Weed Whacker/Line Trimmer Motor Repair or Trash?

[Used_Cars]

It was working just fine and then suddenly it stopped. It gave a little burst of action during troubleshooting when the weed whacker was disassembled, power was applied and I was wiggling the wires, but since then nothing.

I've troubleshot past the switch (good) and have switched power at the motor, but the motor won't spin. I think I was touching the white wire when it suddenly came to life, so I assume the black side is good and the white side is intermittent or bad.

I don't know the correct name for any of these parts and have only a basic understanding about motors and how they work. There's a fine copper "winding" involved and ac power is applied and there's brushes and that's about it.

The white side has a metal sleeve that inserts into a white plastic insulator looking thing, and then the white wire inserts into the sleeve. One end of the copper winding also anchors to this metal sleeve. So power should be applied to the copper winding but the motor will not go. I don't know if the power goes somewhere else, also.

All I really need to know is if the motor is trash or not. If I've missed something, or should I just junk the whole thing and buy another.

[R_J]

Re: Weed Whacker/Line Trimmer Motor Repair or Trash?

Make sure the brushes (there are two, one on eachside) are making contact to the commutator (that piece with the slots cut into it near the end bearing), that silver coiled spring puts preasure on the brush so it can make good contact, if crap around the brush causes it not to move down then as it wares it will no longer make contact and the motor won't run. If you pull the spring back the brush should move freely, if it does'nt then remove the brush and clean the brush housing, reisert the brush and it should then make cood contact to the commutator. If that does't fix it then a connection could be broken or corroded somwhere. (motor housing does look quite rusty, left out in the rain maybe?)