I picked up a Craftsman table top drill press, and having issues with it spinning up. The motor will "hum", but not turn...you can give it a little boost through the pulley and it will turn/run fine. Motor spins freely with it off, no dragging or catching on any of the pulleys. Any chance this is anything other than the start capacitor on the rear of the motor?
Craftsman drill press issues...capacitor?
- Thread starter Jason280
- Start date
Mark in Indiana
Well-known member
Jason:
Have you isolated the capacitor and field tested it?
Have you isolated the capacitor and field tested it?
OccupantRJ
Well-known member
Is the belt way overtight?
No, and I don't think I have the correct multimeter to test capacitors. I *do* have an extra drill press that is about the same size, and old orange HF model...I may just pul the cap off it and try it on the Craftsman.
As far as the belt being on too tight, it doesn't feel that way.
Mark in Indiana
Well-known member
Jason:
You can feild test your capacitor with a normal digital multimeter (DMM) with the following steps...
1. Connect your DMM to the isolated capacitor leads. Wait a minute. This will charge the capacitor up to the voltage of the batteries in your DMM. I'm guessing 3 volts, assuming that your DMM uses 2, 1.5 volt batteries in series.
2. Quickly switch your DMM to read DC volts on a low scale.
If your capacitor is good, you will see around 3 volts on your DMM, then slowly drop to 0 volts.
Not as accurate as a capacitor tester, but it's a good go/no go test. It's worked for me for over 35 years.
You can feild test your capacitor with a normal digital multimeter (DMM) with the following steps...
1. Connect your DMM to the isolated capacitor leads. Wait a minute. This will charge the capacitor up to the voltage of the batteries in your DMM. I'm guessing 3 volts, assuming that your DMM uses 2, 1.5 volt batteries in series.
2. Quickly switch your DMM to read DC volts on a low scale.
If your capacitor is good, you will see around 3 volts on your DMM, then slowly drop to 0 volts.
Not as accurate as a capacitor tester, but it's a good go/no go test. It's worked for me for over 35 years.
Definitely was the capacitor, thanks for the tip on testing them!
Now, I just have to order a replacement off eBay. The HF one is a little bigger physically than the Craftsman, so I have to keep that in mind when I place the order.
Now, I just have to order a replacement off eBay. The HF one is a little bigger physically than the Craftsman, so I have to keep that in mind when I place the order.
Last edited:
Yes the start capacitor is connected to the motor rhrough a switch that is inside the motor. It is called a centrifugal switch. When the motor is not running, the switch is closed and the capacitor is connected to help the motor start. When the motor is started, spinning weights on the switch spin faster and faster. When the motor reaches around 60 to 80% of full speed, the switch opens, disconnecting the capacitor. When the motor is shut off and starts to slow down, you should hear a distinctive click as rhe switch closes, ready for the next start. The switch contacts eventually get burned up and the start capacitor does not connect. Sometimes there are problems with the weights and springs that are part of the switch. Most likely your problem is a bad capacitor, followed by bad switch contacts. The contacts can often be cleaned up with a fine file but eventually need replacement. Have simebody test the cap or buy another one. They are cheap.
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Definitely was the capacitor, thanks for the tip on testing them!
Now, I just have to order a replacement off eBay. The HF one is a little bigger physically than the Craftsman, so I have to keep that in mind when I place the order.
It's interesting that the capacitor went bad so early in that motor's life. They typically last many years. The general construction with the wires hanging out looks suspect to me. I recall years ago shopping at a night market in Guangzhou (China) and buying some similar high voltage capacitors that looked like they would work for a tube amplifier project. The ratings were good and the caps seemed substantial. When I eventually got to wiring one up, it quickly got very hot and failed. When I dissected it for examination I found that it had a pair of tiny electrolytic caps inside the large case, and filled with potting---JUNK
Hopefully you will find a better grade cap for your repair. Good luck!
OccupantRJ
Well-known member
Try a local motor repair shop if you can. I find them just as cheap there, and get to compare physical size.
CJ7VFR
Well-known member
I have a very similar Craftsman drill press! I think mine is a bit older though, as the depth gage on mine is all black with white letters/numbers.
About 8 years ago the starting capacitor went out on it. I turned the drill press on one day and saw a puff of smoke coming out of the capacitor housing. Sure enough it had burned out.
I looked in the back of the owners manual to see if I could find the part number for a new one.
I got the part number and called the phone number that was also in the back of the owners manual. What I found funny was that the call was to Ryobi. The woman I spoke to on the phone said these drill presses were made for Craftsman by Ryobi, and are pretty much identical to the Ryobi version except for the paint colors and a few other small things.
She said if I had the Ryobi version the capacitor would have been covered under their warranty. But as a Craftsman model, the warranty was only for two years.
Anyway, to get the OEM capacitor directly from them cost just a few dollars more than the other online places I could find one. So I ended up going the OEM route because the OEM capacitor came with the correct connector on the wires, so replacing it was as easy as 1-2-3.
Now, that was 8 years ago, so I don't know if you can even still get the OEM version, but it might be worth a try to see if it can be had for a fair price.
Jim
About 8 years ago the starting capacitor went out on it. I turned the drill press on one day and saw a puff of smoke coming out of the capacitor housing. Sure enough it had burned out.
I looked in the back of the owners manual to see if I could find the part number for a new one.
I got the part number and called the phone number that was also in the back of the owners manual. What I found funny was that the call was to Ryobi. The woman I spoke to on the phone said these drill presses were made for Craftsman by Ryobi, and are pretty much identical to the Ryobi version except for the paint colors and a few other small things.
She said if I had the Ryobi version the capacitor would have been covered under their warranty. But as a Craftsman model, the warranty was only for two years.
Anyway, to get the OEM capacitor directly from them cost just a few dollars more than the other online places I could find one. So I ended up going the OEM route because the OEM capacitor came with the correct connector on the wires, so replacing it was as easy as 1-2-3.
Now, that was 8 years ago, so I don't know if you can even still get the OEM version, but it might be worth a try to see if it can be had for a fair price.
Jim
"$7 delivered" after shipping costs, ebay fees, Paypal fees....doesn't leave much for a quality capacitor. Fortunately it's only a start capacitor and only has to function a few milliseconds per use.
I could have gotten one directly from China for $3, but didn't want to wait 2 weeks for it to get here. As far as the "quality" goes, its a Chinese motor and the OEM capacitor was Chinese....I doubt the original is any higher quality than the one I ordered.