My 3 speed 14.4 Makita drill lost its high speed gear. I was wondering what you all thought of the idea of repair vs. replace on this one? Anyone out there get their cordless drills repaired? What was the cost?
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Replies
I have. My repair guy is cheap (and slow). And the cost was still about 50% of (sale price of) new. So its generally not worth it, unless you have some weird commitment to salvaging and/or repairing old stuff (like I do).
CaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Unless you can identify the problem and purchase the parts at a reasonable price AND repair it yourself it's not worth taking to a repair shop and having them repair. Guy here had an 18V bosch go tits up, repair shop wanted ~100 to repair it.
If you're batteries are in good shape and not likely to need replacement soon I'd look on e-bay and amazon and see if you can purchase a drill body only, no batteries or charger. Usually you can find the drill body only pretty cheap, I'd bet around 50 bucks.
Other then that, time to upgrade to that LI set you've been eyeing.
Edited 9/22/2007 5:41 pm ET by CAGIV
guess it depend on the tool and thr repair shop.
coupla years ago I killed my 4" makita grinder.
usually used for shaping tile ... I decided to demo a way to thick plaster wall with it.
I wasn't suprised when it died in that dust cloud.
decided I liked it ... took it to a makita repair shop for an estimate.
told the counter guy I killed it by puching too hard in too big a cloud of dust ... had the receipt but it was a coupla months out of warrenty.
he said it shouldn't have died anyways ... and said they'd repair it for free and bill makita.
I made sure the bill would be less than $50 as that's all I would have paid ... after makita said NO!
a week later ... it was rebuilt ... no charge.
scratched my head but left smiling.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
ditto to what Neil said, check ebay for a drill motor only. I have picked them up for a cost of $20 to $50 including shipping. Last one I scored for only $1.00 but it cost $19 shipping, still a good deal.
On E-bay I picked up a cordless Milwaukee hammer drill body plus case for $40 + $12 ship and two 18v batteries $70 + $15 shipping. So that's $137. Already have the charger. The same drill kit was on sale at HD for $219. Tool repair is worth it most of the the time, especially if you can do the repair yourself. If you're within $30-$40 of getting a better tool new, I usually choose to get the new. I brought in a super Sawzall that needed repair (what do they cost new, maybe $150-$165?). Ninety bucks for the job, and that was a year ago. Definitely worth it. My tool guy tells me if he think it's worth it. He never tries to sell me new one way or another. He charges a $25 diagnostic fee and if you decide to repair, that $25 goes towards the repair. If you don't decide to repair, he'll give you $15 off on a new one if you want new.Just replaced the brushes and sole plate on my big old 4x24 Makita belt sander. Parts were about $45. Thing runs like it was new, it's 22 years old. They're not cheap.When I get time, (yeah right) I have a bunch of tools that I intend to repair, (yeah right). There's a place right nearby called ReTool that sells used tools and it's perfect for backup or for that tool you only use once in a while.Big fan of used, recycled and rebuilt. Kinda like me actually...
Ok, while on this subject. My Mak 14.4 drill chuck exploded. I got a new Jacobs, took out the inner screw in the old chuck, read that it needs a firm whack CCW "IF" you can chuck an allen wench in the old chuck, and unscrew it.
Well, I can't chuck anything in the old chuck, but did manage to get a drift punch in the guts of the old jaw holder..and whacked away..nada. There is a spot that can have a THIN wrench at the base of the old chuck ( not sure if it is part of the chuck or the saft tho") and I had a wrench that fit and whacked it as well..nada. I also tried the wrench with the punch as if it was supposed to be a two part deal..nada.
The motor is not liking all my whackage thus far. Thinking of hauling it into Quik-set for repairs, unless someone has a trick I need to learn?
The drill is a recon already, I have a nuther one that was bought brandy new , but it has a broken grip from falling off a roof..I might just marry the two and have a good one, but the Mak chucks never did impress me.
