Serious Problem With DeWALT DCF887 Impact Drivers Today we talk about what could be a serious problem with dewalts impact drivers.... Let us know what you think about this problem in the comments section below!
It does get annoying, and more and more RU-vid channels are doing this. RU-vid channels are doing this because longer watch times means more money for the channel. Also, even longer videos have ads, and ads mean more money. The longer the video, the more ads in it. And more ads = more money. Annoying, yes, but the reason they make videos is to earn money. They're not making videos solely to help viewers. It's all about the benjamins.
Have the exact same impact driver and just smoked mine over the weekend driving 2 lag bolts. Agree that I probably should have used a larger tool but only put 2 lags in and saw the smoke. Now it is acting up putting regular fasteners, similar to your video...wish I watched this before I bought it!
I have one, I run the shit out of this thing, it's a beast. I dropped it off the back of the truck. Came back and got it. I have been using it for the last year without issue. I have to ask, how many of these has VCG reviewed? 1, 2 5? You have to review 10 of these if you really want results in my opinion. Are you willing to invest the time to run thorough tests? Thanks, VCG for sharing your results.
I have one still, smoked once but still been going on for bout 3 years all dirty hard core work to be specific electrical I now have the gen 3 Milwaukee and sub compact makita impact but use the dewalt if I’m going under the house where all the dirt is the three led lights are nice for the job and the power there too
I use mine for automotive work when a bigger impact just won’t fit. And it does not skip a beat. Granted I’m not constantly on it 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, but it does get down and dirty from time to time. It is one of my favorite tools in my line up and I would say it’s money well spent.
Welp, I tried to use mine to take lug nuts off twice in 2021. Both times it went into safety mode where the motor runs but the clutch engages even if I hold the bit with my fingers. Now Dewalt did fix it the first time, but had to be shipped and sent back. The Bosch driver rescued me both times. I am not a mechanic just a weekend warrior. But kinda disappointed with the 887 performance. Rest of my dewalt tools are bullet proof so far.
I used a brand new one on a few wood screws, and it stopped working literally in a middle of screwing. Then the light blinks when I pulled the trigger but nothing more. Wow...I am getting my refund. Surprised after reading all these good DeWalt driver reviews...
@@Tko_Seven there’s lemons with every brand. My good friend had a 1/2” Milwaukee impact wrench. Used it maybe 20 times total when it all of a sudden stopped working. Replaced under warranty and been going strong since.
@@IVloses hmm..I just saw another vid in this same channel that talked about my very problem with DeWalt, I am leaning towards refund and get another brand.
Whilst using the tool for stuff it isn’t designed for it broke... amazing video?! For the record I own this Dewalt and use it for all sorts of stuff including as an impact wrench for automotive. Never had an issue with it...
Hey Vince good video,my Ridgid gen5 did the exactly the same thing after about 250 Phillips screws in green plugs. It was 2 months old. Sent for repair and they replaced the trigger assembly. So for so good. Hello from Sydney Australia. Your videos are great.
I guarantee if you took it apart and looked at the switch assembly (you have to pull off the heatsink), you'd see the MOSFET blew out. MOSFETs are essentially switches, and when PWM (pulse width modulation) is used, it literally switches thousands of times per second, that's why you can hear whining whenever you gently press the trigger. The biggest problem with MOSFETs is the heat they generate (hence why they attach a heatsink to it). This can happen to any tool. Normally when they truly blow out, the tool will run at the highest speed continuously the minute the battery is plugged in, or they won't run at all. I have seen many cases where the MOSFET is slightly damaged, and will cause issues as seen in the video. As far as protection goes, most tools only ever monitor the temperature of the battery (including DeWalt). If you are running a tool and it shuts itself down and won't turn back on, try swapping to a different battery and I can guarantee it'll fire right up (including the mentioned "non-contractor" tool.
Hi Vince I’m a production carpenter in theatre I’ve had the 887 for nearly two years with absolutely no problems. This thing is regularly doing 12 plus hour days, I even use the butt as a hammer occasionally, I drill through box metal, steel deck, screws ,whatever,it works hard! Things I don’t like is you can switch direction too easily and there is a bit too much wobble in the bit, apart from that I can’t believe how much abuse I give this tool and it just keeps going. Much respect for your channel.
