I can’t stress enough how important it is that you stop using your DeWalt impact wrench immediately if gets hot during use.
If the impact wrench is overheated, it might get jammed and not able to spin at all.
Go through this troubleshooting guide and I hope one of the solutions will help your DeWalt impact wrench get back to normal temperatures.
DeWalt Impact Wrench Gets Hot
- Continuous Use On High Torque Setting
Devices get tired of too much work, just like we do.
But, instead of getting physically exhausted like us, tools like this one show their tiredness by heating up.
The point of me making that comparison is that your device could be getting hot because it’s being used too much.
This can happen especially to those that constantly use their DeWalt impact wrench on the highest torque setting like 3 as shown in the image below.
I know there is a model of DeWALT impact wrench can even set it speed to level 4.
These torque settings I’ve highlighted below control the speed and force of the device, so setting it to high requires a lot of power.
Related: Impact Wrench Speed Control Issue Troubleshooting
Obviously, more power results in more load.
More load can lead to overheating if done too long, so try to avoid that as best as you can.
Try to give the device a break and switch it off after using it a while.
It’ll get overworked, which is what it’s trying to warn you by through overheating.
If the impact wrench could speak, it would say “I am so tired and hot! Give me a break!”
- Load Is Too Heavy
I mentioned in the last solution how getting overheating is a sign of the device “getting tired”.
Well, another way impact wrenches can get tired is by working on a load that’s too heavy.
While these are pretty strong tools, they obviously have limits as to the work they can do.
If you use them incorrectly or try to use them for work they aren’t cut out for, they’ll start overheating and you could feel the impact wrench is weaker.
I always use them for simpler tasks like removing lug nuts, or tightening bolts, and other similar things.
Yeah I know there are arguments whether you should use impact wrench on lug nuts, but I just did as it is too convenient!
Anything on a scale larger than that might be too much for a little tool like this. So, try to avoid it so they don’t overheat.
- Motor Is Overheating
Your whole DeWalt impact wrench could be getting hot because the motor is.
The motor is usually the most common culprit for overheating, other than the battery.
If it gets hot, the whole device does, as it’s so big and right in the middle.
The motor usually gets hot when it’s spinning for too long consecutively.
But, it can also heat up quickly if there’s dirt and debris inside of it, which makes it hard for all the generated heat to get out.
You can see my motor as shown in the image above. It’s clearly clean on the outside, and similarly clean on the inside.
Make sure yours looks like that too, so that you can rule out the motor being the reason for this.
- Dirty or Clogged Vents
Speaking of dirt and debris, they could be the reason why your device gets hot.
They don’t have to get inside only the motor to do this. If they get inside any part of the device, they’ll ruin the ventilation system.
I highlighted both of my impact wrench’s motor ventilation spots.
They’re spick and span, and have no dirt near them. You need to keep your device clean like this so that proper airflow is ensured, and the tool stops getting hot after a bit of use.
Conclusion
If your DeWalt impact wrench gets hot after some use, the tips I listed in this guide will help you stop that from happening.
I also listed the most common problems of the DeWALT impact wrench which can help you to troubleshoot.
Once you try these, it’ll be safe to use the device again without it ever overheating.
