I have a Makita electric drill. It's about 25 years old. It's a red one; back then the red tools were the "professional" models and the blue ones were the cheaper "homeowner" models. The problem I have with it is that it is really noisy. If sounds and vibrates like it has bronze bushings that are spinning in the housing. Taking it apart, I see all the bearings are sealed ball bearings and are in good shape - they spin easily and there's no play. The gears look good - no chipped or missing teeth. The case isn't cracked or broken. The brushes are worn, but there seems to be plenty of room left on them and the springs seem OK.
When running, there is some arcing on the brushes. It's variable speed, so noise and vibration increases with speed.
Question: Do you think this is a brush problem? Can you dress the brushes somehow to get her working like new again? Any ideas to track down the problem?
Fran really likes the drill as she finds our other drills too heavy and bulky. If this one can be fixed, I stand a better chance of finding a drill when I need one.
