Electric Motor After-crash maintenance (or "How to Care for Your Lawn-Dart!)

[engineer]

My Turnigy SK3 has now run aground a few times. After the first couple, I noted a new high-pitch noise when it ran. It didn't really concern me, so I went out and flew on it a few more times. Being that I'm new to the hobby, it hit the ground a couple more times, the last one was a full-on lawn-dart. There's a bit of dirt inside the bell and doesn't really move as freely anymore.

So, what sort of maintenance do I need to do, or what do I need to watch for?

LAWN-DART!

 

[epic.engineering]

What you should look for is take the motor off and look at the back off the shaft.. Or look at the gap between the bell off the motor and the prop.. I'm sure it moved.. I did this to my tricopter yesterday.. crashed upside down.w one motor was harder to turn.. when I removed it I noticed the shaft has moved and was rubbing the boom.. I took a very small hammer, I had a taped it and the shaft slid more or less back where it should (I ended up tapping it with some pliers that I had next to me) so you don't need a hammer to move the shaft back.. once I did that ,I noticed the bell had some play.. I used a small Allen wrench to tighten the bell.. now it's good as new.. I slapped it back on and she flies great again..

 

[epic.engineering]

As for cleaning they make motor cleaner that most hobby shops sell.. I've used rubbing alcohol to clean them before, as it removes crud and evaporates quickly, you may need to lube the bearings again.. or should I say you should.

 

[xuzme720]

Things to check after a crash:
1. Does the motor spin freely with no new noises?
2. Does the motor spin true with no wobble?
3. Is there any rubbing/binding anywhere that might cause the motor to have to work harder than it needs to?
4. Is the motor still secure to the airframe?
5. Was there any damage to motor wiring?
6. Is there any vibration or noise when throttle is applied?

If you can answer yes to numbers 1,2,4 and no to 3,5,6 you should be safe to fly. If any of the answers differ, find out what is causing the problem and fix it before flying that motor again. With no power, the plane becomes a glider whether it's designed as one or not...