My drill just stopped charging - anyone else have this issue?

Hey guys, I've got a Makita 18V drill that's been working great for years. But now the battery won't charge. I plug it in and the charger just blinks red. Any ideas? I've tried cleaning the contacts. Is it the battery or the charger?

Could be either. Blinking red usually means the battery is dead or the charger detects a fault. Check the voltage on the battery with a multimeter. If it's below like 10V, the charger won't charge it. You might need to 'jump start' it if it's too low. Also, could be a bad cell in the pack.

Had similar with mine. Tried new battery, worked. So my charger was fine. But maybe check the charger's fan? If it's not spinning, it could overheat. Also, if you have another Makita battery, test that. If the charger charges that one, it's the battery.

Thanks! I'll try my multimeter. I don't have a spare battery, though. Might just buy a new one since it's old. Is it worth fixing?

If the battery is old, it's probably not worth it. New ones are like $80. But if you want, you can open the pack and check the cells. Some people replace individual cells. But I'd just get a new one. BTW, are you using the original charger? I've seen knockoffs cause issues.