Inspire 2 motor locked up.

[Rik Christiansen]

Hi, I was packing my Inspire 2 away after a recent flight and found the rear ccw motor had locked up. It had a small amount of lateral play and after some ‘wiggling’ it seemed to release and spin freely again. However after getting it out on the bench at home it has again locked up with only small movements possible. Has anyone else had this happen or have any ideas? I will be stripping the motor down t some point over the day or two as need to get it back in the air for work asap.

 

[Jorge Vergara Latoja]

Hi, I was packing my Inspire 2 away after a recent flight and found the rear ccw motor had locked up. It had a small amount of lateral play and after some ‘wiggling’ it seemed to release and spin freely again. However after getting it out on the bench at home it has again locked up with only small movements possible. Has anyone else had this happen or have any ideas? I will be stripping the motor down t some point over the day or two as need to get it back in the air for work asap.

Hello Stick.! .. The radial or axial movement that the axis of a motor can have is not normal in the case of drone motors, even more so because of what you say, that the motor jammed. This is an indication that the motor bearings are damaged, the race where they surround the steel balls may be beaten or simply worn, due to use, or due to material fatigue. I do not suggest that you repair the bearings, if this is the problem, simply change them and put new ones, the fact of "unlocking" the bearings does not ensure that they do not lock again. Perhaps when the engine is running it does not lock, due to the turning force of the engine, because the problem is just emerging, but this can grow and eventually lock up the engine in mid-flight. When the bearings present misadjustment, this also causes an increase in temperature in the same, there is a degradation of the lubricating element, which in most cases can be special greases to withstand high temperatures, but that does not make them immune to degradation by constant high temperatures, as occurs in a bearing with misadjustment. Changing the bearings or changing the motor would be the best solution. Now it may be that some garbage has entered the interior of the engine and at times causes it to lock. Good luck with your Inspire 2.! .. Greetings.!

 

[Rik Christiansen]

Solved! And a word of warning to all Inspire 2 operators. So after removing the motor I found that one of the small plastic lugs from the quick lock mechanism had become detached and had ingressed into the motor housing causing the unit to lock up. This piece is obviously getting stressed so I have taken the precaution of ordering a complete new set and will be replacing all four corners with new items. I suggest anyone with an Inspire 2 does the same. It's not a complicated and takes about 5 min to do.

 

[hhung516]

Thanks for sharing! That looks like something should’ve never come loose, seems like a very bad design. Glad you caught it before causing a catastrophe!

 

[skywalkerair]

Hi, I was packing my Inspire 2 away after a recent flight and found the rear ccw motor had locked up. It had a small amount of lateral play and after some ‘wiggling’ it seemed to release and spin freely again. However after getting it out on the bench at home it has again locked up with only small movements possible. Has anyone else had this happen or have any ideas? I will be stripping the motor down t some point over the day or two as need to get it back in the air for work asap.

I recently decided to transition to the Xoar carbon fiber blades. While I was trying to loosen the prop screws they stripped (of course.. I didn’t take the advice and preheat the screws to soften the adhesive bond) and long story short I had to replace 2 of the motors. The motor replacement process is fairly easy and I must say that the CF props are MUCH quieter and have a lower frequency (the Inspire doesn’t sound so angry). The long story is that is was a nightmare and it started off with trying to salvage the motor heads. I broke out the Dremel in hopes of salvaging the motors but in the end the price of new motors isn’t much $$ and the result cost a bit more but was worth it. Biggest problem was ensuring the motors didn’t get metal debris in them because the magnets are strong. If those magnets get debris in them you’re motors will start having problems. That’s why working on the Inspire motors I always tape them so that metallic debris doesn’t get sucked into those motors magnets. That’s just my experience.