Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Off Topic: Repairing Champion juicers




My fiancee manages a health food store, and they have for a long time been using Champion brand juicers. These things are basically 1/3-horsepower electric motors with a proprietary attachment. Recently the store upgraded to a crazy twin-screw type (it reminds me of a supercharger) because their Champions were having problems. One would hum, but not spin up. The other vibrated like an unbalanced clothes dryer. I suspected that these residential-grade units couldn't stand up to the heavy use of the store's cafe (Champion does sell a commercial-grade model), and that they had worn bearings. So I took them apart in our kitchen. Electric motors are simple.


By removing the four screws on the back cover, the front cover also comes off. The bearings lightly press into the front and rear covers, so removing them means the rotor (the middle part that spins) easily slides out of the stator coils. Once out, I could test the bearings. They wiggled a little when I tested them, so I decided to replace them. Thankfully, bearing part numbers are universal. I punched it into McMaster-Carr. They're less than six bucks apiece. I ordered a handful of these #6203 bearings.


On the model that wouldn't spin up, the bearings were worn enough that the rotor was rubbing against the stator. You can see the contact marks here.


The bearings are pressed to the rotor shaft, though, which meant a trip to the nearby Harbor Freight store for a cheap set of gear pullers.


Once they're off, the new bearings can be hammered into place. The bearings bottom onto a clip on the shaft.


It's easy to reassemble, but you must remember the orientation of the front and rear covers. They're marked on the back side. Putting it all back together meant our kitchen was no longer a horrible disaster. Zoe is very patient with my silly projects, and this one, thankfully, ended with two like-new juicers.

61 comments:

  1. This is great, I just happened upon this looking for juice machine repair info. Thanks!

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  2. I'm going to try this. Thanks!

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  3. Thank you for the info im gonna see if this is whats wrong with mine.

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  4. Please help. I just got an old Champion with the blade stuck on. Can you advise me how to remove it without breaking anything? Is it supposed to just slide off?

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    1. Hi LindieLee,

      There's no mechanical device holding the blade onto the shaft. It just slips on there. If yours hasn't been removed in a long time, it's possible it just got stuck on there. Try to pry it away from the body with a flat-blade screwdriver or a butter knife, and feel free to pry hard. If it's really unruly, you can try spraying some WD-40 or an automotive-grade penetrating lubricant between the blade and the juicer and letting it sit for a while to let the oil really get in there. The only catch of using WD-40 is that you should clean it really well afterward so you don't get any in your juice!

      Good luck!

      Alan

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    2. The cutter has a D-shaped hole that slides over the D-shaped motor shaft. If something hard - like a knife or date pit -should go down the feeding chute by mistake, it will jam the cutter. But before the motor stops turning, the shaft may continue spinning for a millisecond, which can gouge out the D-shaped hole in the cutter into a circular hole. Once that happens, it may be nearly impossible to remove the cutter without cutting off the end of the cutter.

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    3. Just bought a used Champ at a Garage Sale and it looked and ran great before i bought it for $80. Took it home and lo and behold the blade was stuck to the shaft. Per the previous owners, he barely used the item so it seems they never oiled the shaft after they last used it.
      I appriciate your advice so very much. Two butter knifes, olive oil and some force did the trick!. Thanks so much! My children are going to enjoy healthy juices now! God Bless!!!

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  5. Hi! Thanks for ypur article. I'm hoping ypu mifht be able to help me out. My juicer died inexplicably. I took it apart but couldn't find anything wrong with it. However the motor dropped on the floor, breaking off a bit of the cooling fins. Probably only 10%, but perhaps significant enough to cause overheating? I've been looking online for a replacement, but am having no luck. Do you have any suggestions?

    The juicer is working now (although I haven't yet juiced with it). I'm not certain if maybe the grain mill attachment I waa using at the time wasn't seated properly, and I'd forgotten about the magnet? In any event, I'll be happy to have my juicer back!

