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a bad day with a Porter Cable 3 1/4 horse router

8K views 52 replies 16 participants last post by  schmitt32linedrill 
#1 ·
I need to hear from someone who has purchased a 3 ¼ horse Porter Cable router motor since the first of the year. I am looking at that time period because I know in the past Porter Cable made a good product.

I ordered mine May 5th and got it 2 weeks later. I built a router table for it and got the unit in service 1st part of June. I noticed the bits were hot when I removed them from the unit. To test the motor, I let the router sit overnight. Next morning I ran the router with no load/ no bit for 3 minutes. The collect was so hot I could not hold my fingers against it.

Porter Cable does not publish a phone number on their web site I had to do the email form. A week later their customer rep sent me a link to start the warranty repair process.

My nearest repair center is Denver so I shipped the unit there 7-13-20. Per UPS tracking the unit arrived at the repair center 7-14-20.

I received the unit back today 8-19-20 with the same over heating issue. According to the service order enclosed with the router, they had changed just about every part of it. I called the Denver repair center and was told that “we changed almost all of the parts TWICE. Please send the unit back and we will try to exchange or replace it.”
I asked if it was going take another month to get a different unit and was told to be sure to enclose the service order. The repair tech said
hopefully that will help speed up the process.

To say I am upset does not even come close.

The point of my question: Am I just under a bad cloud or have others had this hot collect problem?

Also if you are looking to buy one of these routers, test the unit as soon as you get it.
 
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#2 ·
That's why so many of us buy Bosch and other brands. Whoever bought out Porter Cable is doing what they've done all the other brands they bought out. Exploiting what's left of a good reputation. However, any bit you use will likely heat up, depending on the material and the amount you're cutting off. Any thing more than 1/8th per pass is my rule.
 
#4 ·
I have a couple Bosch routers but I wanted a 3 1/4 horse unit and Bosch does not make one. I guess what I am whining about the most is the time line and the actions of their service group. We all get a bad product once in awhile but to just send it back to me still failed!!!
 
#6 ·
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#7 · (Edited)
Next morning I ran the router with no load/ no bit for 3 minutes. The collect was so hot I could not hold my fingers against it..
does the body get hot???
sounds like a bearing failing/failed...
there is the possibility the router is being run at the wrong voltage... what the data label on the router says it is, isn't what it is...

also.. check for run out and see in the shaft moves up and/or down at all... there should be zero play...
if it does it's the bearings and/or the housing...
if it's housing... the router is now junk...

unplug the router...
free hand turn the shaft and listen for bearing noise...
squeaks and grinding noises are a bad sign...
stethoscopes sure are handy... Lisle 52750 Stethoscope Kit
for faster turning.. wind a string on the shaft and pull like you were trying to start a lawn mower...

I've dealt w/ Denver...
my money is on they did nothing more than plugged the router in, it ran, you got it back and they billed PC for a warranty...
 
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#9 ·
It also sounds to me like a bad bearing. It's the only part close to the collet that could be causing the problem. If it's something higher up then the case should get too hot to touch too. PC has used cheap bearings for years. I had two sanders with bearing failures at the same time and Stick has said he had them fail in his routers in other threads about them.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Why motors overheat.....

1. Electrical overload caused by excessive voltage supply or overwork by drawing more current will lead to overheating issues. As the motor works harder or under unusual load, heat will be the chief byproduct, leading to failure. Speed controller has issues or failed.

2. Low resistance is the most common reason behind electric motor failure. Degradation of motor windings by heat will pave the way for short-circuits and leakages, which leave the motor at risk for failure. AKA insufficient isolation between the conductors or motor windings or insufficient insulation. The motor, internally, could be physically damaged.

3. Contamination of dust and debris will raise the internal temperature of a motor and keep it from cooling, which leads to excessive heat over a longer period of time. This generally occurs without proper maintenance or venting for particles.

4. Start-stop frequency plays a big role in heat damage. Excessively starting, stopping, and starting your motor again won’t allow it to cool properly. The result is a high-heat environment that wears on the integrity of components.

5. Vibration from a condition like soft foot* failed/failing or loose bearings, misalignment, or even corrosion** which leads to excessive heat. If vibrations are severe enough, they’ll raise temperatures to unsafe levels and stress components beyond their capacity for heat.

6. Manufacturing w/ substandard components. Insufficient wire insulation. Poorly constructed field or commentator. The cooling fan could be installed backwards.

