Okay so crashed into some sand, leaving a bunch of sand in the motors. I opened up the drone, 3 of my 4 motors grind due to debris lodged in the motor. I have not used compressed air yet as I dont have any on hand and was going to take the motors apart and clean with rubbing alcohol. Apparently the motors do not come apart as regular brushless motors would as I could not get them to pull apart after removing the C clip on the bottom of the motors. Is the only way to fix this with compressed air?

Yes, canned air would probably be best. Unless you want to give them a good bath in 99% isopropanol. ;-)

Then hit them with the compressed air.


RedHotPoker

Without further dismantling the aircraft, canned air would be the best course of action.

DJI-Jamie Posted at 2017-3-29 16:58
Without further dismantling the aircraft, canned air would be the best course of action.

It might also be advantageous to have a vacuum nozzle in close proximity...


RedHotPoker

If you place each motor on an anvil and hit them with a large lump hammer until they are flat they will never make any grinding noises again.*




*Another piece of poor advice that while factually correct it is not reccommended to follow.

Cabansail Posted at 2017-3-29 17:57
If you place each motor on an anvil and hit them with a large lump hammer until they are flat they will never make any grinding noises again.*

But then you couldn't use them as pepper grinders.  

Regardless, You can still use the drone as a cooling fan, in the heat of the night, this summer... ;-)


I love how some of us, can still have our sense of humor intact.  
Until we are the victim, or the one, with problematic situations. Ha


RedHotPoker

Blew it out with air then stuck them in a vacuum hose, cleared out all the sand, except in one motor it feels like it catches on something as it spins around. I know it's not sand since It was all blown out and doesn't make a grinding noise, but It kind of catches in the same area every time I hand spin it around.

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-3-29 21:32
Regardless, You can still use the drone as a cooling fan, in the heat of the night, this summer... ;-)

Hahahahaha....Yep.

MrPinaColada Posted at 2017-3-30 15:06
Blew it out with air then stuck them in a vacuum hose, cleared out all the sand, except in one motor it feels like it catches on something as it spins around. I know it's not sand since It was all blown out and doesn't make a grinding noise, but It kind of catches in the same area every time I hand spin it around.

MrPinaColada (wish I had one now...)
I think it would be best if you replace those motors.  Sucks but it maybe the best course of action.  Sorry that you have 4 pepper grinders.

Looks like I'm gonna replace them unfortunately, on a separate topic, upon putting the phantom back together when I start up the phantom the gimbal tilts up and down constantly and nothing will stop it. Any insight on this? All the cables are correctly placed and it has done this before, I just restart the drone and it goes away but now it wont stop tilting up and down.

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-3-29 21:32
Regardless, You can still use the drone as a cooling fan, in the heat of the night, this summer... ;-)

lol I actually did that at the beach last weekend. People were laughing but I didn't care.

ProQuad Posted at 2017-3-30 15:44
MrPinaColada (wish I had one now...)
I think it would be best if you replace those motors.  Sucks but it maybe the best course of action.  Sorry that you have 4 pepper grinders.

I think they are relatively cheap $18 a motor. But you better have some skills disassembling tech things and a soldering iron.

MrPinaColada Posted at 2017-3-30 15:52
Looks like I'm gonna replace them unfortunately, on a separate topic, upon putting the phantom back together when I start up the phantom the gimbal tilts up and down constantly and nothing will stop it. Any insight on this? All the cables are correctly placed and it has done this before, I just restart the drone and it goes away but now it wont stop tilting up and down.

Sucks to play drone surgeon. I hope everything goes ok.

For the gimbal, have you tried doing an IMU and gimbal calibration?


RedHotPoker

MrPinaColada Posted at 2017-3-30 15:06
Blew it out with air then stuck them in a vacuum hose, cleared out all the sand, except in one motor it feels like it catches on something as it spins around. I know it's not sand since It was all blown out and doesn't make a grinding noise, but It kind of catches in the same area every time I hand spin it around.

Sounds like you have three motors cleared and back to normal. Between the aerosol and the Hoover, you cleared the debris.
That fourth motor that's not spinning free, I wonder if it's a magnet that got dislodged?


RedHotPoker.