    Any help you can give with a source for the part would be much appreciated!

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    1. Hi Leslie,

      Unless you're using the juicer heavily (juicing/milling things that require a lot of work to grind) or for a long period of time (say, more than 30 minutes continuously), I don't suspect you'd have any cooling issues. You'd be able to feel the heat coming from the body of the motor if you did. It does get warm when you use it, but I'm pretty certain the motor also has a temperature safety switch. It'll shut itself off if it gets too hot.

      When you took the motor apart, did you try wiggling the bearings by hand? It's not obvious just by looking at them when they've gone bad, and just a little bit of looseness in the bearings is enough to cause problems. For me, the bearings on one motor didn't even feel very worn, though the juicer wasn't working, or was vibrating badly. It worked properly after I replaced the bearings.

      But if yours died suddenly and wouldn't turn back on (not even hum), then you might have another issue, like a faulty thermal switch or other bad circuit.
      Or, possibly, it tripped the thermal switch and needed to sit and cool a while before it could be used again. I would imagine the mill attachment works the motor harder than the juicer, though I don't have direct experience with it.

      If it's humming but won't spin, then your problem is either in the starter circuit or in bad bearings.

      I did some searching, but it's not easy to track down an internal fan for an electric motor. You'd likely have better luck calling a company that deals with repairing electric motors to at least ask if they can tell you where to get parts. Maybe if you give them the brand and model number of your motor, they could give you more specific help or direction. One company that might be worth calling is:
      http://www.eesco.net/

      Good luck! Let me know how it goes.

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  6. Thank you so much for posting this! I use our Champion everyday but the bearings got REALLY noisy a couple of days ago. This is an affordable fix for me (retired on limited income). One question, since it is cheaper to buy one gear puller than a set of three, would a three inch two jaw puller work (cheapest one)? Thank you again!!!

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  7. I just took the Champion apart and it looks like a 6 inch gear puller would be required to get the front one out (has to reach at least four inches). I assume same 6 inch puller could do the one in the back? (I've never used one ;). Can you confirm this?
    Also, on the link for the bearings...these are metric, is the 40mm (closest to 1.5 inches) the one I want? There are three types to choose from, is the double shielded the right one? Thx much!

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    1. Hello Joseph,

      Thanks for your comments, sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Yes, I used the double shielded bearing, and yes, 40mm size--which is 1.57 inches. If the bearings in your machine are exactly 1.5 inches, you may need to reconsider. I measured my bearings with a caliper to get my figure.

      I don't remember if I had to use the puller on the other bearing or not. I tend to think not, but that was a long time ago now. But yes, you should have no problem removing the other bearing with a big puller.

      Good luck!

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    2. Bearing numbers are universal, so you can confirm if your bearings are the same just by looking at the number printed on them. If there's a 6203 in the sequence, then you've got the same one as I do. You may need to look carefully to find the number, but it should be printed on it somewhere. That way you won't need to do any measuring and you'll be 100% sure you're getting the right size.

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  8. Thank you much for your very prompt replies. Look forward to getting the parts and be juicing again ;).

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  9. Mine has plain bearings, just a long 17mm hole in the end plates with a felt oiler, running direct on the shaft. I guess I have an early model.
    I was expecting the easy standard bearing replacement fix that you show. Now new seals, clean and oil bearings and hope I get another 30 years service.

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  10. Hello,

    great info !

    Before I take mine apart, can you tell me how many bearings I`ll need to order ?

    thanks !

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    Replies
    1. You'll need two bearings, one for each end.

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  11. My black wire disconnected when I removed the face plate. One end is connected beside the upper bolt. Any thoughts to which post the other end goes?

    Great site for us to share!

    Tim

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    Replies
    1. Sorry for the late response, Tim, but I really don't know. Did you figure it out?

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  12. I took off the screws which loosened the front and back covers, but I can't remove the from Juicer Hub which appears to also hold the bearing. How does this hub come off? This part is frozen to the shaft and will not rotate at all. Did the bearing freeze up on me?