Note:
*Soft foot is machine frame distortion relative to the armature's center of operational axis. in tools caused by poor manufacturing practices and poorer QC not catching the issue...
**Corrosion generally is a result of subpar components.

See if something at this link will be of help...
 
#12 · (Edited)
I purchased not one but two PC75182,( motors only )

I joined here and unfortunately didn’t ask before I purchased. Haven’t heard one good thing about the newer ones here , bad bearings etc .
I’ve never installed one in a lift yet , so I don’t know what to expect .
These reviews on amazon add to my fears. I mean it’s one thing changing out a bearing ,but another if the bearing doesn’t stay in position any more . Pretty much 900 bucks down the drain for me I suspect.
Almost tired of this game

https://www.amazon.ca/Porter-Cable-75182-Variable-Speed-Router/dp/B0007SXHXM

I have been using this router motor for years on my CNC machines. I have purchased around 36 of these motors for the past 12 years.
Lately the new ones are failing within 50 hours of use in that the top bearing gets loose -- That is -- the bearing does not have a tight fitting either to the shaft or to the housing. That causes the bearing to move up and the shaft to wobble. In the past I would only need to maintain these motors every 200 hours for new brushes and about every 400 hours for new bearings. Only after many years of use would I have problems with the bearing getting lose in the housing and/or shaft.
The problem I have now is that for some reason the housing for the top ball bearing is not available as a replacement part, making these motors unusable.
Very disappointing.
After owning this router for less than six months, with only occasional use, it has now developed a bearing issue...it's either failed or come loose, allowing for visible play in the collet and unacceptable routing results (bit chatter). This unit replaced another 3hp router that I had used for over 15 years, and this was my first Porter-Cable power tool. I purchased it based on rave reviews and their reputation for producing quality tools. I'm going to withhold my ultimate opinion of this company and its tool pending their response to my circumstance. To say the least, for a $300+ tool to fail inside of a year, based on my use of it, is extremely concerning. May have to go back to the 'old' brand.
 
#13 ·
try 2,000 dollars....

from an earlier post.
5. Vibration from a condition like soft foot* failed/failing or loose bearings, misalignment, or even corrosion** which leads to excessive heat. If vibrations are severe enough, they’ll raise temperatures to unsafe levels and stress components beyond their capacity for heat.
 
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#16 ·
Sorry to hear you had so many problems with service. I would offer for you to replace the bearing with a good one but if the upper and lower housings are not in alignment it would just repeat the problem in a short time. If in fact they replaced the bearing twice it would mean they tested it after the first replacement and realized they should replace it again. The horrible part is they must have tested it again, it failed, and sent it back to you anyway. So, that says they either did nothing at all or sent it back with no conscience.

I agree with the recommendation to return it for refund and purchase another brand...Bosch 1619 or the Triton. There certainly is no repair for the anxiety they've cost you and that deserves to hit them "in the wallet"...
 
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#20 ·
It's a sad day in the tool world - don't know which brands you can trust or not. Bosch is still owned by Bosch so they may be the holdout for quality. Guess to make and sell what we want is too cost intensive for them to make a buck. I'm all Bosch on power tools...
 
#25 ·
But the problem may be bigger than that Herb . If there’s an alignment issue with the rotor , than it’s pretty much a write off .
And if you read my thread with the amazon review , the bearing no longer sits properly in the chassis , causing play .
There pretty much paper weights from what I’m gathering, and to think I spent over $1,000 on two of them back in the day .
I’m pretty sure they were garbage back in 2014 when I purchased mine . Not sure how far you had to go back to get a reliable one
 
#27 ·
My favorite router used to be Porter Cable but you can't talk me into buying one now. I still use my old Porter Cable routers now, have one in my router table, but if buying a new one I'd be looking at Bosch first.

It does sound like something is just not right about that router, if it is poor machining of the parts that could cause the overheating problem, but the big question is how many have the same problem. That could point to a quality control/inspection problem in the manufacturing process. If not caught in time or at all, it is a hit or miss proposition when buying a new router from them.
 
#28 ·
Thanks everyone for your input. After some slightly spirited discussion with the repair center manager, I am moving forward with getting a refund for the cost of the router from Porter Cable.

I am going thru him to get it from PC corporate so it will be about 6 weeks to get the refund but I am free of the problem child router and in the end he did help me solve the issue.

There are lemons in every brand. I am not condemning PC but would just as soon not take another chance on PC. In this case according the service manager there are no replacement routers available at this time so that lets me off the hook on that account.

