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tuscarora dave
10-29-2011, 07:22 PM
Hi all,
Recently forum member CieraSL (Shane) started a thread about his G110V2 going kaputs on him. Being the owner of a G110V2, a mechanic by trade and having a rather extensive background in power tool repair I offered to do the repair for him if he was interested in shipping the polisher to me to repair and then ship it back to him. Well a few days ago I recieved this package in the mail.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/005.jpg

I figured that since this cord replacement is something that a lot of these G110V2 polishers need and Shane has his other polishers as backup, I would take the time and do a photo tutorial so that other members here that otherwise wouldn't know what was involved in the repair can understand actually how simple the repair is to do. There are a few pitfalls along the way and I will do my best to highlight those potential problems for you as I take you through this tutorial. So here's what was in the package.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/006.jpg

It is a clean machine, Shane clearly takes good care of his tools. The G110V2 is a really nice machine with plenty of power to get the job done. It has a nice feature that increases the current to the motor when a heavy load is applied to it. When you apply more pressure to the machine you can actually feel the power increase. It's too bad that they used such a lousy quality power cord and stress relief on such a nice tool.
In the photo below I am pointing to exactly where the wire breaks on these polishers. I had repaired my personal G110V2 three times before finally wiring in a higher quality cord.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/008.jpg

From twisting, turning, bending and throwing the cord over your shoulder time and again the poor quality copper wire breaks inside of the strain relief. The strain relief is somewhat flimsy but I believe that it's the quality or rather the lack of quality in the actual cord that causes the problem. OK moving onward with the repair, below is a photo of the tools that I needed to make this repair which most folks probably have lying around the house or garage.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/044.jpg

The speed controller, on/off switch and connecting wires are housed undernieth of the end housing where the cord itself goes into the polisher so naturally the first order of things is to remove the end housing. To remove the housing you must first remove the single screw that is shown in the photo below.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/009.jpg

After removing the screw, it is important to take care in pulling the cover off as straight as possible because the speed control unit just sits in a groove under the cover and can be easily pulled out of the groove if you try bending and twisting the cover off. If the speed controller does become dislodged from the groove that it sits in it's no big deal, just make sure that there are no wires behind it and replace it into the groove. If you have a wire behind the speed controller preventing it from sitting exactly straight in it's little groove, replacing the cover can be a little tough. I'll cover more about this toward the end of this tutorial.
How I remove the cover is to sit in a chair and place the polishing head end of the polisher between my knees to have a good grip on the machine when I pull the cover upward while lightly pushing and wiggling the strain relief back and forth to assist it through the hole in the end of the end housing. Below is a photo of what you will find when you get the end housing off.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/011.jpg

I contacted Shane and asked him what length he would like the cord to be and he said that he would like a 40 foot cord on the polisher so it would work perfectly in his work space without having to unplug the unit and plug it back in to work all the way around the vehicle that he is polishing. I call this working smarter not harder. A 50 foot 16 guage extension cord will handle the load demand of power tools up to 10 amps so I went out and found a nice flexible 16 guage outdoor duty extension cord to use for this project. The G110V2 having only an amp draw of 4.2, the 16 guage cord will be quite sufficient and flexible too. I was careful to select a cord that would be flexible to minus 40 degrees fahrenheit so that Shane wouldn't get all aggrivated every time he goes to roll the cord back up after using his polisher. IMO there is nothing worse than a non flexible electric cord or garden hose. (my biggest pet peave of all) Not only did I choose a flexible cord, I chose a yellow cord so that it would match the other yellow accents of the G110V2. Below is a photo of the cord.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/021.jpg

OK so the next step is to get the old cord off of the polisher but there are a few important things to consider before doing this. the first being the placement or location of the original cord in relationship to the strain relief and the cord clamp on the underside of the end housing. Below is a photo of me measuring the location of the original cord.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/014.jpg

Roughly 2 inches from the beginning of the strain relief to the end of the outer sheathing of the cord which extends about 3/8" through the cord clamp. I want to be sure to have these same measurements when placing the new cord onto the polisher.
The second consideration is that the G110V2 is a polarized power tool, meaning that it is double insulated and doesn't use a safety ground so later in the tutorial you'll see how I eliminate the ground wire and use a 2 prong plug end for polarized power tools at the other end of the cord but first, let's get rid of the old cord so let's first unscrew the 2 screws holding the cord clamp in place and remove the cord clamp.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/012.jpg

Next cut the old cord off, but first a few considerations. I don't mean to be insulting to anyone in saying this but I have seen and done some really dumb stuff in my time. MAKE SURE THE TOOL IS UNPLUGGED FROM ANY ELECTRICAL OUTLETS. The second consideration is where on the cord we make the cut. To keep this repair as simple as possible I cut the wires off right where they go into the insulative sheathing. This way I have plenty of wire to work with when I pigtail the new cord into the polisher. Below is a photo of where I make the cut.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/018.jpg