Any Ideers?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
Squirt it with liquid wrench and let her soak a while. Other than that I'm stumped. Unless you can get a schematic online and figure out a plan c. I would do what you say and have a few hours of matrimony. Only question is, which one's the bride and who's the groom?
Any Ideers
Take the housing off, put the final gear between wood pieces in a vise, channel lock or pipe wrench on the chuck, comes off easy.
It will have to come apart, no doubt. I looked up the schematic, and it appears the flats on the shaft STAY on the shaft, not the chuck itself, but so far all I can do is get the thin wrench to spread to "slip off" mode.
Another project that I can't get to today..oh well.
Thanks,I think your fix is the easiest.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
I have a makita palm sander and it quit working last week. It's 20 + years old.When I move the switch to "ON" all I hear is a soft humming sound.Does this sound fixable?^^^^^^
a Smith & Wesson beats four Aces
Anything's fixable. Take it apart and see what's broke. Parts are still available.
What song did you want to teach it?All you can do is take it apart and see what's wrong. Could be a bit if crud caught in the gears, or a seized bearing that just needs a touch of oil.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
"Does this sound fixable?"I can't hear it from here. Thus is most be OK!My guess is that the belt is worn or the pullies is loose on the shaft.Cheap and easy to check if that is what it is..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Today I took apart my old makita palm sander which quit working a couple of weeks ago.I'm looking at the motor which is a shaft with copper windings and sealed bearings which are pressed on each end of the shaft.This assembly is vertical in the sander and the bottom sealed bearing is dry with a light coat of powdery rust.I'm guessing I'm responsible for ruining the sander as I used it to wet sand with 320 grit wet and dry sand paper. I thought I was being careful doing the wet sanding but maybe I wasn't careful enough.I was sanding my floor and I had a bucket of water and a rag and I would wring the water out of the rag and lightly wet the floor and then sand it.Oh well, live and learn I guess.^^^^^^
a Smith & Wesson beats four Aces
It's worth a shot hitting that bearing with something like Liquid Wrench and seeing if you can work it loose, then squirt in some heavy oil.A syringe would be the way to get oil in, if you can find one.If you can work it loose you've probably lost about 75% of the useful life, but it's better than nothing.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
If that doesn't work, it may be that a motor shop would press a new bearing on cheaply.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
Thanks for the info - I looked at it again and the shaft has three pressed on sealed bearings.The bottom one, which was dry and rusty looking, was the component that fit into the "platform" where the sand paper is held.It's the one that runs "concentric" (I think is the correct term) meaning it doesn't spin around in a perfect circle. It's what gives the "orbital" motion of the sanding platform.Anyway it was dry and wouldn't turn.I twisted back and forth and it did free up and came loose but it must be really dry.I'll look into trying your suggestions. Although I bought a new palm sander the next day and they're only $35 for a ryobi and HD.The new ones even have a dust bag.Thanks again.One last thing, do you think my sanding a wet surface is what killed my sander?^^^^^^
a Smith & Wesson beats four Aces
For some strange reason I thought that it was a belt sander.That is why I though that it was a drive belt or cog..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
The other thing I've thought about is that I was sanding polyurethane floor and the dust particles are very fine with 320 sandpaper. The dust particles are probably abrasive and were sucked into the sander and it's probably hard on moving parts and bearings etc^^^^^^
a Smith & Wesson beats four Aces
I've seen it happen more than once. The sealed bearings cook out the grease, and yes, moisture may have seeped in.
