[Mark Hamilton]

Did you check and make sure the shifter on the drill transmission is firmly engaged? They can often get stuck in the middle if they arent hold down, and the drill can't turn unless its completely in high or low. Also the leads to the brushes might be broken, and yes that is fixable, but difficult. Short of damaage or possibly severe rust they should not die on a shelf. The only other thing I could imagine is if it was subject to extreme temperatures at some point it might have caused the lube in the gearbox to seize up (pure speculation).