Makita drill problem - it fell apart

[engineer2]

I have a Makita LXPH03 hammer drill/driver. Using it to run a drain snake. Pulling on it to get the snake back out, and the chuck with the front half of the gearbox falls out. OK, so I can put it back together. Looks like a snap ring is all that holds it together and it was installed upside down, and came unseated.

To get it back together I need to take the chuck off the gearbox shaft. Got the hidden left handed hidden screw out, but I can't get the chuck to unscrew, even following the service instructions using a big Allen wrench in a vise.

Any ideas?

 

[6PTsocket]

Take the biggest hex bit socket that fits in the chuck, hopefully 1/2" drive and take it off with an impact wrench. It has never failed fo me. Why is the hex wrench in the vise? It sounds as if you are set up backwards from the normal method. You usually support the drill and strike the chucked key with a hammer. When I can't get enough impact manually, I go to the impact gun. If your drill is partially disassembled I am not exactly sure what you are dealing with.

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[neophyte]

The chuck is internslly threaded do it screws on in foward rotation, so first make sure you're trying to unscrew the chuck in the right direction.

Some chucks are screwed on to the drill by the manufacturer with way more torque than would seem necessary, making removing the chucks difficult. Other manufacturers sometimes use threadlocker, although if the drill chuck had a retaining screw it shouldn't have be necessary.

6PTsocket s suggestion of using an impact may be your best bet.

 

[The Cobbler]

a large allen wrench in the chuck and a good swift counterclockwise hit with a hammer , if you don't have an impact gun .

 

[KnurledNut]

...and put it in low gear before you hit the hex key.

 

[engineer2]

Here is what I am dealing with. Chuck has to come off so I can get all the parts stacked up and put the snap ring back in. Piss poor design. If the snap ring comes off (can happen under tension), all those parts fall out, LOL. Need to find a way to grip the shaft so I can get the chuck loose. Tried tapping it back into the drill and it doesn't hold well enough.

Gearbox assembly is $56, the chuck is $36. I can get a new Makita hammer drill/driver for about $140, but mine should have lasted more than 4 years.

 

[frankthezapper]

Can you grip the shaft in a metal working lathe? Or a piece of hardwood 2x1 with a hole the diameter of the shaft drilled in the middle, a saw cut along the long axis to the middle of the hole, all clamped tight in the vyce while you whack the Allen key with a wooden mallet or a deadblow hammer?

 

[frankthezapper]

Or will a Torx bolt fit the drive on the end of the shaft? If so, weld something onto the bolt so it won't turn in the vyse. Hope the spline is strong enough to resist deforming.

 

[engineer2]

I tried torx and 12 point sockets and nothing fits the 6-groove spline.
The shaft is made of hardenend metal, harder than the jaws of my vice. I can clamp it as hard as I can and not damage it, but it still turns. I clamped the splines in the vice and was actually making the shaft act like a stiff spring.
"metal working lathe"
I don't have a lathe, but I have other drills and drill parts, and maybe I can use a chuck to hold the shaft, put a pice of hex bar in the Makita chuck and the use my air impact.
Pretty sure it's counterclockwise since the internal screw was a lefty.
Thanks for the ideas!

 

[6PTsocket]

I tried torx and 12 point sockets and nothing fits the 6-groove spline.
The shaft is made of hardenend metal, harder than the jaws of my vice. I can clamp it as hard as I can and not damage it, but it still turns. I clamped the splines in the vice and was actually making the shaft act like a stiff spring.
"metal working lathe"
I don't have a lathe, but I have other drills and drill parts, and maybe I can use a chuck to hold the shaft, put a pice of hex bar in the Makita chuck and the use my air impact.
Pretty sure it's counterclockwise since the internal screw was a lefty.
Thanks for the ideas!

Just a thought but some chucks are not screwed on. They are on a taper like a drill press or lathe tail stock. This was an alternative to the chuck thread and left hand screw as tapers work in either direction. The fact that you have the left hand screw would seem to contradict this but I guess it could still be a taper. Did you try the impact wrench? Chuck a hex bit socket and hammer it off with an impact wrench. The vise should hold the spindle well enough. This is far better than single shots with a hammer. Have you pulled up the parts breakdown? This often shows good info on how things are put together. Call Makita service and see if they have any suggestions. I was there once, in Dayton, NJ and it was a little one horse operation with a parts guy and a guy doing repairs on the bench. I called on a Friday just before closing and they had my part. In Monday morning I got there right after the bench guy installed the last one into a repair. They got another part in a few days and tossed in big tube of gear case lube as an apology.

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[6PTsocket]

The chuck is internslly threaded do it screws on in foward rotation, so first make sure you're trying to unscrew the chuck in the right direction.

Some chucks are screwed on to the drill by the manufacturer with way more torque than would seem necessary, making removing the chucks difficult. Other manufacturers sometimes use threadlocker, although if the drill chuck had a retaining screw it shouldn't have be necessary.

6PTsocket s suggestion of using an impact may be your best bet.

It has never failed for me. The impact strikes are much sharper than anything I could do with a hammer. It is especially good when you can't get that great a grip on the tool or in this case, the spindle.

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[Todd.Brock]

I think you and I have the same drill. If you are going to spring for a new chuck, are there any better options than OE ? I think it's actually Jacobs, but it's a total POS. Just curious.

 

[6PTsocket]

I think you and I have the same drill. If you are going to spring for a new chuck, are there any better options than OE ? I think it's actually Jacobs, but it's a total POS. Just curious.

Rohm makes good chucks.

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[SweetD]

Rohm makes good chucks.

I can second that, I replaced a chuck on my corded hand drill with a Rohm, and it is REALLY nice. And reasonably priced if I recall...

