Self-serve car wash vacuums live on airflow. They are pulling sand, wrappers and floor mat grit through a long hose, and what the customer notices is volume of air, not sealed lift. The Ametek Lamb 116309 is the single-stage, 5.7 in thru-flow motor built for that duty: 112 CFM on 120 volts, 26,870 RPM, 190 air watts. Car wash operators, shop owners and equipment builders order it as a straight replacement when a vacuum island unit or a dry shop vacuum stops pulling.
One stage means high airflow and modest sealed vacuum, 63 in of water lift here. That is the right trade for dry, high-volume pickup and the wrong one for a machine that needs to lift water out of carpet. Thru-flow construction cools the motor with the working air, which keeps the assembly short but also means this is a dry pickup motor.
Built for
- Self-serve car wash vacuum islands
- Dry shop and utility vacuums
- Commercial canister vacuums with high airflow requirements
- Equipment builders replacing a worn single-stage 5.7 in thru-flow motor
Specifications
- Motor type: series universal, thru-flow
- Input voltage: 120 VAC, 50/60 Hz
- Fan diameter: 5.7 in
- Fan stages: 1; speeds: 1
- Amps: 6.8 running; 8.4 maximum
- Input power: 750 W
- Airflow: 112 CFM
- Sealed vacuum (water lift): 63 in
- Air watts: 190
- Maximum speed: 26,870 RPM
- Bearing system: ball and sleeve
- Frame: skeleton; brush type: carbon
- Operating temperature: 32 to 104 degrees F
- Inlet tube diameter: none; RFI choke: none
Cross-reference
Resellers list 116309-00 as a replacement in Kenmore single-speed, Eureka 500 to 700 series and Shop Vac machines. Those are reseller cross-references rather than an Ametek-published fitment list, so verify against the number on the motor you are removing.
Click here to view a complete spec sheet
Frequently asked questions
Can I use this on a wet vacuum?
No. It is a thru-flow motor, so the recovered air passes over the motor. Wet recovery requires a bypass motor.
Why is the water lift lower than the two-stage motors?
It has one fan stage rather than two. Single-stage motors produce high airflow and modest lift, 112 CFM against 63 in here. If your machine needs suction rather than volume, a two- or three-stage motor is the right family.
What machines does it fit?
Resellers cross-reference it to Kenmore single-speed, Eureka 500 to 700 series and Shop Vac units, and it is widely used in car wash vacuum islands. Confirm against the part number on your existing motor.
What bearings does it use?
A ball and sleeve system rather than double ball. That is normal for this single-stage motor and is worth noting if you are comparing it against a double ball bearing part.
How long do the brushes last?
Ametek publishes a carbon brush service interval of roughly 500 to 600 operating hours. Brushes worn shorter than 3/16 in should be replaced. A motor will typically accept two brush changes before the armature or bearings become the limiting part, which puts total service life in the 800 to 1200 hour range under preventive maintenance.
Discount Cleaning Products is a United States based dealer for Ametek Lamb vacuum motors and commercial cleaning equipment parts, with live technical support for matching a replacement motor to an existing machine.