Cabansail Posted at 2017-3-29 17:57
If you place each motor on an anvil and hit them with a large lump hammer until they are flat they will never make any grinding noises again.*

@Cabansail, Man you have a different approach to RC repair eh? Haha

What's dumber than a sack of Hammers?


An Anvil.

I actually collect Hammers, and find them fascinating. ;-)


RedHotPoker

Mobilcams Posted at 2017-3-30 15:53
lol I actually did that at the beach last weekend. People were laughing but I didn't care.

Did you actually lift off, & hover the aircraft above your head? ;-)


I might have laughed my azz off too. Haha


Eh, a guys gotta do, what ever makes him feel good. Even at the beach. Ha



RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-3-30 23:34
Did you actually lift off, & hover the aircraft above your head? ;-)

Yes and I was holding my arms out to my side lol

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-3-29 13:47
Yes, canned air would probably be best. Unless you want to give them a good bath in 99% isopropanol. ;-)

Then hit them with the compressed air.

Unless you want to give them a good bath in 99% isopropanol

   

Never use isopropanol it will eat away at the motors coil windings --- they are lightly enamel coated to
prevent shorting out against each other.

SkunkWerxs Posted at 2017-3-31 03:44
Unless you want to give them a good bath in 99% isopropanol

   

So if you did want to flush a liquid through the motors to clean out some rubbish what would be the best too use.

Quamera Posted at 2017-3-31 03:53
So if you did want to flush a liquid through the motors to clean out some rubbish what would be the best too use.

This stuff will do the job nicely, will clean and flush away debris with the spray pressure. Type Contact Cleaner into google to find something local.

mic75 Posted at 2017-3-31 04:19
This stuff will do the job nicely, will clean and flush away debris with the spray pressure. Type Contact Cleaner into google to find something local.

Thanks, that would obviously be formulated to be safe for all types of wire coatings and circuitry.

Quamera Posted at 2017-3-31 03:53
So if you did want to flush a liquid through the motors to clean out some rubbish what would be the best too use.

Mic 75 ,
Hit the nail right on the Head

The problem is that if you have heard and felt grinding that means that fine sand has already entered the bearings. You will never get that out of there and the damage is done. The motor could bind up at any time. I would not take a chance on a crash resulting in personal harm and or property damage never mind the loss of your Phantom. I would replace the motors.

Quamera Posted at 2017-3-31 04:29
Thanks, that would obviously be formulated to be safe for all types of wire coatings and circuitry.

Quamer,

Be careful with contact cleaner an The plastic of the Mavic --- I've seen it dissinagreat  Plastic
right B4 my eyes --- Spray a little on a test spot first, if all is OK --- Spray away

{:4_181:}  

Rodger8 Posted at 2017-3-31 04:37
The problem is that if you have heard and felt grinding that means that fine sand has already entered the bearings. You will never get that out of there and the damage is done. The motor could bind up at any time. I would not take a chance on a crash resulting in personal harm and or property damage never mind the loss of your Phantom. I would replace the motors.

The bearings are sealed so no grit can get in them.

You might need to take them apart to completely clean them, It could be some grit still stuck to the magnets or it could just be a wire sticking out from the armature. The centre shaft needs to be pressed out after you remove  the circlip.

I cleaned them with compressed air and they don't make any more grinding sounds or have any resistance or feeling in them besides a smooth turn when I push the motors around. First test flight is tomorrow so hopefully it goes alright.

mic75 Posted at 2017-3-31 17:43
The bearings are sealed so no grit can get in them.

What is grinding then? My point is that you said you can feel binding and the outer collar is not turning smoothly. It may not be the sealed bearing that the shaft is riding in but, there are bearing walls where the debris has settled. You can have varying speeds of the props, ever so slightly but enough to have an effect on stable flight. Also most likely there will be a decrease in flight time due to the binding because of more current drain. to overcome the resistance. Up to you as to what you want to do. You asked for opiniions and that is my 2 cents worth.

Rodger8 Posted at 2017-4-1 03:03
What is grinding then? My point is that you said you can feel binding and the outer collar is not turning smoothly. It may not be the sealed bearing that the shaft is riding in but, there are bearing walls where the debris has settled. You can have varying speeds of the props, ever so slightly but enough to have an effect on stable flight. Also most likely there will be a decrease in flight time due to the binding because of more current drain. to overcome the resistance. Up to you as to what you want to do. You asked for opiniions and that is my 2 cents worth.

