I was in the middle of a job drilling away with my Craftsman impact driver like usual, when suddenly the bit just slipped right out.
It’s a normal thing to happen and I thought maybe the bit just didn’t lock in but the real trouble began when it kept happening again and again.
At that point I realized there was something wrong with the chuck’s internal spring and it had to be replaced to fix the problem as it was responsible to hold the bit in.
And as always I also have a short video about this topic which you can watch before you continue reading this article. The video is just down there.
On the video, I demonstrated how I fixed this issue by disassembling the chuck in order to replace the old spring and then putting back all the parts I disassembled together again.
Read: Craftsman CMCF800 Impact Driver Review
Craftsman Impact Driver Not Holding Bit Chuck Repair: A Step-by-Step Guide
It’s pretty simple to fix it and by following the steps below you can also fix your Craftsman impact driver not holding bit.
I had to start with disassembling the chuck apart, the chuck held all the important components including the main spring that is responsible for this problem. To remove the chuck located a retaining C-shape ring that holds the outer sleeve in place.
I used a snap ring plier but you can use any sharp screwdriver to remove it, make sure to be careful as it can fly off because it holds a spring in the sleeve.
After that I carefully removed the first spring along with the washer which gave me access to the inside of the chuck, the sleeve should come right off for you.
You will be able to see the main spring that might be causing the problem, it pushes the metal bearing back to lock in the bit which stops it from coming out.
I removed the metal bearing and kept it aside, then I removed the second spring and bent it back into shape as it was out of shape.
If your spring looks broken just replace it with a new one or if it is out of shape use a plier to bend it back into normal position.
Then I reassembled everything back, it can be difficult but just try adding everything back in the order that you took them out.
I worked my way by first adding the spring back into its place along with the metal bearing, then I added back the chuck sleeve with its washer and spring locked in place using the C-shaped ring.
When I tried inserting the bit back it worked perfectly and fixed the problem for me and it should also fix the Craftsman impact drill not holding the bit problem for you too.
