Dewalt Drills Dying?

[Ron Natalie]

I've got four Dewalt drills, one's a hammer drill and the other three are similar ones without the hammer feature (they have the three speed switch and the aux handle). Two are kind of dedicated to running tugs, but the two I use both seem to be dying.

There's a lot of sparking and ozony smell from the rear end of both. I can understand one that's been living in a slightly humid environment, but the other one which sees less use is in my shop (climate controlled).

Short of some healthy blast of air had anybody any experience with sprucing these up or are they meant to be disposable. It does look like the case halves are put together with screws.

[John Pratt]

If you have a Dewalt service center nearby, take the drills to them. My shop has 9 drills (hammer, driver, impact, etc) in the service center right now. The cost of refurbishing an old drill is considerably less than buying a new one. The service center here will fix or replace what needs fixed at a maximum cost of $100.00 (if they have to do a complete rebuild). It may just need new brushes which will be considerably less.

[Lee Schierer]

If they've been used a lot, the brushes could be nearly worn out. You might be able to replace the brushes if you can find a local brush shop.

[Ken Higginbotham]

I was thinking the brush thing as well. You should be able to find an online manual to get the part number for the brush set and then order them. Then clean up the stator a little bit (I think that's what it is called). ??

[John Cavanaugh]

You can check out youtube for lots of great how to videos on things like this. Its become one the regular places I look for information on items (after Sawmillcreek of course...). I did a quick scan and found this tutorial on replacing the brushes in a dewalt cordless..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAWYkYxSTPQ

[Edward P. Surowiec]

Thanks John for the YTube link. My 35V drill has the same problem and the service center quoted $160 for flat rate repair. Replacing the brushes looks like a DIY job. I'll disassemble the drill and order the parts online.
Thanks again.
Ed

[David Woodruff]

My DeWalts have had the ozone smell when first turned on almost since day one. I know the brushes and commutator are ok. Replacing brushes is definitely a DIY and take a look at the commutator, inspecting for grooving and crud (tech term) build up. Polish with 1500 auto paper and determine if commutator slots are crudded up, these can be cleaned out with a piece of ground hack saw blade. The teeth should be ground off and thickness reduced if necessary to easily slide between the copper elements or grind a sharp point on the correct thickness feeler gauge and you are in business.

[Mike Barney Sr]

Dewalt used to be a good brand but I'm sorry to say not any more. I used to work in a factory that made the motor shaft for some of their drills but the company lost that contract when Dewalt decide to outsource it overseas. Like a lot of companies they care more for the bottom line rather than quality. You really have to be careful when choosing a power tool these days. Decide on quality and don't be swayed by price. I don't mind paying for something I can depend on.

From my experience:

Drills - Milwaukee (preferably) or Bosch
Screw guns (not driver drills - I mean drywall screw guns) - Makita
Routers - Bosch
Random orbital sander - Bosch

(These recommendations are for plug in models. I do not have much experience with battery tools nor do I care for them. I work in the shop and don't need portabilty.)