Help! My cordless impact wrench making weird grinding noise and won't hold charge

Hey folks, having a real headache with my DeWalt 20V impact wrench. It started making this awful grinding noise when I use it, like metal on metal scraping. Also the battery drains crazy fast now - used to last all day on a charge, now it's dead after like 30 minutes. Tried cleaning it out with compressed air but no luck. Anyone dealt with this before? It's only about 2 years old.

OP - Sounds like your hammer mechanism is shot. Those impact wrenches have a rotating hammer inside that slams into the anvil to create torque. When that wears out or gets debris in it, you get that grinding sound. As for the battery - could be unrelated but check if the contacts are clean. Pro tip: never use those things without ear protection, the noise when they fail is brutal. Might be time for a rebuild or just replace it - labor costs on fixing might be close to a new one.

Bob's right about the hammer mechanism. I've had three go out on me over the years. The battery issue might be the motor drawing too much current because of the friction from the damaged parts. Try this: remove the battery and spin the anvil by hand - if it feels gritty or catches, that's your problem. Also what battery are you using? The older 2Ah ones die faster under load. I switched to 5Ah batteries and my tools last way longer.

Don't toss it yet! Those DeWalt impacts are actually pretty serviceable. The grinding is almost definitely the hammer/anvil interface. You can get rebuild kits for under $40. The battery issue could be separate - have you tried a different battery to rule that out? Also check the brushes in the motor if it's accessible. I've restored a dozen of these - most common failure point is the spring that returns the hammer. Fun project if you're handy!

Thanks everyone! Tried a different battery like Hank suggested and it still died fast, so must be the tool drawing too much power like Paul said. The anvil does feel gritty when I spin it. Bob - you're right about the noise, it's awful. Think I'll try Hank's rebuild kit idea since I don't mind tinkering. Any recommendations on where to get the kit? Appreciate the help!