Dewalt cordless drill problem

[Boundertom]

I have a DeWalt 14.4 volt cordless drill, Model DC730. I couple of days ago, I thought it was making a little burning smell. Yesterday I put in a freshly charged battery, pulled the trigger, and it was definitely smoking and LOTS of sparking around the brush end of the motor. If I hold the trigger for a couple of seconds, with no load, the motor slow drastically. The drill is only 2 years old, and very lightly used. I found it has a 3 year warranty, so I call the factory service center. The guy says, "Oh, that is a very limited warranty, only for defective materials or workmanship". I got the impression that they don't do many repairs under that warranty! The service center is over 100 miles away, so I was thinking of mailing it in. But I wonder, do these symptoms point to any particular issue? Could it be something as simple as bad brushes? I am thinking about taking it apart and having a look. Not even sure if it is worth sending in, as it could cost as much as $89.95 to repair, plus the shipping. I can probably wait for a sale and get a new one with batteries and charger for around $100. But, my wife bought it for me for my birthday, and feels bad that it has crapped out already.

I have had many cordless drills of various brands over the last 30 years, and never had one "burn up", even ones with MUCH more use than this one. I would appreciate any thoughts or ideas.

Thanks!

Tom, in sunny Arizona

 

[cheechi]

It sounds like brushes or a bearing. in any case, unless it's just had tons of dust and dirt in it, they would probably repair it for you.

 

[mbret2004]

take it apart and clean it up. Inspect the brushes, they're held in by little copper springs and some kind of clip. Look for arching, or lack of carbon brush material. You should be able to order replacement brushes form Dewalt.

Hope it helps.

 

[GTO]

http://www.ereplacementparts.com/dewalt-parts-c-1009.html

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

i had a dewalt xrp 14.4 vold drill and it smoked also. the brushes were just stuck. loosened them up and it worked as good as it could with crappy battries

 

[snapperlt]

Thanks for the heads up I have a 18 volt doing the same thing it was my father-in-law I want to buy a all purpose nailer have you bought one of them thxs Don