Intermittent motor just fixed itself - or did it?

Lofty Visions · Aug 10, 2015

Hi folks

I have a P2V+ for work and it's been 100% reliable since we bought it in February. I took it on Qantas to Melbourne not long ago and the first time i flew after I returned i had an intermittent front motor issue but only on idle. It'd spin fine but every few seconds there would be a momentary "blip" in the motor's power. Once in the air it was flying fine, but I was a bit wary just in case it failed whilst up high so I landed it. I thought it might have been the ESC on it's way out.

Anyhow, a few days later I was just about to return it to the dealer when I thought I'd check the motor again but now it seems to be working fine again. I hovered the bird 3m off the ground for a whole battery and still nothing wrong. Not that I'm complaining of course but I was wondering if anyone else has had this issue that's gone away on it's own? I was thinking maybe the motor had some dirt or something in it that's fallen out since, perhaps. Strange....

Lofty Visions · Aug 10, 2015

Aaaannnnnd now it's doing it again. Back to the dealer then... :-/

RoyVa · Aug 11, 2015

Can't be trusted needs attention. Motor or ESC issue. Could be a cold solder joint but need to be check out and FIXed before flying or else you may end up with a lot of damage from a crash.

MapMaker53 · Aug 11, 2015

Consider yourself very lucky to get a warning while on the ground. If something is going to go bad, it generally happens when in the air and ends in disaster. Don't ever brush off a warning from the Phantom gods.

Lofty Visions · Aug 11, 2015

Yep I took it back to the dealer. Now the wait begins. They reckon 4 to 6 weeks!

I'm about to do my casa certification then start a business, so it will be interesting to see exactly how long the process takes. I think I might have to buy 2 Phantoms and keep one as a spare

dannytroy · Aug 11, 2015

Bigcat said:
Yep I took it back to the dealer. Now the wait begins. They reckon 4 to 6 weeks!

I'm about to do my casa certification then start a business, so it will be interesting to see exactly how long the process takes. I think I might have to buy 2 Phantoms and keep one as a spare

I had a similar problem and thought hoped it would correct itself. I was flying off my boat when it decided to crap out. In the drink it went, narrowly missing people on my boat. Lesson learned. Any sign of a problem, replace the motor and the ESC, if you know exactly which motor is causing the problem. BTW, I've been into RC planes (electric) for many years, and the problem is usually the ESC, not the motor. On a fixed wing model I'd only replace the ESC, but on a quad I'd replace both. Deadstick landings aren't the same on a quad!

Lofty Visions · Aug 12, 2015

Yeah I thought it might be the ESC. Luckily I didn't attempt any further use at height after the issue appeared. Will post up DJI's findings when I (eventually) get it back

Jayfdee · Aug 24, 2015

I had my first and only crash a few weeks ago, the Phantom suddenly tipped forward at about 45 degrees and crashed,fortunately into long grass, and with minimal damage.
I reviewed the crash footage frame by frame, and as the quad tipped forward the camera could see the prop blades, the front right one appeared to be turning, but the front left appeared to be stopped.
I opened up the quad and checked all connections etc, and it now flies correctly,but I have no confidence, so I am replacing the motors and ESCs before flying again. I have had about 150 flights. I sourced 4 new motors and ESCs for about £100 on ebay. Rather spend £100, than lose an £800 quad.