Breaking in brushed motor

[valve90210]

Hi

I'm going to be building an ECX Amp today and before running it I was planning on running the motor in using the water method. From what I've read ad seens, it's a case of submerging the motor in water and gently and gradually running in at different speeds for a good 10 minutes or so. I was then going to give it a good spray with motor cleaner to make sure any dirt etc from the process is cleaned out.

Is there anything else I need to do or consider before doing so?

 

[i_r_beej]

I've broken in a couple of brushed motors using the water submersion method. Honestly, these are "disposable" motors and you'll not get much return on extravagant break-in procedures. Ten minutes is plenty. You'll see the water get cloudy as the brushes wear away and seat to the commutator. I've just turned the throttle trim up on my Tx until the motor starts spinning and then leave it for a few mins. Then turn the trim up more and leave it for another few minutes.

Once done, throughly spray out the interior of the motor with motor cleaner to drive out the water and then apply a drop of oil to the bushing at each end. Tri-Flow is EXCELLENT for this as it has a little PTFE (Teflon) in it.

Almost more important than the break-in is keeping the brushes and commutator as clean as is practical. After every second or third battery pack, spray only the brushes and comm with the motor cleaner. Clean after every run/session if you're running in the dirt. You can leave the motor in the car when you do this, just tilt the car so that the rinsate runs out of the endbell side of the motor. You don't want to let the cleaner spray get the the pinion side of the motor otherwise you'll need to remove the motor and re-apply lube to that bushing. When you start spraying the excess cleaner fluid will come out gray and dirty looking and quickly run clear. Let dry and then re-apply a drop of lube to the endbell bushing.