How to disassemble and lubricate a drill chuck

The usual turnkey cam cartridge on drills and screwdrivers after prolonged use often starts to jam. It becomes more difficult to tighten and release the drill, which is caused by corrosion of the internal clamping mechanism and its subsequent deformation. To save from this or even restore life to the old cartridge, you can lubricate it from the inside.

Materials and tools:

• crosshead screwdriver;
• hammer;
• solid oil or other grease.

Cartridge disassembly and lubrication

First you need to remove the cartridge from the drill or from the drilling machine. His fists are divorced, after which a Phillips screwdriver is inserted between them.
The cartridge is held by a screw with a left-hand thread. To remove it, you need to rotate the tool clockwise. Sometimes there are screws with slots under the asterisk, so an appropriate screwdriver will be required.
Having removed the screw, you need to unscrew the cartridge itself from the drill shaft. This is already done counterclockwise. If the drill is used for a long time, then twisting with your hands is not so simple. Have to fix the shaft. Often there is a chamfer under the open end wrench on the cartridge, which will facilitate the removal process. If it is not, then it is better to tear off holding the cartridge with a pipe wrench.
After removing the cartridge, you need to deploy it with the cams down and hit with a small hammer in the center of the back. This is done on weight. You need to compress the outer clip of the cartridge with your hand and aim strikingly with strikes. It will not work against the bottom because the clip does not have a protruding end. If the inside of the cartridge is rusted and does not come out, it is worthwhile to first apply a penetrating lubricant such as WD-40.
As a result, a clamping mechanism consisting of a base, 3 removable cams and a nut cut in half with slots for a special key should come out of the cage.
For ease of lubrication, the two-piece nut is set aside.
Solid oil is applied only to the splines of the cams.
Next, the halves of the nut are installed in place, and the mechanism returns to the cage. To assemble it to the end, you need to hit with a hammer on the clip until it sits down. This is also best done on weight.
The greased and assembled chuck is screwed clockwise onto the drill shaft, after which the fixing screw is screwed.
It happens that during dismantling, the slots of the screw are erased, then it is better to replace it or to cut a new notch on it with a hacksaw. If the cartridge is lubricated from the very beginning after the purchase of a drill, then it is disassembled very easily and lasts much longer, so this procedure is better not to postpone.