Battery not charging? Weird noise from drill? Need help!

Hey all, my trusty cordless drill (DeWalt 20V) is acting up. When I put the battery on the charger, the light just blinks red and it never charges. Also, the drill itself makes a weird grinding noise when I pull the trigger. Any ideas? I'm not super handy with electrical stuff.

Blinking red usually means the battery is toast or the charger is bad. Do you have another battery to test? If the drill runs fine on a different battery, then it's the battery. If it still makes noise, could be the gearbox. As for the grinding, could be stripped gears or maybe just sawdust in the chuck? Try blowing it out with compressed air.

I had a similar issue with my old Ryobi. The blinking red light was a dead cell in the battery. Sometimes you can revive it by leaving it on the charger for a day, but usually it's kaput. For the grinding, does it happen at all speeds? If it's only at low speed, could be the clutch. If it's all speeds, probably the gearbox. You might need to open it up and check for broken teeth. Also, check the brushes if it's a brushed motor.

Thanks guys. I don't have another battery, but I borrowed my neighbor's charger and same thing. So battery is dead. The grinding happens at all speeds. I'll try to open it up and check the gears. Any tips on what to look for?

If you open it, look for any chewed up plastic or metal gears. Sometimes the grease dries out and causes noise. While you're in there, clean out the old grease and reapply with some white lithium grease. Also check the bearings. If the gears are fine, could be the motor bearings. But if it's a cheap drill, might not be worth fixing. How old is it?