how do i take my kenmore cannister apart?

The trick was to find the four screws that held the motor cover on. The back two screws are under the cord retract lever. I had to forcibly remove this cover. It is hinged in normal operation, so to remove it you hinge it backwards. It seems you are going to break it, but I proceeded carefully and was successful. Make sure you see where the spring is located so you can put it back together correctly. The front two screws were removed after the back ones were off. This is because it appeared that the lid you open to remove the bag appeared to hinge completely off with little trouble AFTER I had the back screws off. You will see the front screws after you remove the lid.
My repair was EASY after removing the four screws! I found a wire off a terminal. I crimped the terminal connector a little tighter and put it back in place. It works great!

Jim
August 2011