    Any guidance is appreciated.

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    1. Are you saying that the front cover is stuck to the juicer? There might be juice goo/residue holding it in place. You could try spraying a mild solvent or penetrating lubricant like WD-40 or PB Blaster behind the front cover and where the cover meets the shaft. Leave it for a minute, wiggle it a bit, and pull as you wiggle. It should come loose.

      If you're trying to remove the metal part from the front cover, don't. The bearing might be stuck in place by juice residue. Use some WD-40 or similar to free it up, or tap on it gently with a hammer.

      Honestly, I'm not 100% certain what parts you're referring to. Can you clarify? Maybe send a photo?

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  13. I'm so sorry that I took so long in replying, I didn't expect such a prompt response. I hope the three pictures I'm attaching can be opened. As you may note in the first photo, the bearing in the back will spin but the fan like housing will not. In the second photo, I was able to take off the front cover following your directions and put the cutter on the shaft and tried to turn it but it won't turn at all, it looks rusty, where the shaft enters the housing. And it won't slide in and out, In the third photo, you are right, I jiggled the white front cover and slowly it loosened and came off. The center of the front cover which I cleaned, was packed with dried taro. (I use the juicer to make poi from taro. As you may or may not know, taro has been compared to elmers white gule in taste and consistency and also acts like elmer's glue when it was dried in the white housing

    Sorry, but I don't know how to copy a JPG file into this message block. I'm not able to paste a picture here. Is there another email address I can send the picture too??

    .

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    1. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a way to attach photos to these comments. Please email me at alan@sentimentalmechanic.com. :)

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  14. this was what was wrong with mine:
    http://www.discountjuicers.com/championmagnet.html

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  15. Punwin9179@yahoo.comMay 1, 2017 at 6:27 PM

    I have just purchased a champion juicer
    And have observed several hairline cracks on face plate where body is attached. Nothing severe though Champion states I will have to buy a new body and hub. Any truth on this matter. Prices for both pieces are not cheap ($50.00 plus s&h )

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    1. If the cracks don't affect how well the juicer works, I wouldn't bother replacing it. Is this the metal part on either the front or rear of the motor? If so, and if you're worried about it, you could try this:

      Drill a few small holes on either side of the hairline crack. Mix up some JB Weld or similarly strong metal epoxy. Fill the holes with the epoxy and be sure to spread the epoxy between the holes as well. That's what I would do if I were worried about it holding together. Good lucK!

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    2. Punwin9179@yahoo.comMay 4, 2017 at 9:57 AM

      Alan the hairline cracks are on the front end that has the shaft where the cutter goes on and where the body is attached .

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    3. OK. That part does support the stator and the shaft when you're juicing, so it would probably be good to try and patch it up somehow. You could do the epoxy method I mentioned above, or you could do something like drill some holes on either side of the cracks and put bolts through it, running a piece of metal across the crack. Help keep the thing held together. You might have to replace the front cover eventually, if you start experiencing problems or excess noise from the juicer.

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    4. Punwin9179@yahoo.comMay 7, 2017 at 1:53 PM

      So Alan do u have an extra cover you in an almond and what would you charge me for it. In all honesty I didn't think these hairline would be an issue. I don't need the body part . It is very hard just to find the hub so I ask other than buying the whole model I am hoping if I just buy a hub my ju er will function ok. As I said hoping. Unfortunately I have already sent it off to my sister.

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    5. I do not have any spare parts, sorry.

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    6. Punwin9179@yahoo.comMay 9, 2017 at 10:31 AM

      qQqTcracks the cracks are not big

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  16. Punwin9179@yahoo.comMay 1, 2017 at 6:38 PM

    My friend also has a Champion juicer. She has a dilema that all her parts are almond and would like to find all white parts. Her only while part is the motor cover. Again Champion declined to accept her parts for white parts.Ridiculous. Any ideas
    Thanks
    Punwin9179@yahoo.com

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    1. Spraypaint the whole thing! Now's your chance to make it a different, fun color.