@@VCGConstruction I have been in spots when I need my tools to give me literally everything they have. It's to expensive to return to a job to drill one hole. Driving across town with a truck full of apprentices. Plus plus the life of an impact driver in the commercial world is 1-2 years max even if you baby your tools. You can only drive so many screws
Every tool brand has its faulty tools. Maybe you guys got a bad one or something happened. That 1in a million, my 887 is a beast I even use to do my wheel lug nuts no problem
VCG Construction Awesome videos. My dcf887 type 1 failed a few months after buying it. Luckily there is a DeWalt service center nearby where I live, Took the tool in and they fixed it for free in a quickly manner. Turns out it was a bad switch. Knock on wood hadn't had any issues ever since (almost a year trouble free). I had the DCF887 type 1. Last time that I checked there was a DCF887 type 3 out. Type 3 being the latest revision of the DCF887 impact
What up!!! from Burlington NJ. I've seen issues like this from other manufactures. Sometimes a bearing seizes up or motor out of alignment with gear box.
Hey vince good video!! I am on my third dewalt impact driver in 2 1/2 years and now the third is starting to give up the ghost. Main problem in all of mine seems to be the trigger and the chuck. I am heavily invested in dewalt 18v, but I have bought the gen 2 Milwaukee impact now so let’s see if that can last longer than the 3 dewalt’s did.
It's acting like the battery is worn out. A worn out lithium battery will still appear to charge and run the motor, but will quickly stall as soon as any load is applied. I've had this happen with my cordless lawnmower batteries after 5 years of use. But, I would assume you tried a new battery? Also, from the owners manual: Electronic Protection System Li-Ion tools are designed with an Electronic Protection System that will protect the battery pack against overloading, overheating or deep discharge. The tool will automatically turn off if the Electronic Protection System engages. If this occurs, place the lithium ion battery pack on the charger until it is fully charged. So, it does have the technology.
The trigger on my 887 acted up the very first day of use and then worked perfect for a year. Now it acts up sporadically. If I play with the speed adjustment, it will start working again for a little while.
Yes the ridgid apparently has safety features. I had some and the fairly fresh batteries kept shutting down on me, very frustrating. I had some of the first Milwaukee lithiums and the hammer drill stopped working. Never had an issue with my dewalt tools. Was driving 4" lag screws with my dewalt 1/4" impact with 1/2" socket adapter it never slowed down or quit. Dont get me wrong i like ridgid but mainly their corded tools. Milwaukee is good too. But im sold with my dewalt tools especially with the 60v
Do like your channel and your point of view, you may have gotten a defective sample. I have the exact same impact that I have a ran severely for the past two years and have ran into none of the issues you're describing. Thank you
Wish I had seen this video when it came out. I bought the 887 and was in a hurry one day driving 4" screws and it quit on me. Just like you I could pull the trigger a little bit and get it to work. Thought the tool was a goner but after a few days and moving the speed button back and forth and pulling the trigger a bunch it fixed itself. That's all good and stuff but now I feel that I have to be careful with the tool. I should be concentrating on my job not worried about killing my tool. Gonna go with a diffrent brand next time.
I've never smoked one but I've been through three in five years due to the spring in the keyless chuck failing. I'm in Australia and the local dewalt supplier (black and decker) don't sell replacement springs online so you need to call up and wait on hold for hours to get a replacement spring. Or you can import one from the USA for like $30. For a .5c spring!
I use mostly makita and Milwaukee, the makita can be pushed to limit, but haven’t burned up any yet. We push the Milwaukee tools, especially the heavy duty ones like superhawg, sds may, sawzall, and grinders. They will cut off with hot batteries and or tools, but work fine after a couple of sitting.
We have one 887 at work very comfortable and no issues however I don’t understand why they don’t implement any protection as makita and milwaulkee do even there 888 with tool connect it can diagnose heat trigger pulls location ext but won’t shut the tool off if it’s overheating so what good is the diagnostic am I missing something?
Looking at getting a new impact driver. This or the Milwaukee surge. What is better in your opinion. Mainly just do around the home stuff and will be replacing a brushed Milwaukee impact. I also have dewalt impact drivers so I have the battery system for both. Thanks!
Yeah never had this issue. I really hope they don't add thermal cut offs I hate that one of the reasons I like DeWalt. Prefer to judge what the tool can take and what's to much and mine has done 10s of thousands of fasteners.
