3rd vac motor (turbovac) deciding to run all by itself

[Sequoia]

I have two JE Adams vacuums. Each with "turbo" mode which activates a 3rd motor if you press the button for extra power.

For some reason, one of the vacuums is behaving oddly. Once in a while, the 3rd motor keeps running after time expires, and it runs and runs and runs. A complete power off/power on used to "fix" it. But the last time the motor wanted to run, all on its own, even after a power cycle.

Any ideas?

I presume it is in the timer, which I would guess is quite expensive. I am tempted to maybe install a relay, so the 3rd motor cannot possibly come on unless the other two are on. Not a perfect solution, but simple and inexpensive. But I'd prefer to fix it "right" if it does not involve a high expense.

 

[MEP001]

I've replaced the control board on one of those, and it's somewhere around $400. I don't know if the relays on the board are plug-in, but they can almost certainly be replaced by soldering in a new one. I'd add a mercury relay to remove the load off the board.

 

[Randy]

You almost need a degree in electrical engineering to work on the J.E. Adams turbo combo vac’s. I don’t think I’ve never seen a worse designed piece of equipment. An operator here finally gave up trying to keep them going, ripped all 9 of them out, set them out by the street and someone did him a huge favor in the night and took all of them. Some of the earlier ones had relays that you could replace, if you’re lucky you might have that model. Another operator here wired the J.E Adams Turbo vac so it’s 3 motors all the time.

 

[OurTown]

Could you convert these to run off the timer like our old JE Adams 6-in-1? I'm not sure how the push buttons work without the circuit board though.