Help! My drill is making a weird grinding noise and battery wont charge.

Hey guys, I'm hoping someone can help me out. I've got a DeWalt 20V drill that's served me well for a couple years, but today it started making this horrible grinding noise when I pull the trigger. And now the battery won't charge either – the charger light just stays red. Any idea what's going on? I'm in the middle of a project too. Thanks.

Sounds like a brush issue to me. If the grinding is coming from the motor, the brushes might be worn out. That can also cause the battery not to charge if the drill is shorting out somehow. Check the brushes first – they're cheap to replace. If you're not comfortable doing it, you might need a new motor assembly. But honestly, if it's a DeWalt, keep us posted. Some models have known issues with the trigger switch too.

Grinding noise + no charge = could be a dead battery pack. Those DeWalt 20v batteries have a protection circuit that can fail and cause the charger to error out. Try a different battery if you have one. If the drill works fine with another battery, then it's definitely the battery. But if it still grinds, it's the drill. Also check the chuck – sometimes debris gets in there and makes noise. But yours sounds serious.

I had a similar issue with my Makita. Turned out to be the armature bearings failing. The grinding was metal-on-metal and then it wouldn't spin at all. Ended up replacing the whole gearbox assembly. Might be worth opening up the drill and seeing if there's any debris or if the gears are stripped. As for the battery, sometimes the charger gets confused if the battery is too low. Try tapping the battery on a workbench a few times (gently!) – that's fixed a couple of mine.

Thanks everyone. I tried a different battery and it charges fine, so it's not the charger. The grinding is definitely coming from the motor area, not the chuck. I'll check the brushes first since that's easy. If that doesn't work, I guess I'm looking at a new drill. Appreciate the help!