impact driver acting kinda funny,,,,,,
So, I ve got a makita 6916 impact driver, and now that the snow seems to be all gone it is back to being my number one favorite tool, but it seems to be acting a little weird. I picked it up about 1.5 years ago, and have be using it for everything since. Did a bunch of kitchens and a massive IPE deck, this weekend I went out to rearrange the garage, and noticed it was not driving screws with as much gusto, and was stalling out on 3.5 inch deckmates into dry studs. The screw would stay about an inch proud of the stud, and the driver would make a half hearted impact noise.
Switching batteries made it a little better, but not much, with a bit chucked into the tool, the bit does not seem to rotate as freely as it did when first purchased, and it definitely is not “screaming” like it did out of the box…
Is this normal aging or does it need to go to a trip to the tool repair?
Replies
Sounds like maybe you need new batteries ............?
Same driver, same age, same problem. I thought it was poor battery mangement but I use it all the time and keep both batteries charged!!
Bear
How did you fix the problem, or are you living with it? I am going to call the local tool place and see if they can "evaluate" the batteries. I will be a little miffed if I need a new pair after only 1.5 years.
Hi guys,
Dont have the model in question, but here is food for thought. Most of the Makitas are supplied with nickel metal hidride batteries versus the older nickel cadmiums.
The advantages of the nickel metal hidrides- more power, and longer uses between charges but overall they are more susceptible to heat and cold and offer a generally shorter overall lifespan as opposed to the nickel cadmiums.
FHB did an article a couple of years ago when the batteries first became popular. Sorry though I am not where I can reference the article.
Webby
Webby
I have the the nickel metal hydide batteries NiMH
I am checking the brushes now and they look good.
The is definitely a difference inbetween fowards and reverse too, reverse is much slower sounding then fowards. I think I may go visit tool repair.... I am hating the idea of the cost though.
You have probably already thought of this but do you have a newer nimh battery of the same voltage (like from a makita drill ) to try in the impact driver?
I will be interested to hear what the problem is. I have been wanting to pick up an impact driver but I havent yet.
It sounds like the battery to me, or it could be a more serious problem. I dont see what could fail mechanically real sudden like that so I am thinking its the battery.
Good luck
Webby
I am going to call the tool repair and see if they can trouble shoot the batteries, I have used it hard, and will gladly replace batteries if I have to, I found a drill body on ebay, so I only have two 12 v batts,
the balance is soooo nice and the power is addictive, I dont think you could go wrong with the amazon 14.4V makita deal right now
You might consider repairing the battery packs. See
http://www.primecell.com/
Check the brushes.
One thing I remember that article saying is that the higher voltage batteries are not tending to hold up as long as the old 9.6 (I have got 3 - 5yr out of them - we always date them at purchase). They said it was because of more concentrated heat (more cells, less space).
I have a new 12 volt Makita impact driver and already I notice it is a little funny when the battery gets low - I mean it is a little hard to tell for a while the battery is done because of the different action with the impact. I suspect a weak battery might be disguised a little too by this.
You can narrow this down for sure if you borrow a known good battery.
You could put a test meter on the battery and check the voltage and see what it's reading?
I have a test meter but am not sure how to use or measure the batteries.
I went to my local tool repair, and they felt (free of charge) that the tool was fine (swapped in a different 12V batt) and that my batteries had already dropped down to 80%! I am going to call makita and chat with them more about it.
Hook up the meter to see what the voltage of the battery is after a fresh charge/max. If it's lower then what it should be that will be a good indicator. Maybe like a bad cell in the batteries? Then let them sit a day and take a new reading and see if they are losing a unusual amout of charge?
Clay,
You're right here, except I think in certain cases there is a "shallow voltage" - I mean it will read right on the voltage but the muscle is not there. On 3 or 4 of the old 9.6 I slid the cells out and tried to test which ones were dead and take good ones out of other batteries. It's tight in there, and it was a hassle, though I did have SOME success.
The folks at Makita (who by the way are quite nice, and brutally honest) stated that the only way to measure the battery packs was with a pretty complex ohm meter set up... which I definitely do not have in my basement!