A new bearing is less than 2 dollars, I've bought all new ones for a planer/jointer combo, and the shipping was more than 12 bearings.
oh, router bit bearing lube is a teflon in a rapidly evaporating solvent..that works suprisingly well.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
Edited 9/27/2007 5:14 pm ET by Sphere
Are you sure that's even a bearing? Could just be an eccentric cam.If a bearing froze up, that would stall the motor and cause your symptoms. Would not damage the motor itself so long as you didn't leave it turned on more than 15-30 seconds at a time.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
<<Today I took apart my old makita palm sander which quit working a couple of weeks ago>>I (mis)used my Makita palm sander the same way, except I wet-sanded with oils like Watco.Same bearing seized up.It's a cheap bearing but requires a puller, iirc, to remove. Had it done at Makita servicer. Takes 2 minutes. Do the brushes at the same time and the sander is almost new. The top end takes relatively little wear.Edited 9/27/2007 8:30 pm ET by Alanj
Edited 9/27/2007 8:31 pm ET by Alanj
Pop off the bearing and take to your local power transmission/bearing shop for a new one. Pop it on and your in business.
A motor shop will have the puller and press.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
Try getting something to hold in the chuck and hook up an impact driver to it.
Or take the drill apart and remove the chuck and shaft, clamp the chuck in a vise, vise grips on the drive shaft end...
I've had to pull a few chucks, and what you can try is a big pair of vise grips on the chuck.
Clamp the drill and give the vise grips a whack with a mallet in the counter clockwise direction, that should lossen it up
good luck
rob
If I whack it any harder, something else wil break, the motor aleady is feeling a little stiff. I put a battery in and ran it just to be sure I didn't kill something inside. Also has some in and out play in the shaft, might have done the deed already.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
Try inserting the chuck key into its hole, and hitting that instead.
It usually takes a couple of tries, and you might butcher the key, but it works. It was actually the recommended method in the manual of an old (B&D maybe?) drill I had eons ago.
No chuck to chuck a chuck key in , the chuck chucked up its last chuckable chuckage when the chuck checked out.
So,I'll take it in and get it fixed or................................wait for it..............................................................................
Chuck it.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
(chuckle)
View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
(upchuck)
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
Hey, chuck you Farly.(G)Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
Where's the ReTool store? Over on your side of the river?
Yeah, it's in Fairless Hills On the corner of Old Rt 1 (Lincoln Hwy), and Oxford Valley Rd, in a strip mall directly across Lincoln Hwy from Pep Boys.
Ain't suburbia just grand?!The guy's name is Al and he has some good stuff, & some ok stuff, and then some real finds, but you gotta know what to look for. Mostly it's nuts & bolts types of tool..saws, hammers & wrenches. But I've picked up some beautiful old Witherby & Winchester chisels and a nice Ohio drawknife there. Plus a few Bedrock planes for a good price. It all depends on when you come in, and what's been dropped off just reciently. Luck of the draw type of thing.
As Huck and other stated, you need a "commitment to salvaging and/or repairing old stuff "
Notice I left the 'wierd' out of the quote. Maybe substitute 'deep' ?
I dont think I have bought a new power tool in over 35 years. Once I'd accumulated a little knowledge and stockpile of scrap tools for $1 or $2 apiece, you have the parts in a bin somewhere. Actuall did throw away a few blue bodies from 9.6 Makita drills last week though <G>.
Just last week scored a 3 HP 20 gal compressor that all it needed was re-aligning the belt and rewiring the motor - 1/2 hour and $0.
It is just possible that there is nothing broken in your Makita, just a jam, lack of lube, or slipped shift cam. Have gotten 2 speed 18 V DeWalts that all they needed was dis-assembly and cleaning - 1/2 hour time spent.
If you dont enjoy the fixing, probably not worth it if you make $100/hr and dont do surplus/garage sales for recreation.
BTW, heritage helps. One possible meaning of my last name is "smith who fixes the broken stuff" -grew up doing 'fixin'.
Have you considered taking it apart to see what's broken? In some cases it may be a bit of wear that a washer or shim would fix. And if the repair guy can get parts you should be able to as well.
There's a Makita service center about three miles from here. Nice guys, excellent service on my old Makita cordless drill. I'm just sorry I didn't ask for an estimate before giving it to them, a couple years ago.
