My trigger for my dewalt 14.4v cordless drill doesn't always kick in when used in short bursts, anyone have any ideas what's wrong with it?? thanks in advance!

Hi, Take the drill apart using a star driver. When taking the chuck assembly from the yellow section have the drill chuch down to stop bits falling out. Once handle is apart popout the triggger assembly. Remove the two power leads from the assembly. Try a direct connection to the battery (polarity doesn't matter. If the motor goes it means that the trigger is U/S. Put a tester across the terminals (either set). You may have a short (as I had). It appears to me that the trigger is not user servicable. I used one from a DeWalt recip saw with a mod on the reverse lever. Works well.

Good luck.

It's not unusual for Dewalt triggers to go bad and it appears you have correctly tested the trigger. You can test the motor by wiring it directly to the battery but hold on to it and only give it a short burst of power so it doesn't spin out of the case. Dewalt triggers are fairly easy to find online but shop around, they're not cheap.

sound like the brushes are bad and the can be replaced without much expence.

Probably the brushes need replacing on the drill. Order new ones from a Dewalt parts dealer on-line.

Sounds like your brushes are either damaged or the armature is failing the current. Remove the brushes first and inspect them, that is where your arcing is coming from. If the brushes appear ok, your problem is in the armature itself. Regardless of low use, if you store the unit with the battery attached, there are issues with the current draw while stored.

have to replace whole trigger assembly.

worn brushes in the motor can also cause intermittent function, if you havent already checked those. i'd replace those first if they have never been replaced or look worn, broken, cracked, or if springs seem worn.

Turn your drill speed selector to "1" and put drill direction in reverse. Hold the outer end of the chuck and push the trigger. Should come loose.

The part number for the switch is 152274-19 . Dewalt doesn't sell the individual parts for the trigger assembly. It really depends on the manufacturer of the trigger at the time of production. You should be able to locate a company name on the side of the trigger switch assembly. It may be Marquardt. I am unaware of any way to order individual parts for these type switches. If you find a source please post.

I have been rebuilding drills for 10 yrs and have installs hundreds of switches. This is not an issue in a switch like this. If it was, the energy from the motor working should damage the switch more than the static from your body. I would not be concern with it.