
motor tension cable cover.
8.1.7 Remove the three screws
shown by the orange arrows.

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8.1.8 Wedge apart the blue frame
with a screwdriver or similar
tool, as shown by the red
arrows. Grab the motor tension
cable with a pair of pliers and lift
it out of its spot, as shown by
the orange arrow.
8.1.9 Push the one end of the
tension cable through the gap in
the blue frame.

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8.1.10 The motor tension cable
should hang loosely, as shown
in the picture.
8.1.11 Using a pair of pliers, grip
the motor wires located on the
right side of the blue frame.

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8.1.12 Unhook the wires from their
holder, as shown in the picture.
8.1.13 Push the motor connector
board down into the blue frame.
This will make it easier to
remove the casing from the blue
frame.

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8.1.14 Stand the brush deck
module on end to make it easier
to get access to the casing.
8.1.15 To release the casing from
its blue frame, pull the left side
of the blue frame outward with
your thumb, while lifting the
green casing up with your index
finger.

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8.1.16 Do the same thing with the
right side of the casing.
8.1.17 The brush casing should
come right out of the blue frame
now that its hinges have been
released from the blue frame.

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8.1.18 Remove the four screws
shown by the orange arrows.
8.1.19 Lift the motor from the right
side to remove it from the
casing.

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8.1.20 With the motor removed, lift
and remove the dirt detector
cover from the casing.
8.1.21 Remove the two screws
holding the dirt detector board to
the casing, shown by the orange
arrows.

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8.1.22 If you flip over the dirt
detector cover, it is a good
place to put all the loose
screws.
8.1.23 Remove the dirt detector
board from the casing.

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8.1.24 View of casing with the
brush motor removed.
8.2 How to Install the New Brush Motor
8.2.1 Start by first removing the
rubber seals from the old
motor’s dirt detector contact
microphone (the bronze colored
metal disc).

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8.2.2 Take your new brush motor
and install the white foam
spacer on the end of its shaft.
Please note this foam bushing
may vary in color and material,
or it may not be present on
some older Roombas.
8.2.3 Insert the motor shaft into
the gear on the left side of the
casing, making sure the plastic
tab, shown by the orange arrow,
is facing upwards.

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8.2.4 Push the motor over to the
left until the foam spacer is
compressed.
8.2.5 Lift the brush motor on the
right side to hook it into the
casing. You’ll notice a small
hook on the end of the motor; it
must lock into a corresponding
slot on the casing.

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8.2.6 Hooking the motor in place
can be made easier by pushing
down on the tab on the end of
the motor, shown by the orange
arrow. This will push the hook
into its slot.
8.2.7 Insert and tighten the
screws for the motor to keep it
from coming loose. Make sure
the small notch on the motor is
still facing upward, as shown by
the red arrow, before inserting
the screws.
If it is not, you will need to rotate
the motor until it is pointing up,
and then put in the screws.

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8.2.8 Place the dirt detector
rubber seal with the hole
through it. into the slot on the
brush casing.
8.2.9 Install the remaining dirt
detector seal onto the dirt
detector’s contact microphone
(the metal disc attached by two
wires). Make sure to orient the
slot facing downward, and the
small rubber notch facing
toward the board’s connections
on the board, as shown at right.

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8.2.10 View of dirt detector with
rubber seal properly installed.
8.2.11 Place the dirt detector
contact microphone onto the
casing, matching up the shape
of the seal to the outline on the
casing.

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8.2.12 Place the dirt detector board
into the rectangular outline in
the casing, and insert the two
screws.
8.2.13 Once the board is secured
in place, put the two wires from
the board into the slot on the
casing, putting the brown wire in
first and lining up its terminal
with the threaded hole on the
casing, as shown by the bottom
arrow.