The Ametek Lamb 116513 is a three-stage, 36-volt DC vacuum motor on the 5.7-inch frame. Low-voltage DC motors of this type are the working end of self-contained battery machines and coin-operated car wash vacuums, where the machine has no mains cord and the three-stage fan stack is chosen to hold high sealed lift through a long, abused hose. It is bought as a direct replacement wear item by car wash operators, scrubber fleet mechanics and facility technicians.
Built for
- Coin-operated and self-serve car wash vacuum stations on 36-volt DC
- Battery-powered autoscrubbers and sweepers with a vacuum recovery motor
- Self-contained battery extractors and rider machines
- Fleet maintenance shops stocking 36-volt DC recovery motor spares
- Any 36-volt DC machine where a three-stage motor is called out
How this motor works
Stage count is the trade-off that decides which motor belongs in a machine. Each additional fan stage buys sealed lift and costs airflow. A single-stage motor moves the most air and is right behind a short hose; a two-stage motor is the general-purpose choice; a three-stage motor is what you want when the hose run is long or the tool is restrictive and the machine has to hold vacuum against that restriction.
A bypass motor carries a separate cooling fan, so the air that cools the armature and field never mixes with the air being pulled through the machine. That separation is the whole reason bypass motors are specified for wet recovery work such as carpet extraction and autoscrubber recovery, where the airstream is carrying water, foam and cleaning solution. It also means the motor is not being cooled by whatever the operator happens to be picking up.
Tangential discharge routes cooling air out through a single side port, which lets the machine builder aim the exhaust deliberately, into a muffler, a sound baffle, or straight out of the cabinet. On extractors and compact commercial machines where the motor sits in a tight enclosure, that directed exhaust is often the difference between a motor that runs cool and one that heat-soaks.
Duty life on car wash service is short by design. A distributor publishes an average life around 500 hours for this motor, which reflects the environment more than the build: sand, grit, spilled drinks and standing water are what a self-serve vacuum picks up all day. Operators who get more life out of them are the ones emptying canisters on a schedule and keeping the filter intact.
Carbon brushes are the wear part on any Ametek Lamb motor, not the motor itself. Ametek's own guidance is that a set of brushes can be changed twice before the armature and the rest of the assembly need replacing, with roughly 60 percent of original life left after the first change and about 40 percent after the second. If a machine has begun surging, losing suction intermittently, or throwing sparks at the commutator, brushes are the first thing to check before condemning the motor.
The one symptom that is not a brush job is a burning smell. Technicians on carpet-cleaning and contractor forums are consistent about this: a scorched odor means the armature has overheated where the brushes ride, and the machine should be shut down at once rather than run to the end of the job. A motor that has cooked its armature is a replacement, not a repair.
Read the full part number off the label on your existing motor, including any suffix after the dash. Ametek publishes the same base number in several suffix variants, and the variants differ in amperage, lead length, water sealing and overall height. Cross-reference numbers to other equipment makers belong to a specific suffix, not to the base number.
Specifications
- Stages: 3
- Voltage: 36 V DC
- Body diameter: 5.7 in
- Airflow system: bypass
- Air discharge: tangential
- Bearings: dual ball bearing
- Speeds: single speed
- Construction: universal AC and DC series, open enclosure, skeleton frame
- Published amperage: 17.9 A on the -13 suffix variant, per a distributor listing
- Published average life: about 500 hours, per a distributor listing
Fitment
Ametek publishes this base part number in more than one suffix variant, including -08, -13, -18 and -29, and the variants differ in amperage, water sealing, base tube configuration and overall height. Distributor cross-references to equipment makers, such as the Advance, Clarke and Tennant numbers listed against the -13 suffix, belong to that suffix and not to the base number. For that reason no performance figures or cross-references are claimed for the base number here. Confirm the complete number on your motor label before ordering.
Frequently asked questions
Is this motor AC or DC?
It is a 36-volt DC motor. It will not run on 120-volt AC mains and is not a substitute for a corded motor of the same frame size.
Why three stages instead of two?
Each fan stage adds sealed lift and costs airflow. Three stages are specified where the hose run is long or the tool restrictive and the machine has to keep pulling against that restriction.
What do the suffixes after 116513 mean?
They identify the specific build. Amperage, water sealing, base tube and height vary between them, so the suffix has to match. Read the full number off the label on your existing motor.
How long should a car wash vacuum motor last?
A distributor publishes an average around 500 hours for this motor. That figure reflects self-serve car wash conditions, where grit, moisture and constant duty cycles are normal.
The motor sparks and cuts out. Is it finished?
Not necessarily. Sparking at the commutator and intermittent operation usually point to worn carbon brushes. A burning smell is the symptom that means the armature is gone.
Discount Cleaning Products is a United States based dealer for Ametek Lamb vacuum motors and stocks the matching carbon brush kits, gaskets and mounting hardware alongside them. Our team works with these motors every day across central vacuum systems, extractors, autoscrubbers and shop equipment, and can help you confirm frame size, stage count, discharge style and voltage against the motor already in your machine before you order.
