Next Project: Hilti 5″ Angle Grinder

Today the snow fell again as winter refused to leave.  The slushy snow was mixed with rain, so it would be another day indoors.  A year ago, Ryan gave me a dead power tool, thinking it might make for a good repair project.  Given the icy weather, I fetched the dead tool from the garage and began the autopsy.

The tool is a German-made Hilti DEG 500-D Angle Grinder.  This tool retails for $200 on Home Depot’s web page, so it’s a better quality tool than I’d normally buy for myself.  I plugged it in, pulled the trigger – and nothing happened.  The grinder came apart quickly, held together with those 6-point Torx-head screws.  My small wrenches were at the other house, so I had to defer the removal of the roller bearings for another week.

I found a parts manual on-line for the tool, which is helpful.  The tool’s trigger switch tests ok, and the motor’s armature tests good too.  The motor has a pair of brushes, one of which is highly worn.  Brushes are cheap, so I can replace those.  I haven’t inspected bearings yet, but those tend to be inexpensive, too.  The bevel gears are in good condition and should only require cleaning and lubrication.

I won’t spend a lot of money fixing this old tool, so I challenged myself to diagnose the problem and fix the tool for less than $40 in parts. It’ll be a fun little indoor project in case winter decides to stay a while longer.

About Kevin Forth

Always learning, Kevin is an IT professional that likes to tinker with electronics, motorcycles, and whatever he can take apart.

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One Comment on “Next Project: Hilti 5″ Angle Grinder”

  1. LOL Looks like your getting a little hard up to find projects. Maybe you need to get another bike to start refurbishing. Yeah this winter weather sure does not want to let go. Were probably a month behind so far this year with having decent weather. Lot’s of work outside is getting behind. I would of had alot done already so I could ride more. Guess we’ll just have to wait.

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