@@VCGConstruction i think this happen's because they use the same chip for cutting off when drawing too much current to avoid overloading the battery, i've had almost same symptoms on a Redstone brand small 10.8v drill that died after 6 months of heavy use , only difference is that it would not even start spinning and go straight into overload warning , but if i flipped the tool on the other side it would work just fine, something makes me think that over time something moves inside and throws off current measuring sensor and cuts off at normal current loads. so after the 6 months i went back with the tool and got same tool for free as a replacement, guess what it lasted exactly another 6 months , then i got a voucher with the full value of the tool, added some extra cash and bought a 18v brushless drill from Stanley
I’ve had this Dewalt set for ~3 years now and have absolutely ABUSED my impact (driving screws, tightening wheel bearing bolts, a plethora of other not intended uses as well and it’s just recently begun to do this same exact thing....with these being brushless motors what’s the fix for this problem? Is it the motors themselves shorting out?
I've had the same impact driver for 4 years heavy industrial use in the telecoms Industry driving all sorts of stuff I shouldn't really do but I've never had a problem except concrete dust getting inside and solidifying but a good clean out every few months solves that and that would happen with any tool
I just bought the 20 volt max xr 4 piece kit, I asked the tool guy about this, he said they are getting returns on the impact only but its here and there, our co gives the xr kits to us, we are comm construction hvac division, guys love this series, I cant argue against the videos proof is in the pudding. do you think u could of got a bad run? im only wondering because we all use them except for the guys that abuse them we haven't had any problems. in all fairness we are screwing into wood and usually 3/4 to 2" screws. and through light guage metal
I have a Dewalt DCD777c2 drill driver and it stalls when the battery voltage goes down at 16V. After switching battery with 19V plus in it , the tool runs back up again like normally. My question is: how low can a battery go down before the tool stops working properly? Thanks in advance for replying.
I have the brushless impact driver. The speed selector switch drives me crazy. I have it set to 3, but when I pull the trigger, it operates as if it were on 1. I usually take it apart and spray some contact cleaner inside of the switch, which works for a bit, but goes back to the same issue after a few months.
@Karol Palazej I agree with the milwaukee impact it's mainly because dewalt hasn't released any upgrade the 887 came out a while ago. at the time of release its was awesome + the dewalt powerstation is next level
I have gone through 2 of these exact impacts. I install garage doors and put in over 600 screws and lag bolts in a day. This impact has not lasted more than 90 days, on both impacts. I returned the first one after about 70 days of daily install use. I have had an older model dewalt impact, a 20vmax (not the brushless model) and have had that impact for over 3 years. Never an issue out of it. I'll be contacting dewalt for replacement parts or hopefully a new impact. If they do not so anything about it then I will just buy another xr and put the old one in the box and return it. I'm hoping this issue does not continue because i have all dewalt tools and batteries. Thanks for the video.
Ok. Mine did this. I figured I am not going to gripe and make a video for 8 minutes. And I am not going ro send it back for work. I calculatedlly took the unit , walked to my big tree, and whacked it like a mallet (back end first HARD against the trunk. After a out 10 whacks and tests, the unit sprang back to life. No guarantees with yours, but it works fine and has no outward marks on it to incriminate me with either DeWalt or tree lovers. Tree is fine too.
Heck even my Milwaukee m18 surge impact is having issues and it seems to be becoming a common problem with other brushless Milwaukee impacts and drills. The trigger won’t run the tool occasionally and it gets stuck in forward or stuck in reverse and it won’t change settings
I have been giving mine a hot supper driving 3\8" Titan strong tie bolts. Mine still runs but there is alot of grease coming out of the chuck and out of the gland end where the chuck comes out. Do you know what's wrong with it? I do run mine with the 60v battery for long life I did get mine in 2017. Maybe the new ones have electronical problems. I use mine on my lugnuts too lol. Works great. Also the new 1\2" impact will bust a bunch of semi truck lugnuts loose too. I'm not easy on tools by any means. I mean there tools...
Hi, why does the bit holder swing a lot with the Dewalt DCF887N screwdriver? Do you recommend any model of small Dewalt impact wrench that does not have this defect? Thank you
Renaissance Man I didn't say that particular tool is expensive....I was saying that Dewalt's brand across the portfolio are pretty expensive... well-known Pro grade tools for it to shit the bed...> twice
I owned 3 of them and I'm not happy with the dewalt impact brushless. My brushed dewalt works great but kills the batteries to fast. I might goto hiliti extra cash but haven't heard much negitaive about them.
