hi, like all of the other humans on this planet, i have one of those gutless old makita 9.6v cordless drivers with the stick style battery.
I just bought a new battery thinking that that maby the reason it was so slow and weak was maybe that batterys are old..
nope, diddnt help. Anyone try those NiMh batteries? I know they wouldnt effect the rpms but do they help at least with battery life?
Replies
I'm not an expert on Makitas; but, in my experience, it has been more cost effective to buy a whole new drill/ driver kit (bateries included) than the cost of replacing just the batteries.
I've found those old 9.6V Makita's develop corrosion or some other kind of gunge on the metal fingers that contact the battery. Take the thing apart and clean them, and you'll be good for another 1,000 miles. It's not easy, but I've cured 2 dead drills that way.
thanks, i did take them apart but i diddnt think about the battery cantacts. Now that you mention it, it does seem fairly obviose
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If you do buy a new unit and don't want the 9.6 V stick battery, contact me- I'll pay for you to ship me the battery you don't need any more! I've got a 7.2 V drill which I absolutely love, and a 7.2V angle grinder which works great with a 9.6 V battery in it...Gotta agree though- the batteries are expensive after-market. And they're a b*tch to repair. Usually, only one of the sub-C cells in an individual battery pack actually fails- the rest are fine and good for a few more years. But the packs are spot-welded together and they don't take solder. Surprised nobody has made a retro kit which will allow you to insert your own sub-C cells when they fail...
You know, i only paid 20-bucks for the last battery that I bought, new off of ebay.I'd like nothing more than to get rid of these damn drills but i dont use the cordless' enough to justify the price of a new set, at least not in the super near future. but if you give me your E-mail addy, I'll drop you a line when i eventually do get rid of them.
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measure once
scribble several lines
spend some time figuring out wich scribble
cut the wrong line
get mad
Mikey's right. Just did it last week to my old 9.6. Works like new again.
FWIW, Gary Katz did a article on batteries and the bottom line was that the lower the voltage of the batteries the longer they lasted. That is what prompted me to dig out my old Makita and do a rebuild.
BTW Lowes sells a 12v Hitachi for $69. I love that little drill. That's my go to drill, they weight is just right. Bought their 12v impact the other day now they're all I use. The batteries are interchangable.
Dan
I had my Makita 9.6v batteries tested, and supposedly they tested fine, but I don't seem to have decent power in the drill. Could that be the battery contacts? BTW, typewriter erasers (remember those) are great for cleaning contacts.
Makita 9.6 here too.Took my drill apart, and used scotchbrite on the contacts. Then put silicone dielectric grease on them.Did the same to the contacts on the battery. (Didn't have to take it apart, of course...)BIG difference.Still, the only battery I have, is not lasting very long anymore.
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
I love my old 9.6 Makita. I've gone through about 6 batteries over the years, but like the energizer, it keeps going.
Like an elderperson, I don't ask it to try to do any heavy or even medium lifting...but for driving home drywall screws in odd locations my gun won't get to, or drill small overhead holes, its the tool of choice. Light and well balanced...and very durable.
One safety issue...make sure the little clip that holds the battery in place doesn't bend and get lose. Otherwise, the battery may decide to eject at exactly the wrong time...like when you're up on a scaffold and their are workers below!!
BruceCM
If the contacts do not pan out... Did you check the brushes?
They can be replaced if they wear out.
Those drills seem to last forever, just like all the Makita 9.6 stuff I have.
Edited 11/29/2004 3:41 pm ET by csnow
I have tried both, and I think the Nimh batteries are worse than the old NiCads. They seem to discharge faster when not used and not have as much "guts" in use as the old ones.
One problem I found with one of my drills is that the contact wouldn't always work, but I noticed that as I insert the battery it makes contact, works, then as the battery fully seats with the clip, it doesn't work. I just stuck a piece of weatherstrip foam on the top of the battery to act as a spring and it works fine now, an annoyance since it has to be removed for charging, but it is one of my "spare" drills so doesn't see much use.
Hope this helps. Rich.
Just FYI, I bought one of these 9.6 Maks a while back just to have as a light duty backup to my 18V Milwaukee, and it has actually been a great drill. Not great at any one thing, but I've run it with spade bits till the thing stopped from overheating and it still kicks back on every time. I try to use it whenever possible because it's so light and handy. (The Red drill's awesome, but it's a beast!). BTW mine's got the NiMH batts.
This happened to me last week. Cleaned the contacts with a pencil eraser, seems to work as good as it ever did now.