CXS problem

[Getmaverick]

Yesterday my CXS started to quit while I was drilling. After a few seconds it would work again but stop again. At first I thought it might be the battery. After fully charging both batteries I still have the same issue. Of coarse I'm just past my 3 year mark. I now have a drill and sander down. Any ideas would be great.

 

[Samo]

Could it be the overload circuitry kicking in, say if you were in #2 high speed and maybe should be in low for the task?

 

[Getmaverick]

That could be what's bad. Just drilling through plywood it will stop. This has been a great drill for 3 years now with no problems.
There's definitely something wrong.

 

[RKA]

It should be able to drill in high speed, but that depends on how big the drill bit is.  A 3mm drill bit will be fine on high speed, but a 30mm forstner would certainly require the lower speed.

Another thought is maybe the brushes are worn?  I haven't worn down the brushes in mine, so I'm not sure how it behaves when the brushes are end of life, but it may be worth opening the drill and checking?  Hopefully they are easy to replace if they are worn?

 

[Doug S]

Another thought is maybe the brushes are worn?  I haven't worn down the brushes in mine, so I'm not sure how it behaves when the brushes are end of life, but it may be worth opening the drill and checking?  Hopefully they are easy to replace if they are worn?

I don't think you can replace just the brushes on the CXS, I seem to recall that you have to replace the full motor?

 

[Getmaverick]

Never thought about brushes. Don't know why but I thought it was brushless. If it's the brushes and I can't just replace them, that's not good. I don't see a repair being cost effective. I may have to move on to the Milwaukee  equivalent that's brushless.

 

[GoingMyWay]

The whole motor is only about $40:https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/...place-brushes-on-the-cxs/msg557005/#msg557005

 

[Getmaverick]

UPDATE: CXS is working fine now. Seems to have been a charger issue. After a lot of cleaning I managed to get the batteries to charge properly and everything is working fine. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[Roseland]

What exactly did you clean, and how?  I have a similar problem, and assumed it was dying batteries.

Andrew

 

[Getmaverick]

What exactly did you clean, and how?  I have a similar problem, and assumed it was dying batteries.

Andrew

I cleaned all the contact points. Mainly dust I suppose. I just blew it out with air pressure.

 

[Roseland]

That's great, thanks; I'll give it a try!

Andrew

 

[Roseland]

Alas cleaning the contacts did not fix the problem.

I have two batteries; the problem is only with one of them.

When I try and use the drill, the light comes on, but the motor does not turn, suggesting the battery is flat.  If I put it on the charger, the green light flashes for a few seconds (suggesting it is charging) and then lights continuously (suggesting it is now charged).

At no time does the red light (battery fault) illuminate.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Andrew

 

[Getmaverick]

I would try cleaning the contacts on that battery with a q-tip and some alcohol. If that don't work you may just have a bad battery.

 

[Roseland]

Thanks - I’ll try cleaning them again.

Andrew

 

[CumminsDiesel]

UPDATE: CXS is working fine now. Seems to have been a charger issue. After a lot of cleaning I managed to get the batteries to charge properly and everything is working fine. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Dust on the contacts caused this problem?
WOW!
Looks like very delicate contacts ...