Fixing? my NexTec 12v Drill "Clicks of Death" - Updated 9/30/2013

5/10/2013

This is the second NextTec 12V drill that started the clicks of death. I was not going to let this one go quietly into the light, so I decided to do some exploratory surgery. I did not find the problem, but amazingly it now works. There is now a suggested fix for the slipping selector switch wire, which is the likely cause of the problem, thanks to a a comment by Jeremy - Read more about it here.

9 Comments

Jeremy

9/22/2013 12:59:35 pm

I just want to say thank you for post, you were spot on about the Hi-Low switch causing the problem. I was able to (hopefully) permanently fix it by adding some tension to both sites of the metal rod attached to the switch with a small piece of plastic wire tie. Now the Low gears fully engage each time I toggle the Hi-Low switch and so far so good.
A little trick to taking it all apart
1. Remove the chuck
2. Set clutch to 1 and loosen but do not remove the 4 screws on the front of the chuck. Loosen them enough so that you can pull the chuck forward about 1 inch.
3. Remove all case screws
4. Remove the clip from the battery area
5. Use a razor blade to cut the thick Craftsman sticker right down following the line where the cover separates. This way you don't have to remove the sticker and have to worry about it peeling back if the glue doesn't hold afterwards.
6. Pull the chuck forward and also the plastic cover behind it enough so that you remove the screw side of the case.
Aside from this design flaw, I'd have to say this is the best cordless drill for the price. I was able to get mine for under $30 during one of the Sears sales last year as part of the Multi-tool combo pack. Charger and battery included.

Mike link

9/22/2013 01:50:37 pm

Thanks Jeremey,
I have a question about the fix you used for the metal rod - I can't really visualize where the plastic wire would go - did you use a zip tie?

I'll have to give your suggestions on the dissassembly a try if I have to do this again. I agree there are nice drills (aside from the problem with the clicks which has not returned yet). Also do you mind if I add your suggestions to the original entry (with credit of course)?

Jeremy

9/29/2013 04:39:24 am

I don't know how to post a picture but if you look at the original post, the middle and last pictures in the set of three show the metal rod that I added the twist tie to. It is the same rod that holds the Hi-Lo switch. It wraps around the housing fairly close so it seems that it just needs a little more friction to keep it from slipping under pressure. It took a little coaxing to wedge the plastic tie in there but once it was on both ends, it seems that I will never run into this problem again. Looking at the middle picture, you will see the slot that the rod moves between. There is a small gap that runs directly above the slot, that is where I wedged the tie in.
In step 2 of my suggestion, I say to loosen and not remove the 4 chuck screws. This is because it is very greasy and complicated to put back together if you don't take note on how everything is aligned before it comes out. By only loosening the screws and not removing them completely, you may risk having the screwdriver peel away some paint and chuck numbers when you remove the 4 case screws holding the clutch case. I used a Craftsman #2 Philips to remove those screws so this may not have happened if I used a thinner driver.
Again, thank you for your post. It was the only one that saved my drill. I was only 4 months out of warranty and Sears did not want to do any exchanges. Thanks to your post, I realize that this is something that I would have run into again with a replacement anyway so I'm glad to have fixed it understand how it all works. My only problem now is finding the right grease to regrease the clutch with.

Mike link

9/29/2013 11:04:31 am

Awesome! Thanks again for the explanation. I found a pic from when the drill was apart and posted it in the original thread. I edited the pic to show where I think you wrapped the twist tie to take the slack out of the selector rod. Can you take a look and see if it shows the fix correctly?

Jeremy

9/29/2013 09:17:32 pm

That's the spot. I used the tie on both sides.

Mike link

9/30/2013 01:03:13 pm

Thanks Jeremy, I will update the project with your fix.

David

10/10/2016 07:05:33 am

Thank you and Jeremy for your posts. The information provided in both help me save my trusty Nextec drill and eliminate the clicking issue. I found disassembly to be much easier with the removal of the chuck and clutch. I also used sections of zip tie to shim up the loosened spring as shown in these photos.

http://tinyurl.com/j5scns8

Bob link

8/6/2023 04:03:50 pm

I was just reading your "Fixing?my Craftsman 12V NexTec drill - UPDATED with fix (see bottom of page). I was at the "Here is another video showing how to remove the check -Very handy", which I can't view as it says it is private and I need permission to view it. I am trying to repair My Craftsman 12V NEXTEC drill also. Mine will not power on except the Led Light above the trigger switch. Thank you for your article. It is a tremendous help! Is there another way to watch that video showing how to remove the clutch?
Thanks, Bob

Mike link

8/6/2023 08:26:23 pm

Hi Bob, unfortunately none of those videos were mine, but if you are looking for how to remove the chuck, I used the video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90vJ8RFMg0Y). When I removed the chuck on my drill, it was just to see how it was done (it was after the clicks were resolved through the previous teardown). IIRC, all the other stuff I did to my drills to resolve the clicking was done without removing the chuck, but removing the chuck may help if you need to get further into the gears on the drill.

My drills powered on and just clicked when I tried to use them (they had no torque). If your drill is not even trying to turn it may be some other issue going on though. The behavior of not turning on, but showing a LED, is similar to how mine act when the battery is dead. I have had a few batteries give up and not take a charge anymore so that could be similar. I hope you get to the bottom of the problem!
Best of luck,
Mike

Fixing? my NexTec 12v Drill "Clicks of Death" - Updated 9/30/2013

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