The bearing walls (seals) don't turn, only the inner race that the shaft goes through. The grinding is from fine particles of rock stuck to the magnets getting ground between the armature and outer housing when turning the motor. If these particles are removed then there will be no additional resistance to slow the motors as you put it.
How do I know this because I had the same problem about 180 flights ago.
Any particles fine enough to get past the bearing seals would be insignificant, in all reality what didn't get stuck to the magnets would be blown out by the airflow from the props which is designed to cool the motors.

SkunkWerxs Posted at 2017-3-31 03:44
Unless you want to give them a good bath in 99% isopropanol

   

Eh, yeah, you are correct. That was a minor lapse in judgement here.  I just thought, since it would evaporate rather quickly.

But you're right, as it being a solvent. Thanks for the reminder... ;-)


RedHotPoker

Mobilcams Posted at 2017-3-31 03:38
Yes and I was holding my arms out to my side lol

Did you make a video, or take any selfies? Hahaha




RedHotPoker

mic75 Posted at 2017-3-31 04:19
This stuff will do the job nicely, will clean and flush away debris with the spray pressure. Type Contact Cleaner into google to find something local.

Yes, that's a great idea, something I myself must purchase.
I need to buy a can of that, for an old Marantz  2325 stereo receiver.

It's marvelous that we all have so many advantages to our lives today.

I hope this approach works well for the OP. ;-)


RedHotPoker

MrPinaColada Posted at 2017-3-31 22:23
I cleaned them with compressed air and they don't make any more grinding sounds or have any resistance or feeling in them besides a smooth turn when I push the motors around. First test flight is tomorrow so hopefully it goes alright.

Looking forward to hearing what your findings were, with the cleaned motors-maiden voyage... ;-)



RedHotPoker

mic75 Posted at 2017-4-2 06:06
The bearing walls (seals) don't turn, only the inner race that the shaft goes through. The grinding is from fine particles of rock stuck to the magnets getting ground between the armature and outer housing when turning the motor. If these particles are removed then there will be no additional resistance to slow the motors as you put it.
How do I know this because I had the same problem about 180 flights ago.
Any particles fine enough to get past the bearing seals would be insignificant, in all reality what didn't get stuck to the magnets would be blown out by the airflow from the props which is designed to cool the motors.

I would echo what mic75 says, there is almost zero chance of grit getting into the bearings. If you clean out the sand, the motor should be fine.

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-4-2 13:34
Did you make a video, or take any selfies? Hahaha

I didn't save that part of the video, but it did take me a minute to figure out why it was hovering so close to the ground and filming a rather large man in the distance..

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-4-2 13:40
Yes, that's a great idea, something I myself must purchase.
I need to buy a can of that, for an old Marantz  2325 stereo receiver.

I have a nitro powered r/c truggy that I sometimes use it on when compressed air just won't do it and it feels really wrong to be wetting the electrics but man does it do a good job. It even cleans the motor really well. It's good sh1t but not cheap so I try not to get to carried away and mostly use air.

Mobilcams Posted at 2017-4-2 14:23
I didn't save that part of the video, but it did take me a minute to figure out why it was hovering so close to the ground and filming a rather large man in the distance..

Well, too bad. That would have been your money shot. Haha



RedHotPoker

mic75 Posted at 2017-4-2 15:12
I have a nitro powered r/c truggy that I sometimes use it on when compressed air just won't do it and it feels really wrong to be wetting the electrics but man does it do a good job. It even cleans the motor really well. It's good sh1t but not cheap so I try not to get to carried away and mostly use air.

Yes, I have a monster '69 Charger RT with big block. If can get pretty dirty, when I take it out to the fields.
So I have several places that contact cleaner could be well used...
Eh, it looks like we have the exact same surface RC. ;-)



RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-4-4 10:39
Yes, I have a monster '69 Charger RT with big block. If can get pretty dirty, when I take it out to the fields.
So I have several places that contact cleaner could be well used...
Eh, it looks like we have the exact same surface RC. ;-)

Yes I like the sprektrum gear. Mine came with the ride.