Always hand spin your motors before take-off.

[Mark The Droner]

Yes sir, I read your post and I can tell you have experience with DIY and made a thoughtful decision there with the oil. And it may very well have been the right one.

 

[MedinaTaylor]

Drogon,

Sure but it will probably be a while before I do it again. I only intend to do this when I "feel" unusual resistance.

Jerry

How many miles did you have on your Phantom before it needed this "service"?

 

[Jtrjr]

Med,

I'm not sure, I'd have to look it up. It wasn't an intended "service". I recently started to feel a bit of resistance which just didn't seem right. This prompted me to look for a possible solution. I have 4 new motors on the way just in case it starts to come back. This morning they all feel the same.

Jerry

 

[Jtrjr]

This is how the motors spin this morning after applying the oil yesterday. I wish I had done a "before" clip so you could see the difference. A big difference in all motors. Again, I'm not telling others that they should do this, I'm just sharing what I chose to do with others.

Jerry

 

[captainmilehigh]

Jtrjr -- thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas. I never really took the time to spin the props/motors preflight to be sure they were normal (still new at the drone thing) but I will from now on. And, thanks to all others on this thread and the forum. I learn something new every day. Blue skies and calm winds to all.


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[Phantomfreak]

Another note, I also check for heat on my motors whenever I land or swap batteries. If one motor is hotter than another there may be a potential issue. I'm doing these things as there really isn't any way to predict catastrophic motor failure. Just some things to do to help prevent issues before they create bigger issues. JMHO, of course!

Jerry

This I do with any RC model that has multiple motors, always a good idea after use


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[Reed L]

Will the addition of oil attract dirt and dust? I think it must.

The amount of oil that's being put on is the size of a pin tip. The oil goes into the bearings and you dab off the excess if any with a Q-tip. So you're not just putting on a drop, it's just a small droplet that you can barely see. It's best to use a good magnifier. Being that it's likely that a small amount of dust that is getting into the bearing in the first place, there is always some dust involved. There's some good videos on motor take down, here's a couple -

 

[alokbhargava]

Excellent. I had seen this before but had lost the reference to it. Thanks for sharing.

So there are three stages to get perfect balancing:

Step 1. Balance props
Step 2. Balance motors
Step 3. Balance motors with props

I have never done this so really do not know the amount of improvement we will get after total balancing. Will this mod affect only the bearing life or something more? Motor costs $20 but thrill of running a balanced system is invaluable.

 

[DPD]

I watched this video and maybe I missed it but did he do a test with the Motors before he took off the tape from the factory? I could be wrong but maybe the tape from the factory is put on so when you get them they are all ready balanced. I'm not saying it's not a good idea, I would like to see a controlled test and see if the motors were out of balance to begin with..


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[Reed L]

I watched this video and maybe I missed it but did he do a test with the Motors before he took off the tape from the factory? I could be wrong but maybe the tape from the factory is put on so when you get them they are all ready balanced. I'm not saying it's not a good idea, I would like to see a controlled test and see if the motors were out of balance to begin with..


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Yes, he did show the unbalanced motors with the stickers on. The tape or label from the factory is just put on anywhere...

 

[DPD]

Ok. My bad, don't recall seeing it..


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[m0j0]

Seems like the benefit is outweighed by the chance that you could create more of a problem by making it more likely to collect dust and then really seize the motor. I'm flying the crap out of mine.. I'm not oiling anything. It's warrantied.... If it drops DJI can fix it. Even after warranty I won't be dropping oil into the motor.

Flame away..


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[RedHotPoker]

My exact thoughts too. Oiling a sealed bearing? Questionable...
Yes, it would seem a place for minute dirt dust and debri particles to collect. But as they say, YMMV. ;-)
If you indeed do have a troubled motor, and lubricating it may have made it seem to run freer, but that doesn't mean you alleviated the original problem. As this only masked it, and had lulled yourself into a false sense of security. ;-)
Hopefully I am wrong, and you continue to enjoy that drone without any malfunctions or concerns.

RedHotPoker

 

[Jtrjr]

As this only masked it, and had lulled yourself into a false sense of security. ;-)

Poker,

I think you missed some important parts of my OP.

"I ordered up a few more motors and decided to look a little deeper. These are sealed bearings, right? They don't need any oil, right?"

And...

"Am I telling you to do this? Hell, no! I'm telling you that it worked for me (so far). I'm just sharing my personal experience."

I'm not an expert at anything and don't profess to being such. Just sharing my experience, that's all. I don't think I could have been any clearer about that throughout this thread.

Respectfully,

Jerry

 

[Jtrjr]

Flame away..