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  17. Punwin9179@yahoo.comMay 14, 2017 at 2:19 PM

    My comment I asked you about the hairline cracks on the front part of the hub . My question is are these hairline cracks cause issues in the future ? These cracks are merely the thickness of human hair. Juicer sounds good . If I have to remove the hub can I just remove the rear bolts
    to remove bolts than taking the whole
    motor apart. The seal around the bearing looks good.

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    1. I would say it's unlikely to cause any problems. Go ahead and use it, and enjoy.

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    2. Punwin9179@yahoo.comMay 15, 2017 at 11:44 PM

      Just did some carrot juice. Yummy.

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  18. Punwin9179@yahoo.comMay 17, 2017 at 11:24 AM

    For future issues that may arise. I have 2 questions . One how is the front oil seal installed and lastly how is the front bearing installed to the front oil seal. Maybe I am missing something but it looks like the oil seal and bearing can be removed from the shaft without taking the entire motor out and using a puller to complete the task . Request. Do u do installs of this nature as I don't have tools to accomplish task.
    Thanks
    Pete Unwin
    Punwin9179@yahoo.com

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    1. To your questions: I don't know, and I don't remember. I don't actually own any of these juicers anymore. I'd happily take a crack at repairing a juicer for you, but they're very heavy, so the cost of shipping would be prohibitive. You'd be better off buying new parts direct from Champion and installing them yourself, despite the high parts cost.

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  19. Punwin9179@yahoo.comMay 17, 2017 at 11:34 AM

    Forgot to add "remove" regarding oil seal and bearing .Note:these parts are for the front hub.
    Thanks

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  20. After carefully loosening the end plates from the main housing, they slid right off the rotor, oddly enough. The bearings need replacing as the hub's (nylon?) opening is worn out-of-round and the rotor has scraped some paint all around the stator. Are these journal bearings? Do the new ones have integral oil reservoirs & wicks? Obviously mine are old, oxidized & corroded. Thanks.

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    1. On the ones I opened, they were sealed roller bearings. The grease inside is meant to last the life of the bearing. It seems, based on one of the comments on this post, that much older Champion juicers might have had sleeve/journal bearings. I'm skeptical of that, but I suppose it's possible.

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    2. My older one does have aluminum sleeve bearings which I am in process of trying to upgrade to sealed ball bearings as Plastiket does not support the older design parts.

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    3. If you have measurements of those sleeve bearings, you probably can find replacements in the McMaster-Carr catalog. That's probably a lot easier than upgrading to ball bearings.

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  21. Is it necessary to pull the bottom off or just spray through any openings and spray WD40 to lubricate after years of moderate use? Sometimes it does not turn on. We think it may not be put together properly. After shutting off within 2 to 3 seconds a 1 click noise and then a sound of something turning briefly.

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    1. The click noise is normal.

      If you hear a humming sound when it's not turning on, the rotor is likely dragging on the stator because the bearings are worn out. They are sealed bearings, so spraying WD-40 won't do any good. You will need to disassemble the juicer and replace the bearings.

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  22. Mine won't turn on, was thinking it may be a fuse, can you let me know where the fuse is located?

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    1. I don't believe these have an internal fuse. Have you tested the switch to see if it's still working? With the unit unplugged, you can use an electrical multimeter to check for continuity or resistance across the switch in the on and off positions.

      If the unit hums when you flip the switch, it's turning on but the motor probably needs new bearings.

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  23. Looks like you're the Internet's expert on repairing these things!

    Today one of the three plastic slots on the front face of my juicer snapped. So now the L shaped piece is only held by two (the bottom two as it was the top one that broke) of these slots. I used the machine and it didn't seem to have any abnormal vibrations. Do you reckon it's secure with 2/3 slots? Unfortunately the relevant replacement part that's sold is the entire front hub for $50.

