My cordless drill is making weird noises and sparking - is it toast?

Hey everyone, my trusty DeWalt 20V drill has been acting weird lately. When I pull the trigger, it makes this grinding noise and I can see little sparks inside near the motor. Battery seems to drain super fast too - like it won't hold a charge for more than a few minutes. It also wobbles when I'm drilling into drywall. Is this thing dead or can it be saved? I really don't wanna drop $200 on a new one if I can avoid it!

Whoa Debbie - STOP USING THAT DRILL IMMEDIATELY! Sparks + grinding = serious fire hazard. Could be worn brushes, bad bearings, or worse - arcing in the motor. First things first: unplug the battery and don't charge it until you figure this out. I've seen drills catch fire in garages. Check if the chuck is tight - wobbling might mean it's loose. But honestly, with sparking involved, this might be a job for a pro repair shop or just replacement time. Safety first!

Steve's right about the safety stuff, but before you toss it - have you tried cleaning it out? I had my Makita do something similar last year. Took it apart (UNPLUGGED of course) and found a ton of drywall dust packed in there. The sparking was just dust particles igniting. Cleaned it with compressed air, oiled the chuck, and it's been fine since. The battery issue might be separate though - could just need new cells. Try the cleaning first before you declare it dead.

Sparky tools are no joke. In welding we deal with electrical issues all the time. Sounds like your brushes are shot - they're those little carbon blocks that transfer power to the armature. When they wear down, you get sparking and poor performance. DeWalt parts are pretty available online. Search "DeWalt 20V brush replacement" on YouTube - there's good tutorials. Wobbling might be the chuck or bearings. If you're handy, it's a $15 fix. If not, yeah... might be new drill time. PS: Don't use it near any flammables!