My orbital sander is making weird noises and sparking - is it toast?

Hey guys, my cordless orbital sander (brand: PowerPro, about 3 years old) has been acting up lately. Started with a weird grinding noise, then yesterday I saw sparks coming from near the motor when I was sanding some plywood. Now it won't hold a charge for more than a few minutes and feels wobbly when running. Is this thing dead or is there a fix I should try before buying new? I'm not super handy with tools but willing to try if it's simple.

Classic brush failure with possible bearing wear. Those PowerPro sanders are notorious for cheap brushes that wear out fast. The sparks are carbon brushes arcing - they're probably down to nubs. The wobble suggests the front bearing is shot too, which explains the grinding noise. You can try replacing the brushes (part #PP-OS-BR2 on their site, about $15), but if the bearing is gone you'll need to disassemble the whole housing. At 3 years, might be time to upgrade - check if it's still under warranty first though.

Greg's right about the brushes, but before you do anything: UNPLUG THE BATTERY. Sparks near the motor housing could mean arcing to the casing, which is a serious shock/fire hazard. I've seen three tool fires this year from similar issues. If you're not comfortable taking it apart, don't risk it - especially with lithium batteries involved. For what it's worth, Consumer Reports just rated the new DeWalt sanders highly for durability.

lol my old sander sounded like a dying cat for months before I replaced it. If it's wobbling while you're trying to feather edges on tile work, you'll get waves in your mud that'll haunt you forever. I'd say just replace it - time is money on jobsites. But if you wanna try fixing, there's a good YouTube channel 'Tool Repair Guru' that shows brush replacement on similar models. Just don't be that guy who tries to fix it with duct tape and prayers.