Rexair E-2 Canister Main Po...
$10.99
Product details
The main power switch on a Rexair E-2 canister is part R8205, the toggle mounted in the housing that turns the motor on and cuts it off. It is as much a mechanical wear part as an electrical one, and shops that service E-2 machines regularly see it fail well before the motor does.
Each time the switch is thrown, a small arc jumps across the internal contacts, and years of that repeated arcing gradually pit the metal and soften the spring tension inside. The result: the switch has to be toggled two or three times before the motor actually catches, a light bump to the housing near the switch makes the machine cut out on its own, or the motor keeps spinning briefly after the switch has been clicked off. A switch that no longer snaps crisply between positions, feeling mushy or loose under a thumb instead, is already partway through that failure.
Because a bad switch and a bad motor can look identical from the outside, ruling out the switch first is the sensible order of operations before assuming a costlier motor problem. Swapping it is straightforward: pull the plug from the wall, take note of which wire lands on which terminal before anything is disconnected, and wire the replacement switch in the same orientation.
One thing worth knowing going in: replacing the switch only fixes the switch. If the same symptoms return after a properly wired new switch is installed, the fault has moved elsewhere in the circuit, most often the cord or the motor brush assembly, and that is worth chasing down on its own rather than ordering a second switch.
- Part: R8205, main power switch
- Fits: Rexair E-2 canister
- Symptoms it resolves: Requires repeated toggling to start, cuts out when bumped, or keeps running after being switched off
- Install note: Unplug first and record wire-to-terminal positions before disconnecting

