Yard sale drill press motor burned out, but the fix cost me $4

Picked up a 1980s bench drill press for $15 at a yard sale in Dayton last month. Everything spun fine when I tested it, but the second real job, cutting through a steel bracket, the motor started smoking and died. I almost tossed the whole thing until my buddy said to check the capacitor instead of the motor. Swapped in a $4 start capacitor from the hardware store and it runs better than before. Anyone else ever revive junk with a part that cheap?

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christopher71310d agoMost Upvoted

Man, that's a classic! I've had the exact same thing happen with an old table saw I picked up for next to nothing. Those start capacitors go bad all the time, especially on machines that sat in a garage for years. The motor will hum or just barely spin, then give up once it's under load. You did the right thing checking that first before tearing the motor apart. It's crazy how many "dead" tools are really just a five dollar part away from working like new. What else did you have to clean up on it, or was it just the cap?