How to Maintain a Brushless Motor?

Brushless motors have several advantages over brushed DC motors, and they are widely used for radio control models. One reason is that they require very little maintenance. However, they are not mean "no" maintenance. Like every part of your vehicle the motor should be cleaned when dusty, dirty, muddy or even wet. For the purpose of optimum performance, we need to inspect and clean motor after using for a long time. Usually, a heavy user might do this once a month, where a light user can get away with once a year.

Here we will talk about how to maintain and rebuild your brushless motor.

To maintain a brushless motor is a "disassemble – clean – rebuild" process.  First, we will talk about how to disassemble.

It seems a little intimidating, but frets not, it's a simple process. Start by removing the motor from the model, and brushless motors have very few parts, so it’s easy to take them apart for cleaning. It seems that the operation is removing the screws. On the rotor, there is a spacer and a couple small shims – do not lose these. Don’t forget to note the order in which the spacers or washers are installed.

Then, it is the clean job. Use a small brush and light air pressure to clean inside the motor. And clear the rotor (the rotating part of the motor), can parts and stator. Too much motor/brake cleaner can harm the insulation of the wired resulting in short circuits and failures. Dirty bearings are best cleaned with a cotton bud, damaged or too dirty bearings need to be replaced with new ones.

After clean and inspect the motor’s major components and lubed the bearings, it is ready for the last step: rebuild. Use zip-ties to secure the power leads and the sensor wires and to keep them away from spinning parts. Make sure you use the correct screws and the correct motor timing on motors, and then your brushless system is ready for action.

If you have any problem, feel free to contact me.