My orbital sander keeps stalling under load – any ideas?

Hey all, I'm having trouble with my 6" random orbital sander. It starts fine but when I apply even moderate pressure it stalls out. I've tried different grits and it does it on all of them. The paper is fresh and the backing pad is in good shape. Could it be the motor or maybe the switch? I'd appreciate any tips before I take it apart.

That sounds like a typical dust issue to me. Check the vents and make sure they're not clogged. I had a sander that did the same thing and it was just caked up sawdust. Also, is it variable speed? Might be the speed control going bad.

Yeah, first thing clean the brush area and vents. If that doesn't work, could be the brushes themselves are worn out. Easy fix if you can find replacements. Also, make sure you're not pushing too hard – let the tool do the work.

Had a similar issue with a Porter-Cable sander. Turned out the trigger switch was failing. Intermittent contact would cause it to drop voltage under load. Try jiggling the switch when it stalls to see if it kicks back on. If so, replace the switch. Otherwise, check the capacitor if it has one.