R/C Tips & Tricks
Motors
- Five Steps to Clean Motors
- The first thing you need to do is remove your motor from the vehicle. Now remove the brush
springs and take the motor brushes out from under the brush hoods.
- Using a high-quality motor cleaner insert the spray tube into the endbell and spray for about 2 to
3 seconds or until the fluid coming out of the motor is clear. Be sure to spray both bushings or
bearings at the ends of the motor. If the motor brushes are still attached to the motor be sure not
to get any motor cleaner on the brushes.
- Install a pinion gear on to the motor shaft. Insert a comm stick into one of the brush hoods and
turn the motor about 10 or 20 revolutions until the comm is nice and shiny. Now spray the motor
again to get rid of any comm or comm stick material that might be in the motor.
- Determine whether or not you’re going to replace your brushes or motor springs. Both springs
should look identical when placed side by side. The brushes should be replaced if they look
damaged, worn, or show signs of bad discoloration from heat. If you decide not to replace the
brushes clean the brush faces with your comm stick.
- Reinstall the brushes and springs and add one drop of oil to each bushing or bearing at the ends
of the motor. Be sure to use a bearing or bushing specific oil and use one drop only. Bearing oils
are thinner than bushing oils. That’s it. You’re all done and your motor is back in shape.
- Schottky Who?
If you use a plug connector between your speed control and the motor and you use Schottky diodes,
then I've got a tip for you. Instead of installing the Schottky diode to the motor, attach it to the leads
coming out of the speed control at the end on the plug. Schottky diodes have a positive and negative
end, so be sure that you solder them correctly. For those hot modified motors, it's a good idea to
solder another diode to the motor; that means you'll have two diodes working for you.
- Comm Cutting
This is a tip I learned by watching Mike Reedy cut a comm one time. Once you have the comm ready
to cut and spinning on the lathe, run a felt-tip marker over the comm. When the entire comm is
covered by ink, you can begin cutting. The ink does two things; it acts as a lubricant for the bit and it
helps you to see where you've already cut.
- Pinion Setscrew
Use threadlock on the setscrew in the pinion. This way it won't come loose in the middle of a race.
- Motor Storage
Store your motors in old pill bottles to help protect them.
- Motor Springs
Remove your motor springs when not in use to keep them from wearing out.
- Motor Protection
Glue a small screen over your motor’s cooling holes to keep rocks and dirt out of it.
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