Drill battery not charging? Help!

Hey everyone, my 18V drill battery won't charge. I plug it in, the charger light stays green (or blinks red sometimes) and after a few hours it's still dead. It's a couple years old, used almost daily. Any ideas? Is it toast or can I fix it?

Pete, had the same issue with my old Makita. Sometimes the contacts get dirty. Try cleaning the terminals on the battery and charger with a pencil eraser or some contact cleaner. If that doesn't work, it might be a dead cell. You can try to revive it by putting it in the freezer for 24 hours - sounds crazy but it works sometimes! But honestly, if it's that old, just get a new one.

Steve's freezer trick is hit or miss. I've seen it work on Ni-Cads but not on Li-ion. If it's a Li-ion (which most modern ones are), it might be the protection circuit. Some chargers won't charge if the battery voltage is too low. You can try to jump-start it by carefully connecting it to a battery that's partially charged for a few seconds (watch the polarity!). But if you're not comfortable, take it to a battery shop. Or invest in a new battery - it's safer.

I'm with Sarah. Don't mess with Li-ion unless you know what you're doing. Fire hazard. I had a battery that wouldn't charge, and it turned out the charger was bad, not the battery. Got a new charger and it worked. So try swapping chargers if you have a friend with the same brand. Otherwise, check the warranty - some brands have 3-year warranties on batteries. Good luck!

Thanks guys! I'll try cleaning the contacts first and maybe test the charger with a multimeter. I don't have a spare battery or charger to swap. If that doesn't work, I'm just gonna buy a new battery. Appreciate the help!