Tornado 98168 Marathon 1200 parts — how to find the right one
The Tornado 98168 is the 20″ Marathon 1200 self-contained carpet extractor with a 12-gallon solution and recovery capacity, running on 115V. It is a walk-behind cylindrical-brush machine: a 17″ carpet brush roller agitates, a spray bar wets the carpet ahead of it, and a three-stage vacuum motor pulls the solution back into the recovery tank in a single pass. Because the whole system — pump, solenoid, brush drive and vacuum — lives on one chassis, a fault in any one of them shows up as a machine that cleans poorly rather than one that obviously fails, which is why working from the diagrams below is faster than guessing.
Use the assembly diagrams to find your part by sight. Each one opens a page with a numbered schematic and a matching parts table, so you can click the number on the drawing and land on the exact part. The main groups are the chassis and base (wheels, axle, nozzle mount, shroud latch), the tank assembly (recovery tank, lid and gasket, standpipe, vacuum motor and intake filter), the brush and spray head (brush roller, bearings, belt, pulleys, spray bar and jets), the control panel (switches, breaker, cord and wiring harness), and the pump circuit (115V 100 PSI pump, solenoid valve, quick-disconnects and solution hoses).
Identify your series before you order. The 98168 was built in several series — B, C, D, E, F and P — and while the great majority of parts carry across all of them, a handful changed between series, notably the control-panel strain relief and the brush-head gasket. Your series is on the machine’s data plate next to the model and serial number. If you are not certain, call us with the serial number and we will confirm the right part before it ships.
We stock genuine Tacony OEM parts for the 98168 in Crystal, Minnesota, and we have been selling and servicing Tornado equipment since 1956. If a part is not shown on a diagram, or you are replacing something that has already been substituted once, call 763-535-0770 — we can look the machine up by serial number and tell you what supersedes what. You can also browse the full Tornado parts range, or read the manufacturer’s product information at tornadovac.com.
Common Tornado 98168 questions
How do I know which series my 98168 is?
Check the data plate on the machine, usually on the chassis near the recovery tank. It carries the model number 98168, the serial number and the series letter. If the plate is worn, call 763-535-0770 with the serial number and we will look it up.
My machine cleans but leaves the carpet too wet. What is wrong?
That is a recovery problem, not a solution problem. Check the recovery hose and both clamps, the lid gasket, the intake filter and the vacuum motor gaskets before suspecting the motor itself — an air leak anywhere in that path costs more lift than a tired motor does.
The brush is not turning. Is that the motor?
Rarely. Check the belt first, then the set screws in the brush pulley and motor pulley, then the 608-2RS bearings. All three are inexpensive and all three produce the same symptom.
Do you stock parts for older 98168 machines?
Yes. We order directly from Tacony and can source parts for the earlier series, including superseded numbers. A few items are no longer available; call 763-535-0770 and we will tell you honestly whether a part can still be had and what the alternative is.