 

[Todd.Brock]

I forgot about Rohm. I bought one for my drill press a few years ago. albrecht was 300 bucks...

OP- did you get your drill repaired?

 

[rlitman]

...Did you try the impact wrench? Chuck a hex bit socket and hammer it off with an impact wrench. The vise should hold the spindle well enough. This is far better than single shots with a hammer....

Agreed. Though I tend to use my T60 socket for this, as it's a little bigger than my biggest hex socket.

Not only is the impact wrench going to hit harder than your hammer, but the large number of short blows is less likely to spin the shaft in your vise. The impact wrench's blows are fighting the inertia of the part more than trying to spin it.

Still, I would absolutely not grab the shaft in steel vise jaws. If only because you can get a better grip with softer jaws. I have a set of copper jaws for one vise, and a vise with aluminum jaws. But for the best grip, I'd take a scrap of oak, drill it with a bit that's a little smaller than the shaft, then cut it in half, and crush that onto the shaft with the vise. That will grab like nobody's business.

 

[6PTsocket]

Agreed. Though I tend to use my T60 socket for this, as it's a little bigger than my biggest hex socket.

Not only is the impact wrench going to hit harder than your hammer, but the large number of short blows is less likely to spin the shaft in your vise. The impact wrench's blows are fighting the inertia of the part more than trying to spin it.

Still, I would absolutely not grab the shaft in steel vise jaws. If only because you can get a better grip with softer jaws. I have a set of copper jaws for one vise, and a vise with aluminum jaws. But for the best grip, I'd take a scrap of oak, drill it with a bit that's a little smaller than the shaft, then cut it in half, and crush that onto the shaft with the vise. That will grab like nobody's business.

I have set of copper jaws but I like your drilled hole in oak idea. A jaw with a V groove helps ,too, but again, not steel.

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[rlitman]

The wood works best because you're compressing the fibers as you force the round shape into it. I forgot to mention that the saw cut that splits the hole in two should be a rip cut (i.e. the grain should end up running parallel to the vise jaws). That squeezes the metal between end-grain on each side, which is where the grip comes from, without splitting the wood. The more undersized the hole is for the cylinder, the tighter the grip. The actual force imparted from the vise is not as important as the hole sizing.

But that's also why it's a one-shot deal, and why I just make them to fit the need, from scraps on the floor on an as-needed basis.

It works with softwoods too, though the grip is not as extreme, so you'll want to step up to something like oak for a small and smooth object like this shaft. I've used a 2x4 sliced in two to grip a rifle barrel when clocking a flash suppressor.

 

[engineer2]

Complained to Makita and they are supposed to send me parts for free. Good customer service, but I'll believe it when they arrive.

Thanks for the ideas. Tried my air impact and no go. Will try again clamping in oak or copper. Wife said the way it's ******* me off, just go buy a new drill.

I believe the chuck is a Japanese brand. Agree it's not a very good chuck, but it works OK with an occassional shot of WD-40.

 

[IndyGarage]

I recently bought some Makita 18V tools for a good deal on Craigslist. The set didn't come with a drill, which is not a big deal because I probably use an impactor 90% more than a drill these days.

I was at a swap meet just a couple weeks later, and there was a guy who sold brand new cordless tools - mostly Milwaukee and Dewault, but he had Makita 18V hammer drills for $35 without battery, so I bought one from him. I don't know if I got a screaming deal or not, but for that amount of money there's no way I would bother fixing one.

I would say it's an OK drill works fine - doesn't hold a candle to my 14.4V Panasonic, but not much does.

 

[engineer2]

$35 is a great deal for and 18V. Used usually goes as low as $50 on ebay. Panasonic makes some great cordless tools. A neighbor let me try his drill out. Very smooth and powerful with excellent speed control. Too bad they aren't mainstream.

A Makita product manager emailed me and said getting the chuck off the spindle is nearly impossible, so they are sending me parts.

 

[IndyGarage]

$35 is a great deal for and 18V. Used usually goes as low as $50 on ebay. Panasonic makes some great cordless tools. A neighbor let me try his drill out. Very smooth and powerful with excellent speed control. Too bad they aren't mainstream.

A Makita product manager emailed me and said getting the chuck off the spindle is nearly impossible, so they are sending me parts.

I thought it was a good deal - it's a brand new hammer drill. The guy mostly had Milwaukee and Dewault stuff, but he had a bin of brand new Makita LXT tools. He was at the Indiana State Fairgrounds indoor swap meet in November.

Panasonic has made the best cordless drills for 25 years now. I believe they were the ones who invented the cordless impactor about 20 years ago, and they were the first to put brushless motors in their tools about 15 years ago. They still have features that the others don't - better balance, and the low speed torque of their drills are unmatched. Hilti cordless are rebadged Panasonics as far as I can tell.

The best thing about them is their batteries. They have much better battery life than any other brand tool. My 14.4 Panasonic tools outperform the Makita 18V tools and the Milwaukees M18's I've tried.

You can buy Panasonic tools on Amazon - They are more expensive than the other brands, but occasionally you can get them on sale.

 

[engineer2]

Makita says my gearbox parts are back ordered, so they are just sending me a new XPH07Z drill instead. I'm very happy about this!!

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Sweet drill, I got one. It's a heavy sucker though.... but it can drill a 1" hole [spade] on speed II without batting an eye.

 

[6PTsocket]

Makita says my gearbox parts are back ordered, so they are just sending me a new XPH07Z drill instead. [emoji106] I'm very happy about this!!

Wow,you made out like champ. Great news.

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[engineer2]

Got it and it's a nice drill. Time to put it to work!