Milwaukee 12v impact driver fault

I have the subject driver & it has excessive leakage current: 20ma more or less. With an 1800 mah battery, that's less than 4 days of shelf life. After I discovered this I thought that I could live with it by not keeping the battery in the driver. That got old REAL quickly - like twice having to put the battery in & remove it after.

So I opened it up to see what I could see:

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I cleaned the board real well by scrubbing with denatured alcohol (it was pretty dirty - it's 10 years old). No effect, so I tried heating with a hair dryer & cooling with CO2. No effect.

It can be seen in the photos that the trigger is more than just on-off contacts & that it can be opened. But I'm worried that there are little springs & such inside and that I'd like to only do that at the last.

Are there any components that are likely suspects & are easily checked? I do have an analog scope as well as a couple of DMM's. Any suggestions at all?

Thanks, Bob

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt
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Oh yeah ... the trigger and board replacement part costs about as much as a new driver.

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

Do you also have the model number of the Milwaukee 12v impact driver? Perhaps an M12 Fuel? GEN1 or GEN2?

I'm trying to determine if the battery is LiIon or NiMH. Extra credit for disclosing the model number of the battery pack and charger.

Did you measure the leakage current?

I smell a NiMH battery. Since the driver and probably the battery are

10 years old, I wouldn't be surprised if the NiMH battery were dead. Excessive self discharge current is one of the symptoms of a nearly dead NiMH battery.

Note: Assumption is the mother of all screwups.

Motor speed control. I suggest you not take it apart unless you're certain that your surgical methods will fix the switch/control.

Yep. That's why I suggested you not take it apart. I've dissected similar switches and paid the price. Even when I managed to prevent all the tiny parts from escaping, I found it very difficult to re-assemble the switch. However, I haven't torn apart the switch in your unspecified Milwaukee 12v impact driver, so I'm not sure if that's going to be a problem.

Ummm.... the battery perhaps? Charge it up and measure the voltage. Do NOT plug it into the driver. Just let it sit for 24 hrs and measure the voltage again. Maybe measure it again after 36 or 48 hrs. If the unspecified model battery is an NiMH, and the voltage drops substantially, you have a genuine dead battery.

Yep. Test the battery. If you can't test it, replace it with a borrowed new battery. If it's a LiIon battery and tool, I get to start over with a different set of recommendations.

Good luck.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

That seems to be the problem with many devices. The repair part is very expensive compaired to just buying a new one. Plus in the case of battery powered devices you get new batteries.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

Jeff - thanks for the reply. The driver is a GEN 0, model 2450 ... LiIon battery. The battery is new (the original ones lasted 10 years - no complaints there), model 48-11-2420.

The 20ma leakage was measured (DMM). A 12v 10-year-old drill was also measured, for reference, & its leakage was less than a ma.

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

I have an old Craftsman drill/screwdriver that I use daily, and it does the same. But, if I pull on the trigger, that last mm or two of play stops it. I've gotten used to using the forward/neutral/reverse switch. In neutral, it draws zip.

Bored, I took it apart a couple of months ago and found a cracked post inside the switch/speed control assy. Part not available, so I'll use as is until it croaks.

Reply to
John-Del

Thanks for the tip. I tried pulling and putting it in neutral - no effect, but worth a try.

I fear that it's something like that with mine. But I'm not going to live with pulling the battery when not in use, so I'll probably get a new one. Which wouldn't be so bad, after all.

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

Probably the best bet, particularly when the cost of repair comes close to buying the same tool over again. And as Ralph pointed out, you get a new battery as well. If it's the same exact tool, you'll also have some parts.

Reply to
John-Del

Sorry to change the subject, but it may be possible to obtain a Sears part if you know the actual manufacturer.

A sears part number usually contains a 3 or 4 digit manufacture's source number, a decimal, and a multi-digit part number.

Here is a list of Sears Source Numbers:

001 Stevens 002 Lemont Industries 071 Agri-Fab Corp 093 Ametek 002 Lemont Industries 101 Atlas Press Co. 102 Walker Turner 103 Sarlo Power Mower Inc. 106 Whirlpool 108 Covel Mfg. Co. 109 AA Engineering 110 Whirlpool 111 Watson Mfg Co. 112 Parks Tool Co. (Woodworking equipment) 113 Emerson Electric Co. 114 Pioneer Gen-E-Motor 115 Rixon 116 Matsushita 119 Frigidaire 121 Dille & McGuire 122 Blair Mfg. 123 Yard-Man 128 E.T. Rugg 129 Mono Mfg. Co 131 Rally/Roper Lawn (American Yard Prod.) 133 American Yard Products 135 Skil/Bosch 136 Toro Mfg. Co 137 Rexon 139 Chamberlain 143 Tecumseh (Lauson Power Prod. Co.) 144 Trane 145 Country Manufacturing 147 Village Blacksmith (Div. of McGraw Edison) 149 Amt 150 White Consolidated 153 State Industries 155 preway 160 Wisconsin Magneto 161 Nakajima 171 Vermont American 174 Caloric 175 Bissell 176 Murata 180 Lambert Corp. 187 White Consolidated 190 Pioneer 198 Whirlpool 202 Gannon Mfg. Co. 204 Iona 214 Bissell 216 Phonemate 217 Eska Outboards 219 MTD 222 Panasonic Video/Audio 225 Outboard by Chrysler/Force 233 Broan 234 Beard-Poulon & Lazy Boy 235 Ingersoll Rand 241 Fimco 247 MTD-Modern Tool and Die (not MID) 250 J.I. Case 253 Gibson (now Frigidare) 256 Emerson Electric 257 Allegretti & Co. & Paramount 264 Emerson Electric 268 Brother International 271 Kioritz Corp. - Echo 274 RCA 278 GE 281 Electro-Aire 283 Thomas Industries 289 Sharp 291 American Lawn Mower 292 Lennox 294 Tunturi 302 IBM 304 Funai 306 Belsaw 312 GTE 315 Ryan 316 Ryobi 317 Makita 319 Hand Tools International 329 Inventa 330 Apple 328 McLane 329 Ametek 334 Commodore 335 Amana 336 Electrolux 340 Necchi 342 York 351 Colovos Co. 253 White Consolidated 355 Roper Outdoor 358 Beaird - Poulan, Inc. 359 Bolens Products Div. 362 General Electric 363 General Electric 365 US Lawn 366 Koss Eletronics 367 AT&T 372 Zeus Generator Co. 374 Diversified Products 378 Omark (Oregon) 380 Moto-Mower, Inc./Subsidiary of Dura Corp. 385 Jamac 387 White Rodgers 390 King-O-Lawn 401 Bissell 410 John Bean Food Mach. & Chem. 415 Char Broil 417 Stover Engine Works 426 Parker Sweeper 445 Melmer 452 AT&T 457 Code-A-Phone 459 Technics 464 GE 471 Bionaire 472 Dremel 473 Quincy Compressor 474 Sony 476 Coleman 480 Bose 484 Airtemp 486 Agri-Fab 490 Indiana Steel 498 Didier Mfg. Co. 500 Briggs & Stratton Corp. 502 Murray Ohio 509 Payne 517 Homelite/Jacobsen 521 E Z Rake Co. 523 MGM Technology 534 Clausing Lathe (Former Atlas Press Co.) 536 Western Tool & Stamping (Before AMF Lawn & Garden Div.) 538 AMF and or Murray 549 Midwest Ind 552 Cobra 562 Toshiba 564 Sanyo 565 Sanyo 566 Packard Bell 568 Panasonic 572 Dremel 575 Sharp 576 D & M (now Frigidaire) 580 Generac Corporation 582 Clinton Engine Co. 583 Remington/Desa 586 Panasonic Office Equip. 587 White Consolidated 596 Amana 604 Digital Equipment Co. 610 Ohio Steel Fabrication 613 Consolidated Technologies 619 Arps Corp. 809 AMF 860 Eureka Company 864 Zenith 867 C1imette 871 Smith Corona 879 Rheem/Rudd 900 Black and Decker 911 General Electric 917 Roper Corp. (American Yard Prod. 919 DeVilbiss 922 Original Tractor Cab Co. 923 Hewlett Packard 934 Century Mfg Co. 937 Sunbeam (now Air Cap Ind.) 950 Laser (V-TECH) 960 Caloric 973 Ryobi 987 Troy Bilt/Garden Way 988 Kubota 989 McCullogh 990 Ford 991 Lawnboy 2018 Furnas Electric (Reversing Switch) 7075 Prestolite Battery 7287 Emerson Electric 7296 Emerson Electric
Reply to
Fred McKenzie

What about installing an on/off switch to isolate the battery from the pcb when not in use?

Reply to
Mike S

That's a good idea - thanks. Wouldn't be the 1st time that I've done a bodge like that 8-) I'll look into it.

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

With nothing to lose, I started isolating elements by disconnecting the trigger wires. There was no change in the leakage current - it wasn't the switch that was bad. In addition to the heavy motor-current wires going to the PCB, there was a much lighter (24ga maybe) wire. Unsoldering that stopped the leakage. IOW, the leakage was internal to the board.

It was 10 years old & much used, so I got my money's worth. It was also a favorite tool, so another one is going to be ordered; a latest-and-greatest one.

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

This tool? The 2450-20 is the original M12 model. The 2450-22 is the laster Gen

2 model.

The switch and PCB assembly is available: Note that there are 3 models. 2450-20 B59A 2450-20 B59B 2450-20 B59C I'm not sure I have the correct diagram to match your trunacted model number. The PCB (item #5) costs as much as a replacement driver:

Maybe you should consider buying a parts driver and swap PCB's? $24 is too much. Off the seller some lesser amount and shipping. He says it "doesn't work" which can mean anything. Ask for details.

More of the same: (dig through the listings).

Good luck.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

2450 is the base model number. The -20 or -22 means bare tool or kit. The 2450 is not longer available - the 2462 is its direct descendant. The 2553 is the latest and greatest.

The 2450 PCB part - $60 A 2462-20 (Amazon) - $50

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A 2553-20 (Amazon) - $99
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My nature is reactionary: the old has been good, why do I need the new? But I fight that & in this case I'm going for the 2553.

I volunteer at Habitat and Milwaukee has a deal with them whereby Habitat gets tools from the Milwaukee return/refurb facility for next to nothing. I get to repair some of those tools and the majority have bad switch-PCB assemblies. So I would not ever take a chance with a doesn't-work eBay tool.

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

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