Update my brushed impact chuck just stopped working and will not hold any bits. So I bit the bullet and bought a matebo hpt and I got to say I really like it the hit is not as hard but it does everything I need it to do. Plus it has very little vibrations. Now time will tell if it holds up but my first week using it has been a treat and im very impressed with the quality and its power and my hands love the less vibration. I think dewalt should take the contractor grade off there impacts i personally feel they have dropped the ball large. Thx vcg for your work.
So... Do you know if they have fixed the problem or/and included a protection feature. Would this be good for Serious DIY and hopefully some professional carpentry? What size nut broke it? It is 12:13 uk time
SAME THING HAPPENED TO MEE,, bought it brand new through the internet, My first ever impact driver and i heard that horrible sound and i thought this it's normal hammering sound so i kept goin, and now it's not "impacting" anymore it's just spinning "drilling". Am from the middle east and here we dont have genuine dewalt retailers or people to know how to fix it. one use only and now it's useless and i dont know what to do with it..
Have you tried this in more than one of these? I can do the same thing on my DCF887 and have not had this issue whatsoever. It's the strongest and most versatile of my Dewalt impact drivers. Again, seems like a bit of an outlier or a tad alarmist. Has Dewalt confirmed the absence of built-in protection?
My local Home Depot. Had this impact on clearance for $55 I thought how bad could it be. So I got it. And after I ran a box of 3in fasteners. She stared smoking then completely just stopped working. And Now delwalt won't warranty cause apparently driving 3in fasteners is miss using the tool.
Lol. Hmm maybe you found out why that one was priced at $55. I have 3 887. I drive 2 and 3 inch screws all day. We are talking about 500k per impact over the last 2 years. They all still work great.
My dewalt 1/4 impact driver had a burning smell from day one. Pull the trigger and there's a burning plastic metal smell. The tool still works. I have put it under load fixing my car and driving screws on home projects. No smoke coming out so far and I'll keep using it until it does smoke.
Hello dear, I always see your videos and I congratulate you for telling the truth, I saw the video in which smoke came out of the 887, you are absolutely right, when you are working hard you need to have confidence in the tools and one is supposed to spend a lot of money to be able to buy high-performance tools and expect them to respond ... I was about to buy the Dewalt dcf 887 but I think now I will change the brand ... What do you think of the Bosch gdx 18v-ec? or what brand do you recommend because I also saw a video where the millwaeke 5853 fails. please wait for your answer ... best regards ... Jaime from Santiago de Chile ...
I've got this tool and the speed on 2 and 3 is as you'd expect but the impact function is so week and slow compared to my cheaper one. I can honestly drive a screw I 3 times faster with my Makita. Driving a 4 inch screw into pine takes ages. I offen swap over to the drill driver as this has the powers to finish the job. Is it supposed to function like this?
This is no longer an issue in the latest revision of this tool, correct? Can someone confirm, and if so how do I identify the one that has no issues? Or if there's a better more powerful one from Dewalt, which one would you rather use? Thanks
No way should we be easier on “contractor grade” tools. As contractors we need tools that can handle the abuse and keep coming back for more. Sadly, these days if you’re getting 2 years out of a drill or impact, you’re getting you’re $$ worth. We all have our brand preference, whether it be in a yellow, red, orange, teal or green green wrapper. They should be able to handle the abuse. That being said, using the right tool for the job being performed is on us. Keep up the great work VCG!
Maybe its model specific problem. I've dropped my DCF787 20V MAX Compact Brushless 1/4-in Impact Driver from 8ft ladders onto concrete a few times...Tossed in the back of the truck bed with framing materials, and worst of all... loaned it to employees. No issues.
just purchased the 12v combo pac yesterday. Noticed the wobble before even using it. Returning it today. This is brand new with the plastic straps. Sorry but I'm not about to have a brand new tool repaired.
owned an 887 for a long time and as a diesel mechanic i use it every day never had an issue i put up to a 3/4 socket on it and will if it does not pull it off in maybe a minute i switch to a true 1/2 inch impact but i have and do most my work with this tool and dewalt warranty is actually not that bad to deal with so i would do that over most companies i deal with for warranty i mean yeah milwaulkee does make a stronger version but hell if it gets me by it will get all home owners and contractors by
Mine just started doing the same but only mine is back words ??The first setting works at full speed and the second setting works as if it’s on the first setting idk what to do????
