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J.E. Adams Vacuum/Tire Shine - ran tire dressing dry, now machine won't pull any

D3Dubs

Member
Model #29035 combination vacuum cleaner and tire shine. Didn't order new jug in time and the machine ran dry out of tire dressing. I put a new jug on and the machine won't spray any dressing. Thinking it needs to be primed but can't find a primer anywhere. Looked up at the motor on top and inside the unit. Found the manual online but doesn't have any information that might help. Air is coming out of the handle nozzle but no dressing.

Any ideas?
 
I know this may sound silly but how long did you let it run while air was coming out when you hooked up the new jug. The reason why I ask is I have never worked on a tire shine machine, but on a fragrance machine i have seen it take up to 5 full minutes to prime itself in the lines before it starts spraying if product was completely ran out. If this stuff is thick it may take longer. Is the pump sucking the tire shine in the line. I looked up (the manual on there website says lines may be clogged & try running hot water through the lines if product is not dispensing and make sure pump is on and connections tight)
 
Does machine move solution via a pump or venturi at the handle. If a pump the solution line may be clogged. I assume there is a compressor also since you say air comes out. If line is gunked up you may be able to clear by removing tube from solution and pump side and inserting in compressor and see if air blows thru then do the same from exit side of pump and see if it blows air thru hose out handle. I might try to do it from solution suction without removing from pump but would be afraid pressure may blow the pump. you could alos isolate pump and see if it will suck hot water with exit side tube removed.
 
I know this may sound silly but how long did you let it run while air was coming out when you hooked up the new jug. The reason why I ask is I have never worked on a tire shine machine, but on a fragrance machine i have seen it take up to 5 full minutes to prime itself in the lines before it starts spraying if product was completely ran out. If this stuff is thick it may take longer. Is the pump sucking the tire shine in the line. I looked up (the manual on there website says lines may be clogged & try running hot water through the lines if product is not dispensing and make sure pump is on and connections tight)

Thanks. I let the pump run for quite a while but nothing. The fluid is not coming up the line at all.
 
Does machine move solution via a pump or venturi at the handle. If a pump the solution line may be clogged. I assume there is a compressor also since you say air comes out. If line is gunked up you may be able to clear by removing tube from solution and pump side and inserting in compressor and see if air blows thru then do the same from exit side of pump and see if it blows air thru hose out handle. I might try to do it from solution suction without removing from pump but would be afraid pressure may blow the pump. you could alos isolate pump and see if it will suck hot water with exit side tube removed.

Thanks for the ideas. The line is pretty accessible so I'll be able to disconnect both and try to get some air through. Will update forum when I've tried these ideas.
 
Update: I had some time to do some more troubleshooting on this today. I tried some of the troubleshooting here but still no dice. I called the JE Adams toll-free number and ended up speaking with Jim from tech support. He had some good info so I wanted to jot it down here in case someone else on this forum has a similar issue down the road.

-there is an air pump on top of the machine that blows the air that mixes with the fluid, in this scenario the air pump is working so i am not focusing on this
-The actual fluid is drawn from the container by a small electric motor and peristaltic pump, this is in the lower housing right above where the container for the tire dressing is stored
-the pump is a white cartridge that has three black cylinders that rotate and squeeze/unsqueeze a rubbery hose
-the electric motor spins a spindle that in turn spins cartridges to create the pump effect
-first thing to check is that the motor is turning, this can be difficult to see with naked eye so you'll want to take the white cartridge off and observe the motor with the cartridge off
-if the motor is spinning but the pump is not spinning this means the issue could be with the tubing or the cartridge, recommended action is to replace the white cartridge, if you'd like to try and get a little more life out of it you could try roughing up the spindle to get more grip onto the rollers and also move the tubing an inch so that the rollers are actuating a new section of tubing, if the tubing is pinched or non-pliable you should replace the cartridge
-if the motor is not spinning then the issue is with the motor or power supply, these motors rarely go so it is most likely the power supply
-the power supply is a circuit board looking thing behind the metal bracket that holds the motor, on this there is a red and green light
-in my issue the green light was on but the red light was off, this means the board is getting power but not converting it to the motor
-the recommendation was the replace this power supply, Jim indicated that there were some instances they had where water crept into the unit, running down some wires and wrecked the board
-sure enough there appeared to be some corrosion on the board indicating water damage
-suggested tip when replacing the power supply is to wrap the board in plastic baggy to prevent future damage from water, the board does not throw off heat

Next steps:

I will order the power supply from Kleenrite and install.

Kleenrite part info: Circuit Board for 29000 Unit - VAA5001 - MPN: CB-5001

IMPORTANT - Jim made it a point to remind me a couple times to kill power to the system before installing the new board

On a side note Jim told me he recommends replacing the peristaltic pump once a year. So for everyone who reads this and wants to do some PM on your machine you could order one of these pumps. J.E. Adams 9500-43-1 - Peristaltic Pump Replacement Cartridge

Will try and remember to post update after the new power is in.
 
Posting a post-fix update for anyone who sees this down the road. The new circuit board fixed the issue. Known issue with these machines where moisture can get in or run down the wires. I inspected the old circuit board and there was corrosion around some of the components. What made this a goose chase was my assumption that the issue was related to the machine running dry, so I was chasing that down when the issue was completely unrelated and just a coincidence. I am going to place some dessicant packets around the circuit board to try and prevent this corrosion on the new board.

Kleenrite part info: Circuit Board for 29000 Unit - VAA5001 - MPN: CB-5001
 
If there's room to do it, run the wires in a way that there's a low spot before they reach the board so if any moisture does run down the wires again it can drip off instead of getting at the board.
 
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