I was vacuuming the floor the other day and my vacuum just had this burning smell and started making wierd noises. It was still sucking stuff up off the floor though. I thought that maybe the belt broke, but checked and it was still in place. What would be wrong with it? It is a Bissell upright bagless vacuum and I haven’t even had it for a year and only use it about once or twice a week. Could it be the motor? Or if the belt isn’t broken, could it still need to be replaced? How do you tell if it is worn out? How should I go about this?
Make sure the beater bar is free to spin, that’s the most common cause of this kind of junk.
If the belt is worn it will be slipping causing the burning smell. If it’s the motor, the smell is different than the smell of burning rubber. The motor will finally go after awhile. Try replacing the belt, it’s a cheap fix.