Bissell Switch Assembly 659...
$11.99
Product details
Part 2031243 controls power to the motor on Bissell PowerForce uprights, catalogued off the 6590 and also carried for the 1240, 12B1, the 6579-1, 6582, 6583, 6584, 6585, 6596 and the 68C7.
Internal wear is where these switches actually fail, at the point where the contacts arc every time the rocker gets pressed, and they rarely quit cleanly. Owners usually describe a vacuum that needs a second press to start, one that runs fine until the machine gets nudged and then cuts out, or one that behaves only with the rocker held partway. All three symptoms get pinned on the cord first, so checking the switch before swapping one out is worth doing, and a simple way to tell them apart is to gently flex the cord near the plug and separately near the switch housing while the machine runs; a fault that shows up only when the switch itself is touched or wiggled is the switch, not the cord.
Arcing inside a switch leaves visible evidence once it is opened up, usually a small dark scorch mark on the contact surfaces, and that arcing gets worse the longer a marginal switch stays in service, since a pitted contact arcs more than a clean one on every single press. A switch replaced at the first sign of intermittent operation is a straightforward swap; one left to fail completely can eventually damage the wiring harness it is connected to.
Fitting it is a straight one-for-one swap. Pull the plug before taking the cover off, and sketch or photograph which wire lands on which terminal beforehand, since the terminals only work one way.
- Part: 2031243, power switch assembly
- Fits: Bissell 6590, 1240, 12B1, 6579-1, 6582, 6583, 6584, 6585, 6596, 68C7
- Function: rocker switch that controls power to the motor
- Replace when: the machine needs the switch pressed twice, cuts out when bumped, or only runs at one rocker position
- Diagnose: flex the cord near the switch versus near the plug to isolate which part is at fault