Now it's time to trim off the ground wire that doesn't get used on this tool. The less space we occupy under the end housing the better as there isn't much room under there to begin with.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/023.jpg

tuscarora dave
10-29-2011, 07:25 PM
Next step is to slide the end housing over the cord and then the strain relief goes on after the end housing. Make sure you slide the end housing over the new cord in the right direction. Below is a photo of the end housing and strain relief slid over the new cord in the proper direction.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/025.jpg



Now remember, we need 2 inches from the base of the strain relief to the end of the insulative sheathing where we will clamp the cord clamp over the new cord.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/024.jpg



Shane wanted a 40 foot cord so I cut 10 feet off of this extension cord and then trimmed about 2-1/2 inches of the insulative sheathing off the end that I cut so I'd have plenty of wire to pigtail together onto the polisher. Next I trimmed about 3/8" off the end of the black and white wires both on the new cord and the existing wires that I left on the polisher and then twisted the copper wire strands together to enable a tight connection on my pigtail.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/019.jpg



Next I place the two black wire ends together, you can see that the new cord (16 guage) is a bit heavier than what is used from the factory.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/027.jpg



I use the tiny gray wire nuts so that I have no problem in safely tucking them into the limited space under the end housing. Make sure that both the black wires are even at the end and twist them together then tightly twist on the wire nuts. repeat the same for the white wires. You will want them to be very tightly twisted on to ensure a good electrical connection with no resistance, because electrical resistance equals heat and we don't want to be doing this repair again any time soon because of a wirenut meltdown. They should look like the photo below. You can see that they are very tightly twisted.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/028.jpg



I have found a great insurance policy against vibration and we all know that DA polishers produce extreme amounts of vibration. All my working life I have been looking for the perfect adhesive that is clear, extremely strong, pliable when cured, heat resistant and cheap. I really had given up on the search as I was convinced that such an adhesive didn't exist. That is until the tread on my $159 Carolina work boots separated from the leather upper and I gave this a try.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/029.jpg



This stuff is incredible. I just couldn't believe that it would hold my boots together in the salt/acid corrosive environment that is my full time job, but it by far exceeded my expectations. This stuff is very flamable before cured but once it is fully cured it resists heat well, I took a cigarette lighter to my boot to find this out. Because of the extreme vibration produced by DA polishers I used the Shoe Goo to glue the wirenuts in place so that they will not come loose.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/031.jpg



I also put a dab of the Shoe goo at the base of the strain relief.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/032.jpg



At this point I went to work a 10 hour day and finished the rest of the repair this morning while I drank my daily pot of Starbucks French Roast. When I got back to it this morning I placed the new cord onto the polisher where the cord clamp screws to the machine and grabbed up the screws and clamps when this sight intrigued me.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/035.jpg



Three screws and a little plastic clamp is all (besides the cord and strain relief) that must be removed to do this repair. While looking at the parts in my hand I also noticed that one screw is slightly longer than the other two. You guessed it, that'd be the screw that holds on the end housing. Next I found a nice little nook under the end housing where I could tuck the wirenuts into.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/037.jpg



It's very important that this little nook be in a place that the wires or wire nuts will not interfere with the speed controller's spot where it must loosely sit into it's little groove. if the speed controller doesn't sit exactly squarely in it's place the speed dial will not turn once the end housing is replaced and screwed tight. If when you replace the end housing and tighten down the screw the speed dial won't turn, don't get frustrated and try forcing the dial. Simply remove the screw, lift the end housing back off and check the speed dial for proper placement in it's little groove and replace the end housing and the screw, then re check the speed dial for proper, smooth operation. It may take several attempts but just be patient and repeat the process until you get it right.

All back together and speed dial rotating freely.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/038.jpg



OK now let's remember that this is a polarized power tool and there is no safety ground used, so instead of giving someone the false impression that this is a grounded unit, I opted to replace the three prong male plug end with a heavy duty 2 prong plug end for polarized power tools so I cut off the end that came on the new cord.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/045.jpg

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/047.jpg



Again just as I did on the other end, cut off the ground wire which isn't used on this polisher.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/048.jpg



Trim back 1 (one) inch of the insulative sheathing, strip back the wire ends aproximately 3/8" and slide the new plug end housing onto the new cord in the right direction like in the photo below.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/046.jpg

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/049.jpg



Next insert the wires into the screw on contacts on the back side of the plug end, ensuring that the black wire goes on the side with the brass screw and the white wire goes on the contact with the chrome screw and tighten the screws down securely onto the copper wire ends. Make sure there is no insulation behind the screw on terminal clamp. If there is insulation under there simply trim a little more insulation off the end and try again until there is only copper wire behind the clamp and no exposed copper extending beyond the clamp.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/050.jpg



Last step is to insert the plug end into the housing making sure to properly align the screws and tighten the screws. This finishes the repair. Don't forget to tighten down the cord clamp on the outside of the new plug end.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/051.jpg



So this concludes my tutorial of a very simple repair. It took 1000 times longer to do the write up than it did to make the actual repair. Below is a photo of Shane's G110V2 with it's new 40 foot cord.


http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/polisher%20repair%20tutorial/052.jpg



I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial and I hope you find it useful. maybe it could be a sticky.

