# Craftsman Cordless Drill Quit Working



## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

If you pull the trigger while the light is on does the light stay on or go out?

Bud


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## RickB11 (Nov 16, 2020)

When I pull the trigger half way, the light stays on. When I pull the trigger all the way, the light goes out.

Thank you, Rick


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

If the light would normally stay on when drilling and it is going off now I suspect the batters. Cycle them through your charger a few times. Alternately you could hold the light on to allow the batteries to discharge a little and then see if they will charge.

Bud


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## RickB11 (Nov 16, 2020)

Thanks Bud,
I will discharge battery and recharge. One of the batteries was brand new and had been in the original charger. So I assumed it was fully charged. I thought maybe my charger was bad, so I bought a new charger with better indicator lights. Batteries are showing fully charged. But I would like to discharge and see that they recharge.

Your question about the light makes me think that something may be wrong in the trigger. How would it be possible that when trigger is fully pulled, that for some reason the trigger would not properly engage to supply power to light and drill?

Thanks for your replies, Rick


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Don't discharge them all the way to zero, maybe a quarter or half. Hopefully they will just need to be reformed and will work again. Re-chargeable tools like to be used as opposed to just sitting on a shelf. I have taken older battery packs apart and saw what failed, usually corroded terminals on one or two dead cells, beyond repair.

Bud


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## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

For what it's worth, Craftsman has a 3 year warranty.....except the 19.2 which is 1 year.
I have thrown out Craftsman cordless tools in the past because of failure.
If it's close to the one year date you may have some leeway.
Most mfg. will stretch things a bit to keep a customer.


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## RickB11 (Nov 16, 2020)

Bud,
Following your advice, I discharged the battery a bitt, hen recharged to full. I reconnected to drill and now I get nothing; no light or drill. Either the batteries are bad or I burnt the light out. Do I dare buy new batteries or just find better equipment?

Thank you Missouri for your input. I have had no luck with Craftsman or Sears on replacing anything.

Rick


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## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

RickB11 said:


> Thank you Missouri for your input.
> Rick


You are welcome.
Craftsman isn't what it used to be in the days of Sears Roebuck...(yes, I am that old).
Back then you walked in with a broken tool and they handed you a new one.
Do you have a voltage tester/meter? You can check your batteries if you do.
And you can replace them with off-brand knockoffs.
I've since migrated to other brands, DeWalt and Porter Cable.
I like the DeWalt 20v Max line because of all the interchangeable tools using the same battery.
But I have an old set of Porter Cable tools in which the batteries died.
I found out that there are finally mfgs. who make replacement off brand batteries so I can keep that set working.


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## Hidyi (Sep 26, 2014)

Have you tried switching from forward (clockwise rotation) to reverse (counterclockwise rotation) and change the speed switch between slow and high to see if that makes a difference?


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## RickB11 (Nov 16, 2020)

Hidyi said:


> Have you tried switching from forward (clockwise rotation) to reverse (counterclockwise rotation) and change the speed switch between slow and high to see if that makes a difference?


Hi Hidya,
Yes, I have tried changing both switch positions with no luck.


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## RickB11 (Nov 16, 2020)

Missouri Bound said:


> You are welcome.
> Craftsman isn't what it used to be in the days of Sears Roebuck...(yes, I am that old).
> Back then you walked in with a broken tool and they handed you a new one.
> Do you have a voltage tester/meter? You can check your batteries if you do.
> ...


Yes. I knew Craftsman and Sears as the company that would replace your tools. I was a bit upset that I could not get any assistance from the phone number manual to get troubleshooting help. I went round in circles between transfers and being given different numbers. I never got to someone who could help me. I think Stanley Black & Decker purchased Craftsman brand which added to the confusion of the people on the calls.


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## Hidyi (Sep 26, 2014)

If you purchased the drill with a credit card, c6heck the benefits. You might be covered by an extended warranty. You submit a claim to the card company not Sears.


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## ront02769 (Nov 28, 2008)

Not sure about the craftsman line......but the batteies and charger are normally more than the cost of the tool. Esp this time of year, check Nd and Lowe’s for deals on combo sets. For example, the non sale price of a Mikita battery for my tools is $99. An oscillating saw that runs on those batteries is $79! Also, there are some great battery tools out there....and craftsman isn’t one of them. Mikita, dewalt and Milwaukee are top of the line. If you need only once in a while, I’d go even rigid or ryobi over ”craftsman”....which obviously isn’t the old craftsman.


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## Joeywhat (Apr 18, 2020)

Just about anything is better than craftsman. Ryobi is significantly cheaper and I would definitely say is better. I prefer my Ridgid tools, have also been great to me.


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## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

First cordless drill I ever owned was a Craftsman and it did not last 2-years. 

I tossed it and replaced it with Porter-Cable which have been going strong. 

Three years ago, I re-built my 10x20 foot deck using both the drill and impact driver. In the 5-days of construction (I was working alone), I dismantled the old deck using the P-C reciprocating saw, drove some 1300 screws with the impact driver (650 alone for decking) and 60 1/2" bolt holes with the drill. Those tools performed without any issues. 

I am considering adding the finish nailer to my kit.


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## dj3 (Apr 27, 2020)

Time to think out of the box: Replace the switch (trigger).
$3,86 on ebay.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I'm on my 3rd craftsman 19.2 drill. The 1st one just quit [after 10+ yrs] The 2nd one still works but smells when used hard. The only reasons I bought a 3rd is I have other tools on the same platform and I got it at a good price online.

You might consider upgrading to a better drill although this drill was a big upgrade from the 9.6 makita I had previously.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

I still have that Makita 9.6v drill. It was the bomb back in the day. And also bulletproof. Just not powerful enough by today's standards.



mark sr said:


> I'm on my 3rd craftsman 19.2 drill. The 1st one just quit [after 10+ yrs] The 2nd one still works but smells when used hard. The only reasons I bought a 3rd is I have other tools on the same platform and I got it at a good price online.
> 
> You might consider upgrading to a better drill although this drill was a big upgrade from the 9.6 makita I had previously.


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