I need some thoughts/advice.  I have an older Delta 50-850 dust collector.  Actually, I have two of them.  One of them doesn't run.  It starts and runs as long as I hold the start switch down, but as soon as I release it, the unit powers down.  I can't exactly do any work and hold the switch down at the same time.  If I am reading the code right on the date of manufacture, it looks like it was made in 1999.  The code is 9921, and I know it wasn't manufactured last year.  I'm guessing it is the run capacitor or the centrifigal switch that is bad.  Maybe both, maybe neither.  Full disclosure, I am not, by any means, an electric motor repairman.  Here's my question:  Do you think it is worth trying to repair this old of a unit, or should I put it on Craig's list for parts and buy a new one?  I saw one on Grizzly's site for a good price, but I know nothing about their quality and/or customer service.  I have bought a few odds and end from them, but no machinery.  I did pull the switch cover off along with the round cap on the motor, and blow everything out that I could get to, and followed up with my shop vac.  When I put it back together, everything worked.  Happy dance.  Put it back in the corner of the shop, hooked up the hoses, back to not running.  Oh poo.  The unit from Grizzly is 1.5 hp, 110v, for $495 plus $179 shipping.  Also, any thoughts on the SuperMax units offered on the Laguna web site?  I've had good luck with the Laguna band saw I acquired a couple of years ago, but again, I know nothing about their line of SuperMax units.  I can afford to either fix or replace my Delta unit, but I don't want to repair it over and over again.  Any thoughts will be much appreciated.

I'm not a motor guy either. My experience with starting capacitors is that the motor won't run at all if the capacitor is bad.  I'm not sure if that dust collector has a magnetic on/off switch. If it does, that might be the place to start looking. 

i just have 4 shop vacs.  one for the TS, a floater for the bandsaw and nearby areas, another for the planer and router table, and the last one for the spindle sander and areas nearby.  with 4, one always works.  so i have to clean them out more often, not a big deal, gives me more flexibility on shop layout.

Looks like a standard DPST switch 

 

https://www.renovoparts.com/905224-switch-for-delta-power-tools/

 

I'd go to the Borg and find a DPST toggle switch and try it

 

It almost has to be the switch. A replacement from Delta looks to be about $130, must be the gold connectors they use. One like this should almost be plug and play, or do as Lew suggested and get a DPST  toggle switch...you might need to get a box to hold it, and put that on. I had a PSI DC that had the switch go bad and I put one of the DPST toggles on it, it worked just fine (be aware, I think there is a reason you're not supposed to do this...something about using these switches with a motor; I can't remember the details).

I've bought parts like this from a couple of the electric motor repair shops in town.  I'd check that before going with the factory model.

 

Henry Ford said he'd give away cars if he could have exclusive sales on repair parts.

I had the magnetic switch go out on my table saw.  It wouldn't work even if held in down.  A quick look online found an exact replacement for under $10. All wires simply unplugged from the old switch and plugged back into the new one. 

As other have suggested I'd do a web search for "delta dust collector switch"  before buying one at $130 from Delta. 

Edited September 6, 20223 yr by 4DThinker

$131.69 from ereplacements.  If I understand how a magnetic switch works, I don't think it's a magnetic switch.  The other dust collector, which is the exact same model as the one that doesn't work, works just fine.  It's plugged into a Long Ranger remote box.  The switch on the dust collector remains on all the time, and receives and loses power through the Long Ranger box.  Isn't that  the same as just losing power to the dust collector because of a storm, blown circuit breaker, or similar occurence?  Wouldn't that eliminate the question of whether or not I have a magnetic switch?  Maybe I should swap switches between the two units, and see if that fixes the bad one.  

27 minutes ago, PostalTom said:

The switch on the dust collector remains on all the time, and receives and loses power through the Long Ranger box

Simple brain here...Would it be possible to hard wire it on, then plug it into a switched outlet?  That's what I have done with my modified HF one and the switch stays on all the time.

2 hours ago, PostalTom said:

 It's plugged into a Long Ranger remote box.  The switch on the dust collector remains on all the time, and receives and loses power through the Long Ranger box.  Isn't that  the same as just losing power to the dust collector because of a storm, blown circuit breaker, or similar occurence?  Wouldn't that eliminate the question of whether or not I have a magnetic switch? 

Yep, it's unlikely to be a magnetic switch. Swapping switches would certainly tell you ifor sure if the problem is the switch versus the motor. (I'm still betting it's the switch.)

2 hours ago, JimM said:

Simple brain here...Would it be possible to hard wire it on, then plug it into a switched outlet?

That would probably work if the problem is the switch.  But if the problem is the run circuitry in the motor itself, I am reluctant to try to force the motor to keep running when it's trying to shut down.  The last thing I want to do is to burn my house down, and have the insurance company refuse to pay because it was my fault.

I'd open up the switch and blow it out, see if that works, it worked for me in the past.

I had  a Delta Mini Lathe. The switch started acting up and would start when held down. Turns out that the contacts were burned so I filed them and it worked . Swapping switches should give you a idea of the problem if it is not burned contacts.

Have to agree with the bad switch.

14 hours ago, John Morris said:

I'd open up the switch and blow it out, see if that works, it worked for me in the past.

John, I did do that.  And the end cover on the motor and blew that out too.  No help.

From what you said, the motor runs fine as long as you hold the switch on. If there was a short/problem within the motor, it would cause the dust collector's circuit breaker to activate. Not sure if that happened. If the circuit breaker did not trip, the problem is almost certainly the switch. 

 

My old Delta Iron Bed lathe went through 2 expensive Delta switches. Went to Lowe's and got a DPST switch. It lasted until I sold the lathe.

 

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Eaton-Double-Pole-White-LED-Toggle-Light-Switch/1002944270

 

17 hours ago, PostalTom said:

That would probably work if the problem is the switch.  But if the problem is the run circuitry in the motor itself, I am reluctant to try to force the motor to keep running when it's trying to shut down.  The last thing I want to do is to burn my house down, and have the insurance company refuse to pay because it was my fault.

Tom, take the swicth off and direct wire the plug, then plug into your Long Ranger and switch it on/off.

I replaced a switch on one of my big belt sanders. It was just a regular looking switch not having a magnetic starter thingy with it so all I did was buy a switch that are in houses that had to same amount of amps and it has lasted many years with no more trouble..actually I have two different machine with house switches..

I use these for several pieces of equipment in shop.  Switch

 

Not $130, under $20.  It is works, problem solved.  If not you still have a good switch for any piece of equipment.

Well guys, everybody else was right.  It is the switch.  The problem was mechanical with the switch.  It wouldn't latch properly.  When I took the switch cover off and pressed the actual switch button instead of the external push button that it turn pressed the actual switch, it latched properly.  Put the cover back on and pressed harder this time, and it latched most of the time.  If that continues to work, great.  If that starts to fail, I can always leave the switch cover off and push the actual switch itself.  Since the wires are recessed inside the switch box, there is minimal danger of me getting shocked.  I was firmly convinced it was an electrical problem with the motor.  I was wrong.  Thanks everyone for steering me in the right direction.