Ok I reread the last post and it looks like it's battery time. 80%????? not good.
that was done with the highly advanced sop device (seat of the pants) he held it up held down the trigger, and decided that my lack of gusto comment must mean lack of juice.
after talking to makita for a while I found out the NiMH batteries are only going to last about 200-300 charges before a loss in performance of the tool...
I did also learn that foward and reverse are different speeds for my tool 6916Dreverse is slower
it seems that I have batteries that are getting older and hence having less oomph
Does anybody know if the impact drivers will impact in reverse?
we all know they do,U just turn around 180 and the driver is going in the oposite direction. Is that kinda what you were looking for? smile.
Is a impact driver similar to a hammer drill?
I have 5 cordless drills and have not come across the impact.
Mind you I am in Nz and we are always last to get anthing new,the drawback with a small population.....4 million.
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Sorry to belabour the point.
1. The chuck looks a bit unusual.
2. Do you use the impact instead of normal,or as well?
The chuck is a quickload 1/4" (standard bit with the groove/channel about 1/4 up the shank. There are drill bits, extensions, whatever available here in that configuration. All you do is slide the collar away from the driver body and then insert the bit/accessory and release. Note the ones on the bottom of the box below. They work in a manner very similar to the air powered (pneumatic) impact wrenches.
They are a bit noisy but very efficient, they put the torque into the screw not the wrist. I have had a Makita and have two DeWalts. The 12v makes most sense unless you are putting in lag bolts (big ones). The 12 v is around 1000"lbs. Basically almost enough for most lug nuts but have not tried. You can get adapters for up to 1/2 inch drive sockets.
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Thanks rascal...Do you use instead of or as well as the ordinary drill?
Quite often. I have a rather large set drills, including spade, auger, standard metal, etc that I use with them. You can get a small adapter chuck for very small bits, would not use it for large ones though. I reach for them more than the drill/drivers. The short nose length helps in tight situations.
"Basically almost enough for most lug nuts but have not tried. You can get adapters for up to 1/2 inch drive sockets."With 3 vehicles, 4 tires each, 5 lug nuts each, two changeovers each year, on & off is 240 uses for a impact driver each year.My 12-volt DW impact driver does all but the first (or last) 1/8 turn of a lug nut. Very handy.Cicero: I use it instead of the cordless drill when ever I can. My incomplete set of 1/4 hex bits pushes me to the 1/2" chuck DW cordless drill most often.David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
"Is a impact driver similar to a hammer drill?"They are exactly the same only very different.In a hammer drill the impact force is axial, that is in and out. Much like banging a cold chisle while rotating it.The impact driver the force is radial. That trying to twist the screw. Much like putting a wrench on a both and then hitting the end of the wrench with a hammer.
Edited 3/25/2005 11:00 am ET by Bill Hartmann
Thanks gents,will be looking for same next time I am in tool shop.
As a matter of interest I can buy a 18v cheapo for NZ$70,a DW 18 v is NZ$ 812 with 2 batteries.We are 240 volt here so cant import your prices.
Ya mean that you can't hear it?Makes the hammer noise Doesn't it?Seroisly ---the impact mechanism in the nose has no idea which way the gears are turning, Just that there in power at one end and resistance at the other.Which is why the mech. doesn't ratchet under little or no load...
"Does anybody know if the impact drivers will impact in reverse?"
Reinvent,
You betcha! One of the saving graces of an impact driver is the ability to remove screws with damaged heads; when a regular drill/driver just spins and complains, my Panasonic 15.6v impact driver will still remove them.
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
I've been in Japan for a long time now and can't even remember seeing a regular drill/driver here. Impact drivers are what everybody buys/uses. I used a Makita for 2 years. After 7 months of intense use, my Makita started giving me problems, stalling on long screws, and the battery life was a lot shorter. I bought a new battery, making the problem all but disappear. In the second year, the other battery went, and even though I replaced it the impact was less powerful than when I bought it. I had dropped mine lots and it took a lot of abuse, before the 3rd year I replaced it. I have a Hitachi now, but would not recommend it. Makita still seems to have more power/torque.
It could be mechanical, they "impact" because a "hammer" spins inside, hitting an "anvil" - that is the sound you hear when it starts impacting. I had a Makita that a few parts had to be replaced and a Dewalt that might need the same thing.