Our motors are known to feature the lowest operating temperatures, but some underlying issues in the setup can lead to unusual temperature developments. Please refer to the steps below:
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Troubleshooting
Over the years we have diagnosed and solved a variety of issues on all sorts of platforms and setups. Almost all of them can be attributed to one of the reasons featured below, and we hope that our experience will help you to narrow down the issue you're experiencing.
How to use this guide
While we are working on expanding this information to give you a flowchart like process to locate your issue, please select the most fitting basic issue you're experiencing, and refer to the "what to check" information beneath.
Motor Temperature
If you have the feeling your motor might be running above its expected operating temperature, please start here
Electrical Issues
Should your motor not start, shut down in flight, twitch or not run smoothly, please start here
Mechanical Issues
Please refer to this section if you notice any mechanical issues when rotating the motor (sounds, resistances and alike).
Motor temperature
Step 1
Get a temperature reading
In order to determine whether your motor is really outside of its expected operating temperature range, it is essential to get an accurate reading. So please bring your temp gun (laser thermometer) to the field with you and measure the temperature directly after the flight on top of the can (the part with the laser etched design), and don't aim for the shaft or the ventilation holes on the side of the bell, as these will give you false reference readings.
The old "touch test" won't get you anywhere, as anything above 100°F/38°C will realistically feel "too hot to touch", making temperatures above these values very hard to distinguish.
Please note: Smaller motors tend to almost always run warmer than larger ones, due to their smaller stator volume and reduced capability for heat dissipation.
Step 2
Compare your results
Once you have a proper temperature reading, compare it to the reference table below. Please note that a variety of factors (incl. components used, flying style, model weight, gearing and mesh/belt tension, ambient temperature, canopy and fuselage shapes and alike) will affect the operating temperature of your motor. Therefore the ranges indicated are only to be considered as a rough guideline.
Usual operating temperatures:
Very low temperature: <40°C / <105°F
Low temperature: 40-50°C / 105-125°F
Medium temperature: 50-65°C / 125-150°F
Warm temperature: 65-75°C / 150-170°F *
Hot temperature: >75°C / >170°F *
* While it's not impossible for motor temperatures to reach up to 70°C / 160°F on aggressive 3d flight or extremely hot summer temperatures, any measured values in excess of 65°C/150°F should be looked into to rule out issues in the setup.
Please note: All components used in our motors are rated to withstand short term temperatures of 220°C / 430°F. As you will never see these kind of temperatures during regular operation, your motor realistically won't usually take damage from running hot alone, but as higher temperatures are in most cases a symptom of underlying issues (settings, gearing) and running inefficiently, it is important to investigate the root cause and fix it.
Step 3
Verify the used screw length
The first and easiest thing to check and rule out is the screw length used for attaching the motor to your model.
Using mounting screws that are too long (protrude into the motor's base) can cause magnetic interference, or even a short. Please look into the (mounted) motor's base from the side and make sure that the screws don't exceed the lower base plate by more than a millimeter maximum.
Please try to use the screws from your model's kit first, as they are usually of the correct length. The screws supplied with our motors are generic options and not guaranteed to fit your model.
Step 4
Check Your timing settings
A characteristic of a high quality build motor is that it will react very granularly to finest changes in the settings (much like a race car engine). Therefore it is essential to check and set the correct timing (advance value) for your motor in your esc.
Please refer to our ESC Configuration page for more details on how to set and find the proper timing and pwm frequency.
Step 5
Check your gear mesh / belt tension
One of the most common reasons for motors to run above their expected temperatures, is when they are forced to work against a resistance. Please check your gear mesh or belt tension (depending on your model) and make sure they are set up properly and not overly tight. Too much tension/friction will not only cause excessive temperatures and inefficiencies, but can also damage the shaft and bearings in your motor.
While you're at it, please make sure to check that your drivetrain is running smoothly (with and without the motor installed).
Step 6
Check your gearing / gear ratio
Should none of the aforementioned steps have led to any findings, please reevaluate the gearing in your model. Our Headspeed Calculator tool will help you to check if the gearing you chose for your model is actually correct, or you're running the setup outside of its intended specifications.
Electrical Issues
While the motor is equally usually only a symptom in this scenario, here are a few things to check should your motor / setup shut down in flight:
Step 0
Check your batteries
Not really a step of its own and rather trivial, but it has certainly happened to all of us: Check the voltage (and health) of your packs, and try to reproduce the issue with a different (new and good condition) pack.
Step 1
Check your gearing and Headspeed
Please use our Headspeed Calculator tool to verify your gearing and motor Kv match your desired headspeed(s). We generally recommend to aim for a throttle value of 80% to reach your target rpm. Should your headspeeds (or rather: the throttle percentages required to achieve those) interfere with a potential governor's range (85% and above), or max out the motor and gearing combination (>100%), your setup might not operate properly.
Step 2
Check your connectors
A bad (solder) connection or improper connectors used in the esc-motor connection (and equally, the battery-esc connection) will prevent the necessary power to be supplied to the motor. Please check your solder joints and the intactness of all the wiring (and make sure that no sharb bends on the wires caused any internal damage to the leads).
Please note: The motor-esc gold plated bullet connectors that come with our motors are not cheap bundle items, but high-quality Amass connectors and we urge you to (only) use these for the motor side esc connection.
