quit working

[Al]

My porter cable 333 sander quit working thought it was the switch so changed that but that was not the problem the brushes look good and there are no loose wires any thoughts what the problem might be

[Tony]

I own a custom cabinet shop and have had this same problem over & over again. Break the sander down & check the middle bearing for seizing. I have come to this conclusion, if the sander is used for long periods at a time the bearing heats up. The grease inside the (sealed) bearing thins and seeps out. The bearing seizes so tightly a person would think it is an electrical failure. I made a tool that works along with a press to remove the bearing from shaft. You can then replace it or do as I do 75% of the time. Remove seals from the bearing, clean the bearing with lacquer thinner, repack with a good quality grease and re-insert the seals. Then press the bearing onto the shaft and assemble the sander. If you need to sand for long periods of time purchase another sander to use while the other is cooling down.