    Any input appreciated. Thanks!

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    1. I think I might just be the *only* person on the Internet who's posted about repairing these things, but I'm not going to turn down a "Winner By Default" trophy, hah.

      Yeah, if it feels secure and is working satisfactorily, keep using it. It may put more stress on the other two legs, so it's possible you'll end up breaking those eventually. But you might as well save the $50 now and replace the broken piece only when you have to.

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  24. I was mid juicing and poof the juicer just quit. It was running for about 30 minutes so I thought it might have overheated. Let it stand for an hour and still nothing, not a peep out of it. I checked and the magnet is still in the screen holder, we took the front off and it had a crazy amount if yellow grease around the shaft and the hole. We cleaned it up and put it back together. It still does not make a sound when we turn it on. Champion wants me to send it back but it isn't worth what it would cost in shipping. Any ideas? I purchased this on eBay.

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    1. If it doesn't hum or make any noise at all when you flip the switch, it's likely a problem with the startup circuit or on/off switch. But just to be sure, are you able to spin the shaft easily by hand? Is it notchy or difficult to turn? It should spin smoothly.

      You could pop the bottom off and check for resistance across the on/off switch with an electrical multimeter (with the unit unplugged, of course). That's where I'd start.

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    2. Can someone help me. I cannot replace the cutter onto the shaft of my Champion Juicer. It stops about 2" from the body. The shaft is clean as is the inside of the cutter.

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  25. My champion juicer 2000 commercial is not working the technician said the internal part that looks like a battery with numbers and 110VAC needs replacing - I don't know the correct name of the part and how to get it. Thank you very much for your assistance. Jennifer

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    1. If it's the part I think you're talking about, that's the start capacitor. You can google that, or search for one on McMaster-Carr (online). Look on the label for the relevant spec -- you're looking for μF, or microfarad. Find one that's the right size and spec and order it:
      https://www.mcmaster.com/motor-capacitors

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  26. I bought my beautiful champion juicer this year. Today i was about juicing some carrots suddenly it started Smoking / sparking producing some terrible Burning Smell. I was scared and i had to put it off to avoid a Fire outbreak. The Technician could not tell me the exact cause of the problem. Please help. Kindly email me on what to do on joeloluseyi.e@gmail

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  27. I find it amazing that after so many years, your post still seems to help so many people. There is very little info online on how to fix these juicers and in fact, I believe your post to be the only comprehensive guide to opening it up and replacing the bearings. We bought our champion juicer in 2009 here in UK however it now vibrates incredibly when on. We've not been using it for a long time because even though it came with a 10 year warranty, the company we bought it from vanished into thin air. I have opened it up and ordered 2 new bearings because there was excessive play in both of them. Purchased a tool for 10 quid to get them off; paid 5 quid for the 2 bearings and sometime next week I will put it all back together again. I will update you on how successful it'll be. So far though, thanks for your excellent post! :)

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    1. Glad to hear it! Good luck!

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    2. Update: both bearings have been replaced and the juicer put back together. It works perfectly again, so happy! Just loving the juices it makes so thanks again Alan :)

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  28. Ok i have read all the comments and my problem is not listed. I have a really old one, bought it new at a health food store in 1979. Its always performed perfectly only getting sporadic use through the years. Today I was using it and fed some really stringy celery into it. The motor was on but the cutter stopped turning...but it still sounded the same. I stopped the machine and cleared it all out and the rotor turned again when I hit the switch, but now it stops turning and jams even with soft stuff like apples or beets. I ended the juicing session, cleaned everything and thought I'd check the motor again. Turned it on and grabbed the shaft with a washcloth, applying as much pressure as I could, and it seemed fine. What am I dealing with here? Any idea?

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  29. Ok addendum to above comment, the motor has barely any power now. Even apple slices fed slowly will stop the cutter from turning. Everything else seems normal.

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  30. I bought a juicer the motor makes noice but the shaft doesn't spin.

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