So………………….. I do not want to get rid of my Jessem lift and I want a 3 hp router for my table. Unless one of you raises a hand says “don’t do it” I planning on getting a Milwaukee 5625-20. Home Depot is offering one for almost the same price as my PC. Per the reviews it may have the same switch dirt issues that my Bosch 23 had but I guess I am used to that.

It is surprising that as lifts become more popular, fewer 3 hp routers are being offered that are lift compatible.

Thank you all again for letting me vent.
 
#30 ·
Milwaukee motors are decent...
talk to JessEm.. they sell a 3+ HP motor w/ external speed control.. at least they did...

what issue did you have w/ the 23???

what ever you do, vent the motor... scroll down to find the discussion in this here link...
 
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#29 ·
Possible heating issues: Misalignment of Housing bearing fits, (replacing bearings will not correct)
Undersized fit (bearing OD) does not allow for thermal growth. Typical clearance is: .0005-.0015 loose to bearing OD.
Replacing bearings will not correct this issue also.

These two, along with other conditions that were mentioned could cause repeated heating with or without an amperage load.

The problem lies that most technicians do not have the experience to understand or know to check for these minor flaws.
There is probably minimal QC checks during, and after.
All of this cost money, and cuts into the profit margin.

Just my thoughts.
 
#31 ·
Stick

I had the 23 in a Bosch table. Every so often it would stop running. The led lights on the motor would remain lit indicating the motor had power. After reading some review complaints found that dust was prone to get into the on/off switch in the handle. I got into the habit of blowing out the switch after each job. That seems to make the problem go away. I also took the handle apart and blew it out every 12 -18 months.

I was too lazy to deal with Bosch to get a new switch or see if they had a fix. When I used the 23 as a fixed base router, I really liked the concept of having the switch in the router handles instead of having to remove my hand from the tool to shut it off. It was a good machine.

I turned over both the router and table to my son. I still have a 1617 and Bosch palm router. Called Bosch today and asked them to get back into the over 3 hp router market. I was told "maybe someday" oh well.
 
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#32 ·
Bosch CS/TS is outstanding...
call them..
they fixed a couple of mine that were more than 10 years out of warranty...

FWIW.. hold up on the compressed air an go w/ vacuum...
 
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#33 ·
Well out of curiosity I ran mine on the bench for three minutes at full speed . The chassis warmed up a bit but the collet was barely warm to the touch .
I’ve heard horror stories with brand new ones out of the box that were having issues , so maybe mine is ok . Guess time will tell .
For as much as I’m going to use it , I suspect the crappy bearings will last forever .
I must say the things a beast . When set to high , even with soft start you really gotta hang onto it .
And I never realized how much air flow comes out of the head till now
 
#34 ·
[/QUOTE]FWIW.. hold up on the compressed air an go w/ vacuum...[/QUOTE]

I don’t know what FWIW means but dog gone it Stick you don’t miss a thing. Bad as my wife. The lovely nurse I have been married to for 45 years is always on me about safety.

You are very correct that it is always better to capture contaminants than blow them around in the air especially now a days.

Good Safety Catch!

(I get on my computer to escape the wife’s lectures and I get caught here!) There is no rest for the wicked. lol
 
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#37 · (Edited)
FWIW.. hold up on the compressed air an go w/ vacuum...
1... I don’t know what FWIW means
2... but dog gone it Stick you don’t miss a thing.
3... Bad as my wife.
4... You are very correct that it is always better to capture contaminants than blow them around in the air especially now a days.

Good Safety Catch!

(I get on my computer to escape the wife’s lectures and I get caught here!) There is no rest for the wicked. lol
1... For What It's Worth...
2... I missed my afternoon snack, pre-nap and actual nap...
3... WHOA!!! Oh boy... prayers to you...
4... There are places in your tool that you DO NOT want to inject swarf into... So not beneficial to the tool as in you can ruin/destroy it.......

FWIW...
NEVER use canned air on tools...

because of flammable ingredients...
When canned gas is tilted, the liquefied and highly flammable gas can be released into the air and onto surfaces it contacts. This can be especially dangerous in poorly ventilated areas. When a flammable atmosphere is created, flames, sparks and electrical switches can ignite the concentrated gas, causing a flash fire.
 
#38 ·
Stick
I have a air compressor but good point about canned air. A bit of trivia, at work it was common practice to turn the can upside down and use the cold propellent/Freon to hunt for components failing when heating up. Times change
 
#41 ·
cursor the reply header icons for what they do....
advanced gives you more icons....
 
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