I'M BACK!!!!/ re1803bk router troubles

[electron2248]

Hi Everyone,

I'm back!

It been almost 2 years since I was last on the site. I was just getting into woodworking when i signed up and got side tracked by life. My wife and I got pregnent with our first child and money got diverted to other areas than my hobby. Now that I have a 1 year old little girl and a few less bills I am working on a new project which has led me to my latest question/problem.

I own a ryobi 3 base combo router and have not used it much. The last time It was used was around a year and a half ago when I had to do a very large (and dangerous (FLOOR NAILS SUCK!)) 3/4" x 1 cut though the middle of a 20' long hardwood foor. (Its a long story but basicly after lots of contemplation it was the only way to get 3 sets of speaker wire across the room.) The router was used for an extended period of time but it was periodically turned off between operations so I really don't think I abused it.

Yesterday I went to take the motor out of the plunge base and install it in the fixed base underneaith my trusty BT3100 and to my dismay it wouldn't thread in with anything short of a strap wrench. It seems like the motor has housing has swelled up now so it doesn't fit. I was wondering if many others who have had this router have encountered it? I did some checking online and it shows up a time or 2 but doesn't seem to be a common problem.

Has anyone had any luck with getting Ryobi to repair them? Mine is 1 month out of warranty (just my luck). Does anyone know of a fix for this. I have already done some sanding to the motor housing and base but it made no difference.

Thanks for the help guys!

Its good to be back.

[gsmittle]

My three base set does the same thing, so I usually keep the motor in the plunge base and put the other two on a shelf. I do find that the problem is worse in warm weather. I haven't found any cure other than a strap wrench.

Once I get the motor in the base there's usually no problem adjusting the height, but getting the motor back out is another story.....

I think I'll leave this one mounted in my BT acc table for now and invest in a nice Triton or Bosch.

Oh, and after two years it sounds like the bearings might be going out...

g.

[electron2248]

Once I get the motor in the base there's usually no problem adjusting the height, but getting the motor back out is another story..... g.

With mine, even after using the strap wrench to get the motor in I still need the strap wrench to adjust it. This makes it totally unsuitable for fine adjustments. I am looking at getting the Hitachi M12VC from Lowes for $120 and just leaving it attached to my BT3100 router table. Has anyone used this one with the BT3100 mounting plate yet? I am wondering if the holes will line up. Anyone else want to throw in their 2 cents on its performance before I invest in the router. Is there anything else near its price that is of good quality. What I may end up doing is just making the Ryobi a dedicated plunge router. That base still works fine.

BTW, using a strap wrench to remove the motor from the fixed bases is a great way to remove your spindle lock! I can still make use of it I just have to stick something in their now to lock up the arbor.

Most the Ryobi products I have used have been pretty descent. This thing just stinks!! I guess theirs a reason they stopped making the series.

[ragswl4]

I have the M12VC kit and the router will NOT fit the router plate on the BT3100. I drilled new holes and it worked fine until I built a dedicated router table. I removed the springs from the plunge base and used that. A lot easier to adjust bit height and gained some length above the table. Easy to remove the springs and put back if you need to.

[Brian G]

I've never been able to purposely replicate the problems others have had with the Ryobi 3-base kit. I still think I must have gotten the one good one. The only gripe I have is that the base clamp doesn't like to stay closed during operation.

I've wondered whether the "default" tightness of locking clamp is a little too tight, which may cause some problems.

I also remove the motor from whichever base I used after I'm done using the router. The base I used and the motor get a good cleaning.

I wish I could help more, but my lack of these issues has me as stumped as those that have them.

[cwsmith]

I have had the same problem with mine. I was right at the end of the warranty period this last fall (2006) when I called the local service center (150 miles away, in Syracuse) and I sent it in to them. They repaired it and had it back to me within 10 days, works better than new now.

From what I could gather, a lot of these motor housing were outsized. I know mine was very tight when I first bought it and like you mentioned, later it was almost impossible to turn even with a strap wrench. I also had a problem where my D-handle base wouldn't take the motor at all. The locating pin in the base protruded to far and you couldn't get the motor past the pin. But, when I finally got off the dime, everything was fixed and is now working great.

In the case of the over-sized motor housing, that part is relatively inexpensive, costing less than $15, including shipping. Below is the part price, I'm only guessing on the shipping and handling. It looks like a simple process to change it. I believe you can download the repair sheet (parts list) from here: http://www.m-and-d.com/pdfs/ryobi_to...03BK_015_r.pdf

RYOBI-RIDGID_TOOLS
TTI-982951001 RYOBI-RIDGID PART 982951001
982951001 This part has been discontinued and superseded by the following numbers(s): 511986001 Price shown is for the current part number. HOUSING MOTOR $5.28

The main parts site for M and D is here: http://www.m-and-d.com/ryobi_tools.html



I hope this helps,

CWS

[electron2248]

Thanks CWS,

I'll have to order that and see if it takes care of the problem. Im sure it will.