Step 3
Follow the signal
Should all the mechanical and electrical setup be fine, the next thing to check is the actual signal to the motor. While this is being transmitted from the esc in the form of phase charges, please also check the sources of the throttle signal (flybarless unit, governor, receiver) to rule out an interruption in the chain.
Please try to use the screws from your model's kit first, as they are usually of the correct length. The screws supplied with our motors are generic options and not guaranteed to fit your model.
Step 4
Check your pwm frequency
While most popular escs come with either pre-defined or default refresh rate (pwm frequency) settings that are high enough to drive modern motors, there are some escs out there with very dated default settings. These can lead to a strange twitching behaviour in the motor, and you might need to raise the settings to something more appropriate. Please refer to our ESC Configuration page for more details.
How to detect and avoid shorts
Most RC models tend to vibrate quite a bit, and one of the easiest ways to create a short in your motor is by running motor phase wires across sharp or carbon fibre frame edges. Please pay attention and secure your wires / protect sharp edges accordingly during installation.
Should you really have shorted your motor, please get in touch with our service team as we can supply you with a spare bottom half motor (see info on the Service & Spare Parts page), but please inspect your phase wires and the mounting screw length to avoid sacrificing another perfectly good motor to the same issue.
Please pay attention not to cut any metal pieces (incl. shafts and frame parts) on your workbench, as tiny fragments (or small screws) can easily get sucked into the motor through its magnetic force. Always perform any cutting safely away from your assembly area, and make sure that no loose screws can get attracted either.
Bonus Step
Tip: Differential diagnosis
One of the fastest and easiest ways to narrow down the source of an issue, is swapping components. Just like in the popular "Mastermind" game from the 80s and 90s, you're effectively pulling pins (one by one) to see if the issue persists in the different configuration.
Example:
Should your motor not turn on or shut down, and this issue cannot be reproduced when you connect it to a different speed controller, you know immediately that the motor is fine, and not the root of the issue.
Mechanical Issues
Should you notice any strange noises or friction coming from your motor, please check the following steps:
Step 1
Identify and locate the issue
The first step in identifying any mechanical issues is to ensure that the sound (and most mechanical issues entail this as a side effect) really originates from the motor, and not a different component of the drivetrain. (It can be hard sometimes to pinpoint the exact source and to mistake the motor for being responsible).
Please remove the motor from the model and move the drivetrain by hand, to make sure it's running smoothly. After that, carefully (and don't do so against any resistance as you might damage the unit) try to rotate the motor by hand, and look for any scratching or clicking sound or any resistance you can feel.
To guarantee all motors purchased from us arrive in pristine (and working) condition, every single motor EGODRIFT motor is individually laser balanced, inspected and tested prior to being packaged.
Step 2
Is the motor new or has it been used before?
Balancing (and testing) the motors on our specialized laser balancing machine involves spinning up the units several times, so any mechanical or electrical issues would highly likely have shown during this procedure. In rare cases a tiny strain of epoxy from the stator coating or balancing fluid can remain "sticking out" towards the rotor from the final application, but these wear off during the first few turns of the motor.
Should the motor be new, and this issue be noticeable without drivetrain attached, please get in touch with us so that we can examine the issue with you.
In case the motor has been used before, please proceed to the next steps.
Step 3
Check the bearings
While the high quality beaings and shafts used in our motors are usually good for several hundred flights, certain factors (especially force from improper gear mesh / belt tension setup, but also sandy/dusty or salty environments) can lead to reduced wear on the shaft and bearings. Before disassembling the motor, please try to see if you can notice any horizontal play of the motor bell, or notice any clicking sounds when turning the motor by hand (damaged ball bearing ball).
Tip: You can also check the bearings with a spare shaft once you have the motor disassembled. Just feed it into the bearings from the top and bottom, and rotate each bearing individually to notice inconsistencies.
Step 4
Make sure the shaft sits flush
The end of the shaft should sit perfectly flush with the top of the motor bell (with the laser design and model info). For information on how to loosen the shaft and correct its position, please refer to the shaft & bearing installation video on our Service & Spare Parts page.
Step 5
Check the bell assembly and washer
The motor bell (rotor) consists of two parts: The bell (the part with the laser design) and the iron ring (the section with the cooling grooves). Both are glued together and in rare cases (especially unfortunate crashes onto the edge of the motor), these can come apart. Please check that the two parts sit firmly against each other, and that there is no visible gap between them in the top.
A small gap (~1 to 1.5mm) between the base and the bell is part of the design to prevent any rubbing of the two parts against each other. Should this gap not be visible in your model (anymore), the bell has likely separated - please inspect the top connection for visible gaps that shouldn't exist.
Also check that the washer between the base and the c-clip is still present, as it is responsible for holding the rotor in place. Should it be absent (have gone missing), the bell will have too much lateral play.
Step 6
Disassemble to check for obstructions
Should none of the above steps have solved the issue, it's time to take the bell off the motor. Please refer to the Shaft & Bearing Kit Installation video on our Service & Spare Parts page on how to do so safely, and check the interior for obstructions or scratch marks.
Sometimes reseating the rotor (taking it off and installing it again) is enough to fix an issue. Also please pay attention that the bell assembly is fully inserted into the bottom half (and the last bit might require a gentle push to lock in place).