Thread: Festool 150/3 repair advice

Hi Scally,

It's quite possible that the plug on the end of your power cord is kaput. This will give you the symptoms you have said you see. If you have another cord, try it out and see. The constant back and forth action of sanding eventually wears the plug connection out. I have mine wrapped in tape at present and it works fine, but eventually...
Good Luck,

Regards,

Rob

As Rob said - do some plug and cable wiggling to see if that give it some momentary life - if so that's probably your problem.

Yes the ETS does have brushes. They are auto-cut off type which when nearing the end of life automatically cut-off rather than wear until completely gone - thus protecting the sanders other components. These brushes are easily replaceable. You can inspect them and if there is no little pin pushed through the contact end of one or both brushes they still have life in them. If a pin has pushed thorugh they have to be replaced.

I suggest giving Festool a call if you suspect it is a brush issue - they could walk you through it, do the service job for you, or help you with the closest Festool service agent.

Thanks guys.
Rob, I tried two different cords. Both seem to fit snugly. I wiggled them around but no joy.

Anthony, I'll give Festool a call.
Can you tell me how to get a look at the brushes? I'd like to have a look at them before I call Festool.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Scally

Thanks guys.
Rob, I tried two different cords. Both seem to fit snugly. I wiggled them around but no joy.

Also consider the socket in the ETS. Do the pins look black or carbonised? Are there two pins there?

Originally Posted by Scally

Thanks guys.
Can you tell me how to get a look at the brushes? I'd like to have a look at them before I call Festool.

You only need to take the top cover off the ETS. Unscrew it and remove. I suggest taking some photos at this point so you can see how the various wires were positioned when you reassemble. One brush is below the electronics at the speed control side, this will lift out without having to unscrew anything. The other brush is already visible at the handle side.

See items 9 in this image.


They look like this when the auto-off pin has ejected itself out. The one on the left is still in working condition. The one on the right has shut itself off. These bruses are in their holders. Usually the brush and holder is replaced completely as this is how they are supplied as a spare part if you need a set.

PA091325.JPG

Hope this helps.

Hasn't happened to me yet, but very useful to know nonetheless.

Those Festool engineers are very cunning, aren't they?

Thanks Anthony

I found them and they came out without any drama.

They look like they have worn a fair bit but not enough for the pins to show.

Everything appears to be intact. No loose wires, nothing swollen or burnt.

I'll call the techs and see what they suggest.

No problem Scally.

Are both brushes in the same condition. It's worth noting that the brush in the image looks to be close to exhausted - the other should be likewise quite short and near end of life. New brushes are about twice as long as the one in the pic.

Yes Anthony, the other one has the same level of wear.

I'll replace them if I can bring it back to life.

What! You have to repair this stuff! At the price I expect it to last for ever.

SB

I hoped so too.

This little sander is the most used tool in my shed. I used it most days for general sanding, shaping and finishing.

There are often others in my shed doing various jobs. They like my C3 as well. It is much easier to handle than the Rotex, belt sander or sanding attachments on an angle grinder.
Unfortunately they are not as careful as me, with the main damage being to the velcro pads. I have replaced them many times.

Not good news I'm afraid.

The local guys say I need to replace the Controller.
Repairs, including new brushes $275.00

It has never missed a beat and is probably about 10 years old.

I think the best option is to replace it. The prices are all around $560.00.
That means a new sander, plus power cord , $50, sanding pad, $70 and a systainer $100. So I am comparing $275 for an old repaired sander with $340 for a brand new sander.

I haven't rang any of the dealers yet but there isn't usually much movement or sweeteners.
Even if you have a shed full of green machines.

Time to find a piggy bank that I haven't or wait and see if Santa is generous this year.

Hopefully you won't have withdrawals for too long. It's always good to be able to get the right diagnosis because you bought the tool that ToolTechnic will look after for you. Just a thought, what about buying a not so old 150/3 from Gum Tree? Given how well they last, you could end up with a good unit!

Regards,

Rob

Thanks Rob.
I'll see if any come along.
It's lonely without it with me in the shed!!!

Festool have a version with a fixed power cord. It's about $100 cheaper which sounds good.

I have my shop vac set up so I can swap the 150/3, Rotex and Ts55 quickly and easily. I have velcro straps around the lead and vacuum hose to try to keep them under control. The Rotex is a bugger. The angles don't seem right and the vacuum hose keeps pulling out.

The jig saw and belt sander have fixed cords. A double lot of power cords are a real tangle when I use them on the shop vac.

The cheaper price is attractive but not the fixed cord?

I'm thinking maybe I will get the 150/5.
A little more aggressive than the 150/3 and would still give a fine finish.
I love the finish from the 150/3 but I tend to use it for some rougher sanding and shaping because it is much easier to use than the Rotex.

Any thoughts?

Hi Scally,
Admittedly the Rotex is more aggressive than the 150/3 and the 150/5, but it will give you a finish like the 150/5 will, I would expect on random orbital. Before I got my 150/3, the Rotex was my finishing sander and I had no complaints about the smoothness of the finish.....until I got the 150/3. I think replacing the 150/3 would make more sense. I suspect that you'd probably still miss it. I have one cord permanently attached to the 150/3 and use a second for everything else. I will say one thing, though, have a good look at the DTS 400 sander. It's an absolute beauty for fine (2mm stroke) sanding on small objects and on corners. I use it a lot on picture frames and small boxes. Grits up to 320 are available, but that's like 400-600g on another sander. With the ETS150/3 the fixed cord will eliminate the issue with the plugs wearing out with heavy use, but you can tape the plug into place and that seems to work as well.

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Rob