Motor maintenance....

[Riggsbie]

Team,

Can anyone suggest some kind of maintenance regime (checks/lubrication/free play) for motors ?

I merrily fly my quad and hex but have not checked my motors from day1.... My 3D Robotics Hex motors do not sound real brilliant from new :-(

Any tips would be appreciated !

Thanks

[paul82]

Good question.

I was wondering whether the motors needed any maintenance.

Will keep an eye on the thread

[Biffa]

Most motors will have sealed bearings so are pretty much maintenance free, although wicking a little light oil into them wouldn';t hurt I guess if you feel the need to.

I have just had to source bearings for the motor in my HK Radjet as the rear one has gone so they do sometimes fail so it';s always worth just keeping an eye out for any play or funny noises.

[guest325]

I give mine a squirt of PTFE spray regularly and check for bearing float and noise - doesn';t do any harm does it?

[AM556]

Just as a matter of interest, PTFE is the only substance a Gecko can';t climb 

[Gav]

Interesting.  Might need that snippet of info one day in a quiz or something ;D


Droplet of thin oil go on my motor bearings every now n again. 

[Royston]

After watching Peter King vid on installing APM from start to finish he mentions regularly lubricating the motors with "Silicone Spray" from Halfords. The only silicone spray I could find had no mention of electrics but was all amounts lubricating rubbers etc.
Any ideas??
Roy

[mutley2]

As a rule brushless motors are maintenance free, I';ve a 10yr old Hornet heli and its never had any form of motor maintenance and still runs sweet (gave up counting flights over 100, and that was 9yrs ago). If it aint broke, don';t fix it...

[Royston]

Fair enough Mutley.

[guest325]

Silicon spray isn';t a lubricant, but it does protect from water or moisture ingress. I use PTFE because it does both, however you need to make sure you wipe the excess off or it becomes a dirt and dust magnet!

[bunnygirl80]

This post has presented itself at a good time. I was flying in a very dusty place yesterday and my quad now has a light dusting! Euck! I';m worried it';s gone into the motors and I was thinking of spraying (cleaning out) the motors with a long blast of WD40. Would this be okay? or needed?

Thanks.

[steve fh]

how about using the cans of compress air you can buy for cleaning computers to blow muck out ?

[bunnygirl80]

Hi Steve,

I';ve already tried that but the dirt is stuck on. I have the air blaster for cleaning my keyboard, but it';s not working on any of the dust! Eeeeck! What do i do?

Thxx.

[Balders]

I always worry about washing more dust in to the bearings.

[bunnygirl80]

I always worry about washing more dust in to the bearings.

I knida thought a really nice long blast of WD40 would clean everything out. What do you think Steve?

[Hands0n]

WD40 will leave a residue that is attractive to dust and may cause more problems than it solves in this instance. You could consider flushing with contact cleaner or methylated spirit, but should try to avoid the motor';s bearing, or oil the bearing when dry again.

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 4

[Royston]

OK sorry I joined in this one.

I do, I don';t, I should, I shouldnt. More confused than ever now? 

Back to original question.The only silicone spray I could find had no mention of electrics but was all amounts lubricating rubbers etc. Is this still OK to use on the motors or will it have any adverse effect??

Regards
Roy

[mutley2]

If it aint broke, don';t fix it...

[barneyg]

I knida thought a really nice long blast of WD40 would clean everything out. What do you think Steve?

WD40 is NOT a proper lubricant !!!!  It is primarily a penetrant ... it has a very high volatility ... a very light machine oil is far better for lubricating ... that said if you want to loosen up some seized nuts wd40 is excellent :)

[kilby]

Considering the WD in WD40 means Water Dispersant.

You know all yhose squeaking hinges that maintance departments squirt with wd40, funny how they squeek even worse a few weeks later.

Unless something has gotten wet or something is stuck, avoid wd40 and even then theres usually a better choice

[bunnygirl80]

OK, kewl. I';ll leave the WD in Pete';s toolbox for the squeaky doors!  ::)

[guest325]

I knida thought a really nice long blast of WD40 would clean everything out. What do you think Steve?

As long as you are careful not to get any carp go into the motor it will be ok, and make sure you dry it out thoroughly when you';re happy it';s clean. If you';ve got any doubt about making sure non of the dirt goes in you';re better off stripping the motor down and cleaning it properly.

[Biffa]

IMO WD40 would be the last thing I would have inside my motor and as pointed out it isn';t even a lube, that is a very common misconception.

As stated most motor bearings are sealed so unless really poorly made or cheap there should be no need to lubricate them. If you really felt the need then some light oil or even better PTFE spray.

[fruitsalad]

clean them in lighter fuel,
then use some rocket fuel(for fishing reels not actual rocket fuel!!) to lube them

[XH558]

As long as you are careful not to get any carp go into the motor it will be ok, and make sure you dry it out thoroughly when you';re happy it';s clean. If you';ve got any doubt about making sure non of the dirt goes in you';re better off stripping the motor down and cleaning it properly.

I am always very careful not to get carp in my motors ... it';s very smelly .. almost like fish 

[guest325]

I am always very careful not to get carp in my motors ... it';s very smelly .. almost like fish 

Wrong spelling was intentional - I prefer not to use profanities on a forum     

[kilby]

I thought you where telling us not to put goldfish into our motors

[Hands0n]

I thought you where telling us not to put goldfish into our motors

Awww ... too late! I tried putting one in my Hubsan as an upgrade. It didn';t scale well 

[KeithW]

Awww ... too late! I tried putting one in my Hubsan as an upgrade. It didn';t scale well 

Ok you guys so whats the definitive answer then....what light oil,do you use.Silicon grease  KY ?

[guest325]

Ok you guys so whats the definitive answer then....what light oil,do you use.Silicon grease  KY ?

If you are going to use anything then PTFE spray is best - it must be left to dry and any excess cleaned off or it will attract dust.