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Clean & Maintain a Brushless Motor
I was a nitro only man for a long time for a reason. Electric motors with brushes, commutators, break-ins and general life of the motor made my head spin. Then came brushless motors and things changed.
They generate more power than brushed motors, and they are very low maintenance. Even though they are low maintenance, they are not "no" maintenance. From time to time, you should remove your brushless motor and do some general cleaning and maintaining.
It can seem a little intimidating at first, but fret not, it's a simple process. How often you have to do this depends on use. A heavy user might want to do this once a month, where a light user can get away with once a year.
Step #1 - Remove the Motor
Start by removing the motor from the vehicle. This can be the most difficult part of the process or the easiest depending on the motor. The Tekin motor I will be cleaning today is a true race setup, so the wires solder down directly to the post on the motor. I thought ahead and installed some bullets when installing the electronics for this motor so removal is easy.
Step 2 - Clean the Outside of Motor
You never want to open up a motor until you clean the outside first. Especially if you run off-road or hit a lot of mud while bashing. Any debris that is stuck to the motor can find its way inside and cause damage later. Wipe the motor down with a soft rag and use a brush to get any hard to reach places clean. Make sure you pay extra attention to the exposed sections of the bearings and the sensor wire plug if your motor has one.
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