You pick up a tool you’ve used for years only to find out it’s dead. It happens. You try to grab your trusty Black and Decker Matrix drill and expect the chuck to tighten on the bit.
Nothing. A whisper of sound like something spinning but no tighteness in the chuck. The Matrix line was an industry changer with interchangeable battery packs and motor bodies.
By making the bodies modular they could be used for several different applications. But like any piece of equipment, they wears out over time. What made this great for versatility also created some odd ways for a Matrix drill to fail that other drills don’t experience.
However, all of these issues can be fixed without chucking it into the garbage. The engineering on this line has been pretty rock solid, so most problems is fixable with some patience and a few basic hand tools. Knowing where these tools go wrong also allows you to troubleshoot more quickley.
Don’t make common error of thinking your motor is shot when the problem is usually something as simple as a worn contact or a loose connection. This breakdown will take you through the most common issues with this style drill and get them spinning again. But by far the most common complaint are the battery connection.
How To Fix Common Matrix Drill Problems
Fixing Battery Contact Issues
On the Matrix system it’s a spring-loaded contact in the bottom of the tool. Those metal contacts gets dirty with dust and crud. They get oxidized over time.
That causes resistance which limits flow of electricity from the battery to the motor. And you’ll see the drill turning slow or even shutting down completely when placed under a load. But that typically isn’t because the battery is bad.
It’s an indication that there’s a break in the electrical connection from the power source back into the tool. First thing is to check out the battery and tool for dirty contact points. Remove this dirt with a bit of isopropyl alcohol or contact cleaner spray.
Sometimes the battery’s contacts are so bad they’re pitted or covered in corrosion; if so, just give them a quick once-over with some fine grit sand paper. You want a nice clean shiny surface that will allow good conductivity. That’s what fixes most power problems and all at zero dollars and under 5 minutes.
Many folks think their tool is a piece of junk but then they cleans the battery and get it working like new again.
Replacing a Slipping Chuck
The drill chuck is slipping. The drill chuck slips or doesn’t cinch down.
The Matrix drills has either a keyed chuck or a keyless chuck (depending on model). Worn or dirty jaws won’t hold onto the bit. They will cause the bit to fly out, strip screws or make the drill wobble around.
If you’ve got a keyed chuck, look at teeth of the key to see if it has been damaged. If you have a keyless chuck, back off the jaws and give them a shot of compressed air to clean inside threads. Alternatively, if you can’t clean it, there may be internal damage to the chuck.
Many Black and Decker tools has replaceable chucks. Removing the chuck only involves taking apart the front housing; it’s nothing too complicated. No fancy tools necessary…just a screw driver and a little intuition for how things go together.
For safety sake, never take a loose chuck lightly. It can hurt your hands and eyes.
Replacing Worn Motor Brushes
Another major cause is the motor brushes wearing out.
Older Matrix tools was brushed motors, meaning that carbon brushes transferred current through the tool. As you can imagine, these will wear out over time. When they gets too short to make good contact with the commutator, your motor will either stutter or fail altogether.
You’ll hear this as a high pitched squealing before it totally fails. The back housing of the drill typically has to be removed to get at the brushes. When you get it open, check the brushes.
Do they look like they have worn down to about half their original length? That’s time to change them. You can sometimes find brush kits for older Black and Decker models.
They are easy to install. Just watch position of the springs. Make sure the brushes can slide easily in their holders.
Changing brushes will be one of the best money saving fixes you ever do. It will extend the life of your motor a lot and sometimes add years of life to a tool that you thought was done.
Repairing the Power Switch
Last but certainly not least.
Examine the power switch mechanism. On the Matrix drill, the slider switch can go bad internally or get very stiff. You might try brushing new ones and cleaning the contact points but the switch could be the problem.
Sometimes you can jump over the switch and run the motor by bypassing it as a test. If it operate then it’s time for a switch replacement. It is a more advanced repair, but it is still within reach of the smart DIYer.
One of the things that I like about the Black and Decker Matrix design is how serviceable they was. These drills don’t require an electrical engineer’s degree to bring them back from the dead. The order is brush, switch, chuck, and then contacts.
And most of their problems come from neglect, not some catastrophic failure of the mechanics. Taking the time to check your parts and give them a good cleaning will not only save you money but keep one of the classic pieces of tooling history alive. Maybe all your drill needs is some love, not a ride down to the landfill.