Mojo,

Certainly no need to flame anyone in this thread. I'm still quite concerned about the original motor issue. I have 4 new motors on the way. I just thought it was worth dropping a note about my experience at this point. I come here to learn and to share the very little I have to offer.

Jerry

 

[Imabiggles]

I have always done this but it seems many don't. You need to "feel" the resistance in your motors. If you don't, you're never going to know if something is going amiss. Yesterday, I did this and one motor didn't "feel" right. It had more resistance that the other three. I took my air compressor, turned it down to 30psi and blew some air through the motor (making sure my compressor was clear of any water). It was still not right. It still had a bit more resistance than the other three. I took it down to the shop to look at it further. It was clearly different.

I ordered up a few more motors and decided to look a little deeper. These are sealed bearings, right? They don't need any oil, right? Having worked on motorcycles my whole life, that's what it "felt" like to me, like it needed oil. I have some Tri-Flow "Superior Lubricant" oil here for other stuff. Super lightweight. I decide to try it. It has a tiny nozzle, almost like a syringe on it. I put a drop on the top bearing, pull the motor from the arm and put "a drop" on the bottom bearing. I turn the motor back and forth, over and over again. It seems like its working. I decide to do the same to the other three motors. It all looks good. I give it a bit of time to seep in and keep hand spinning the motors. First sitting on the landing gear and then turning it upside-down.

I hook up the RC to the bird and power her up (no props) and spin the motors for a while. Let her sit again for a bit. Now the motors all feel close to the same. I push a bit more air (low pressure) through both the top and the bottom of the motors just to spread it around and get the residual out and all is good. Motors feel consistent and she flies like a dream! Sealed bearings or not, it had a big impact.

Am I telling you to do this? Hell, no! I'm telling you that it worked for me (so far). I'm just sharing my personal experience.

Just really get to know your bird.

Jerry

if high speed sealed bearings need lubricant, then the bearing is damaged and lubing it will prolong life slightly. Lubing a bearing that isnt damaged is likely to cause damage and your will screw the pooch on that motor when its working. The seal can become damaged with MANY types of lube.

 

[Multicoptertec]

I would be extremely careful with oil around plastic. No matter how little oil you think you applied, the oil can easily migrate onto nearby plastic, this process is accelerated when you run the motors. I have seen the damage done when this happens. Plastic is made from oils. Oils can turn plastic to mush!

 

[RedHotPoker]

Poker,

I think you missed some important parts of my OP.

"I ordered up a few more motors and decided to look a little deeper. These are sealed bearings, right? They don't need any oil, right?"

And...

"Am I telling you to do this? Hell, no! I'm telling you that it worked for me (so far). I'm just sharing my personal experience."

I'm not an expert at anything and don't profess to being such. Just sharing my experience, that's all. I don't think I could have been any clearer about that throughout this thread.

Respectfully,

Jerry

I would never lightly oil sealed bearings, but just replace them.
I didn't miss anything, it was all understood. Good luck. ;-)

RedHotPoker

 

[Jtrjr]

Some very good points have been made in this thread. I am concerned that the bearing itself may be damaged, that dirt and dust may collect where the oil was applied and that the oil may have a negative impact on the plastic and seals. However, for me that's what these forums are about. I haven't been able to do much flying due to weather issues but I have continued to research and read.

I came down to the shop this morning and thoroughly inspected everything again. I see absolutely no residual oil, on the motors themselves or on any plastic parts. I pushed low pressure air back through the motors and no oil is showing up on my white shop towels. Obviously, There is no dirt or dust build-up since I haven't been able to fly much.

I truly appreciate all of the feedback received from everyone. I will continue to monitor these motors carefully but at this point I am not going to replace the suspect motor or any of the other "oiled" motors. I think this is a perfect opportunity to see (test) whether a simple fix like this actually works or whether it's a total fail. Perhaps there was a tiny piece of dirt or debris that was dislodged by the air or oil. Who knows. What I do know is that they look fine and they "feel" great.

I live in the boonies and have thousands of uninhabited farm acres to fly over. I also have other birds that I can take out on trips with me. For now, I will fly this bird here on my property and I'll carefully inspect it after flying sessions. I'll continue to post my results here.

Thank you to everyone for your participation and thoughts in this thread!

Jerry

 

[alokbhargava]

Thank you Jerry for sharing your experience with us. I liked the debate on the topic. We got 180 deg out replies too.

We all know sealed bearings don't need lube but I liked the points raised by all to come to the right conclusion.

Sometimes we rub the idea of other as we too confident of our knowledge but we should be open to listen to what others are saying as they may have a point too. Idea of discussion here is not to show supremacy, it should be rather to conclude what's best for us. This is the way we learn and march ahead.