Have a great weekend. TD

Old Pirate
10-29-2011, 07:28 PM
Great write up Dave, this one is a keeper to have when one has to replace their cord.:dblthumb2:

Marc08EX
10-29-2011, 07:37 PM
Great write up Davd!!! This will definitely help everyone who has a g110v2 die out of warranty.

I agree, this should be sticky. Thanks so much for writing up the tutorial for us newbies!

Bunky
10-29-2011, 07:42 PM
Very informative Dave !!

Shane731
10-29-2011, 07:42 PM
Awesome writeup! Well written, well documented process, and good photos! Even I was able to understand what was happening, and I know nothing about electronics. Thanks again for the repair! Two thumbs up from a grateful Auto Geek! :dblthumb2:


:urtheman:

Garry Dean
10-29-2011, 07:43 PM
Nice job on the write up, Dave!

I had to do mine about 3 months ago. I didnt even come close to beefing mine up as much as you did Shanes. Nice work!

tuscarora dave
10-29-2011, 08:18 PM
Thanks guys. I just went outside and ran my new snow blower up and down the front yard until the wet snow packed up inside the thing then I went and pulled the starter cord out of the rewinder like a big dummy!! Lol...Oh what a day!!:doh:

I'm glad to come back in here and see so many enthusiastic replies to this thread, it cancels out the blood boiling anger I felt when that rip cord pulled out of my snow blower after spending a few hours earlier tearing the carberator completely apart and spoofing out all the rotten gas varnish that was preventing it from starting in the first major snowfall of the year all while baseball sized snowflakes covered my head and shoulders because i have yet to buy a good winter coat and can't find my hat.

Phhhwweeeww!!! That was one long sentence...Let me catch my breath....

No really, I am really glad you guys liked it. Shane, I'll have the polisher on it's way back to you on Monday.

Shane731
10-29-2011, 08:37 PM
Thanks guys. I just went outside and ran my new snow blower up and down the front yard until the wet snow packed up inside the thing then I went and pulled the starter cord out of the rewinder like a big dummy!! Lol...Oh what a day!!:doh:

I'm glad to come back in here and see so many enthusiastic replies to this thread, it cancels out the blood boiling anger I felt when that rip cord pulled out of my snow blower after spending a few hours earlier tearing the carberator completely apart and spoofing out all the rotten gas varnish that was preventing it from starting in the first major snowfall of the year all while baseball sized snowflakes covered my head and shoulders because i have yet to buy a good winter coat and can't find my hat.

Phhhwweeeww!!! That was one long sentence...Let me catch my breath....

No really, I am really glad you guys liked it. Shane, I'll have the polisher on it's way back to you on Monday.

Sorry to hear that. Hope you get your snow blower fixed. Remember, tomorrow is the start of a brand new week! And seriously, go buy a good winter coat and find your hat so you don't freeze to death! http://serve.mysmiley.net/characters/character0197.gif (http://www.blueislandsdiving.com)

tuscarora dave
10-29-2011, 08:53 PM
Sorry to hear that. Hope you get your snow blower fixed. Remember, tomorrow is the start of a brand new week! And seriously, go buy a good winter coat and find your hat so you don't freeze to death! http://serve.mysmiley.net/characters/character0197.gif (http://www.blueislandsdiving.com)
My problems are quite fancy nowadays. At one point in my life, things were really really bad. I too am grateful my friend. I'll be coat shopping tomorrow and hats are a dime a dozen too.

C. Charles Hahn
10-29-2011, 11:16 PM
Awesome work, Dave! Thanks for the super informative write-up.

tuscarora dave
10-29-2011, 11:25 PM
Thanks Charlie, I figured you would like the write up being a G110V2 guy!! It was fun doing it. Not so often do I have the time to sit here at home and work.

brawl
10-29-2011, 11:57 PM
Nice tutorial. It's great to see you share your knowledge about tools and electric stuffs.

tw33k2514
10-30-2011, 12:31 AM
Excellent tutorial Dave. I an sure all the owners of the machine will be very happy to see this.

aerogt01
10-30-2011, 12:41 AM
Very informative! Also, nice trick with the wirenuts. Before I saw that you sealed them I was thinking "Oh no, he's not going to leave them like that." However, I would recommend those who are capable of soldering do that instead and heat-shrink it.

Then again, if they are that comfortable with soldering they have probably done this already!