Hammer drills can’t perform their main function without spinning. They need smooth and fluid movement to be able to hammer through things.
If a Milwaukee M12 hammer drill is not spinning and hammering, it’s useless until the user fixes it. For that, I recommend checking out my solutions to this problem and get the job done!
But before you read the possible solutions to this problem, you could first watch my video about the most common problems of the Milwaukee M12 Percussion drill.
First is the motor related problem which can be fixed by inspecting the motor and voltage supply. Second is on its speed control which can be solved by making sure its speed control latch is working.
Third, the chuck, bearing and torque settings can usually experience problems too. Fourth, the drill may start and stop in some instances and this is mostly due to overheating. If you experience this, just let it cool down.
Lastly, you can also experience a jammed trigger/forward/reverse button. To fix this, make sure there is no obstruction around.
Fixing A Milwaukee M12 Hammer Drill Not Spinning and Hammering
- Is The Battery The Reason?
Low or dead batteries can stop any tool from working, no matter how perfect the rest of its components are. While it’s obvious, the first thing to check is if the tool’s battery has any charging.
Once you’re certain a low battery isn’t an issue, a dead one could be the cause. How old is the battery on your Milwaukee 12 hammer drill? If it’s over 4 years old, that’s the likely scenario.
After 4-5 years, Milwaukee M12 batteries may start displaying issues. Their charging capacity may be a lot lower, which affects battery life. Eventually, they stop powering tools altogether.
This may be what’s happening to the hammer drill. Try another battery to see if that helps the tool start spinning and hammering again. If it does, you know you need a new one.
You can also confirm if your current battery is dead by putting it on the charger. There will be red and green flashing lights, or no lights at all if it is dead.
Related: How to Fix a Milwaukee M12 Drill Light Comes on but Not Working
In case you see flashing red and green lights when you charge your Milwaukee M12 battery, I have a video which shows how you can solve this problem. You can watch it below.
You can solve this issue by resetting your Milwaukee M12 battery. To do this, you’ll need another healthy battery with similar specs.
Using a wire, connect the positive and negative terminals of your faulty battery and the healthy battery. Leave them for around 15 seconds and after that try charging the faulty battery again.
This should reset the battery and it should be charging normally now.
As you have seen in my video above, it’s very important that you know the different meanings of the indicator lights in a Milwaukee M12 battery. I also have a video which discusses this topic.
If you see a solid red, it means the battery is charging. This will turn into a solid green once the battery is fully charged.
As previously stated, a flashing red and green indicates a bad battery. Last but not the least, a flashing red means a hot/cold relay.
- Can’t Handle The Pressure
The drill chuck and bit on a Milwaukee M12 are made to work in tough situations. But, there is a limit to how much force they can handle. After that, they may shut off.
Related: Milwaukee M12 Drill Bit Stuck in Drill: Solutions I Recommend
This is because of an intentional feature inside the tool. Whenever users overexert the device by trying to use it on something the tool can’t handle, it stops spinning and hammering.
Does your hammer drill turn on initially but only stop working after you try to use it on a specific surface? That means the surface is too much for it, and you shouldn’t keep trying to use it there.
The obvious fix is to stop using the Milwaukee M12 hammer drill on things it has too much trouble with. It’s not possible to get it to work on something it isn’t suitable for.
Hardwood and concrete are things it can easily handle. But, materials like hard steel, granite, marble, and some other things may give it trouble, so avoid using the drill on those.
- Speed Stuck Between Two Levels
When it comes to troubleshooting, all sorts of things can end up being to blame. Right now, for example, a strange cause for this issue involves the speed select knob on top of the drill.
Depending on how it’s moved, that knob can stay stuck in place between both speed points. It sticks to one point in such a way that it’s on both the first and second speed levels.
I assume that leads to confusion inside the tool, which is why it stops hammering and spinning. That could be what’s happening to you.
A really easy way to confirm if this is the case or not is to just move the speed select around. Push it or pull it hard so that it moves to one speed level like I set it to 2 in the image below.
I’m not entirely sure how it positions between both speed modes. I do know it’s somewhat common, however. It may be due to a defective latch or spring on the knob.
Others online said they adjusted the speed select, and that did the job for them. It’s an easy thing to rule out, so just do that before moving on to the next fix.
- Defective Model That Can’t Handle Workloads
Earlier, I was talking about workloads and what exceeding them does. Some users may have trouble with the tool not spinning and hammering on any surface at all, though.
It starts to spin initially, but as soon as it comes into contact with something else, it stops working. Does that sound familiar? If it does, then I’m certain the issue is because of the drill itself.
This is due to defective internal components. If the Milwaukee M12 hammer drill in question is new, I suggest getting a replacement for it while the warranty is still in place.
I was looking at a model that had an issue similar to this one. You can see it in the image below, as I’m inspecting it. After some time looking around, it was the parts inside the tool that were to blame.
If your Milwaukee M12 hammer drill is new (or the warranty is active) and has this issue on all surfaces, contact the company ASAP. Tell them about what’s going on.
Share details about what’s happening, and they’ll send you a new one that works. Instead of snooping inside the tool and potentially ruining the warranty, this is a much better option.