Like most things electronic, cordless tools are advancing rapidly and simultaneously coming down in price. So when the Makitas batteries died I looked around. WOW! For the price of one new battery, I found a nicely designed Craftsman 14.4V drill, with two batteries, on sale for $50. The regular price at Sears is $60.
This drill works as well or better than the Makita, runs a little smoother, I'd say. It's a bit shorter, nose to tail, allowing it to fit in tighter spots. It even has a small work light which points at the chuck.
So I guess it's a throw-away... but without sacrificing any performance advantages.
Open the case and look at the assembly. If the part is broken or badly worn, you may be able to buy one from Makita and replace it yourself. It may not be hard to do.
In the past i've goone the repair route. I just had two Dewalt drills rebuilt for $100/ unit. This was in January and recently one had a trigger go bad.
Not only did they warranty the work they completely rebuilt it again (chuck included) for free.
I figure a new drill (admittedly in kit form) costs about $300 so I came out $200 ahead.
Well, I'm about to find out how good and $$$ Quick-Set ( Our local fastner supplier and tool repair joint) is gonna treat me.
My 18V Dewalt Circ Saw took a 30' drop from the boomlift and landed really bad, right on the left front of the base nose, drove it into the blade and torqued it all sorts of skewwy, looks like a new shroud, base plate, and blade guard are in order.
On the bright side, it now bevels both ways, if the blade would spin..LOL
No, I am NOT gonna breakdown and buy a Makita Lith-ion, but maybe a whole new DW, if it is too far gone, bein as they are supposed to have the new batts available soon...
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
In case it hasn't made its way to your doorstep yet, the new Tools of the Trade has a rundown on cordless circs.http://toolsofthetrade.net/industry-news.asp?sectionID=1473&articleID=571677Bosch, Hilti, Makita is what they liked. Not so hot on the DW.
Yeah, but I have the 7pcs of Dw, 2 mak drills, one mak impact, 2 mak flashlights...all 14.4V. Bosch only the POS pocket driver, and a hitachi impact driver (12V).
So getting a new DW saw ( or a total rebuild) makes more sense and less dollars to my way of thinking.
But then again, my way of thinking got me and lot of other people mightily confused at times..LOLSpheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
Yeah, I can see that logic. I thought you were getting on board with one of those Mak Li impacts though? Weren't you talking awhile back about that all in one model?I will say, from my limited use, that I do like the Li set. Nice feel to them.
I was gonna, but I am not hanging gutter like I used to, and even then, it was too high for my likes.
I've not had to drill a tapcon in months, and I really don't miss them.
Kinda was hoping that when the DW's finally croaked, I'd be retired (G).Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
If that's a DW service center, they may have refurbs that they sell for less. We have a DW/B&D service center here and they will occasionally have a smokin' deal on something I really don't need, but I make note of it in case someone I know does need one. I don't think you saw it, but if you get a chance, maybe you could read 37786.1 in the Knots finishing area."I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Edited 9/25/2007 11:07 pm by highfigh
Thanks, I'll check it out, not been over there in a spell.
If I get an estimate, and it's too high, I guess I'll try it myself first ( order the partz and DIY) but I am SWAMPED with projects, and I really can't find the time to tear down a basket case and start re-bending the 5 or 6 places I see that are torqued outta place.
I'll bet the alum blade shroud will break if I re-bend it, and being as I like to use my speed square as a guide, I 'd like the base aligned with the blade as true as possible, without heeling.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
There's always ebay, too. I bought an 18V Milwaukee circ saw pretty cheap. I don't use it often but for what I need, it works fine. Even if you can get one for parts, it may be worth doing that way.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
I had a Makita battery drill that caught on fire, still under warrantee, had it repaired and the invoice said $170.00, no charge. It didn't cost this much when new!!. Bottom line is if you don't have a guarantee, most of the time they should be trashed. Luck.