No you should not go easy testing leading brand tools they are marketed at people who will use them heavily and more than likely not in a way a home owner would honestly i am shocked a dewalt broke before another brand let alone a home user version so test the hell out of dewalt they have a reputation to keep and hopefully your test encourages them to continue to better there tools in the meantime dewalt do guarantee there tools and i own one of those impacts with a 3 year guarantee i just hope they replace it if it starts to smoke
Anyone know where the little black clip thing goes on a dcf886? My trigger quit popping back out. So I took it apart and a little clip fell out. And I don't know where from.
Had exactly the same issue, sent back, new one, 2 weeks on same again. If look close it cuts power(lights off is the clue). Long story short, buying more batteries to fault find........simple fix! The pos and neg bars that connect to the battery(remove bat and flip over, the larger spades each end). . Carefully using long nose pliers, bend them slightly outwards(away from each other). Little by little to get a tight fit with batter, never cut off/out since. That was my fix 12 months back. Used it with 1/2" adapter and 19mm bolts.
Has Dewalt fixed the issues in 2020 / 21 with what you have brought to their attention in your videos ? I need a good impact like the 887 and I just got new Dewalt Drill so I would like to stay with the same brand if I can just for the batteries swaps if you know what I mean. What would you recommend if not the 887? 888? I really could care less about the Dewalt Connect, but if the tool is better, it is better???
I run maintenance in a shop that uses between 50 and 60 DCF887's. We work them hard and some get put away wet! The first generation was the best! More and more problems with the newer models. For us the first thing to go bad is the variable speed trigger. In the version 3 this happens with in 3 months! They have gotten so bad that we have decides to replace all of them. My question is, replace them with what? Metabo, Milwaukee or ?
I haven’t experience any problems with my DCF887 and I purchased it over a year ago. If you were to use a impact drive guide and not the one you demonstrated in the video, do you still have the same problem?
I’m not a contractor just someone that needs tools to work in home for projects around the house impact driver is for hard application to drive screws into wood metal and concrete and impact driver I use go through the effect to do something impact driver is use until it starts to heat up than you can stop and give it a break but impact drivers to me are for screws and small bolts maybe 3 in or more but not 6in and not to do let’s say 10 than you need an impact wrench but that’s heavy duty application that an impact driver does not need to do some strong drill can do it too but impact drivers are for wood and metal and some concrete work but screws and anchors only it can do long screws but thinner screws like for wood or wood and metal joining but not for super thick bolts that are a foot which I think is a bit much but to me for hard application instead of using a impact driver for screwing on a hard surface use a drill and drill a hole first than use an impact driver to screw anything you need to do sometimes to me certain self tap screws can be hard to screw in it’s better using a smaller drill bit to make the hole than use the self tap screw to drill in to it can anchor into the metal to me be smart it can make you efficient in the work people do. Some times a drill can do the job than an impact driver it depends on circumstances.
Because of the impact mechanism it starts to hammer before you damage the motor. So i dont see how you can overdrive an impact driver. Mine has no problems screwing big screws all day. Maybe its a production flaw?
I’ve got the biggest Makita brushless in the range we put a lot of 8mm construction screws into oak beams it will either do it or sit there rattling if the torque is too much it gets a little warm but not so it smokes. My combi drill with either drive them or snap them. Like you I’m not sure unless there is a design fault how an impact damages its self like this. Especially as not a brushed tool.
I would like if you can make a video but showing if the battery is fully changed 🤔 Because i have mine using it very hard and never had a problem like that the only way do that is if the battery is very low 😉
I just bought a dewalt 887 type 1 from amazon and the chuck was somehow lose or movable with hour fingers .. is it normal because my friend has the same modle type 2 and this movement is not availble .... is it a defect in the type 1 ???
I’m no contractor, but my XR hammer drill busted. I thought it was a fluke so I bought the XR 887 impact that you demoed for #14 10”. Is my new XR 887 doomed before it arrives?
Dewalt is letting all the professionals down. I use them for work everyday and I have recently had to replace both a drill and driver from a kit I bought over black friday weekend. The drill only lasted 2-3 days before getting smoked while making a 3" hole.
