Cleaning your motors?...

[Malakite]

Hi Guys, I have a can of: Fastrax accelerator motor wash, but I've never used it.  Can someone give me some tips please?  Thanks! :-)

[94eg!]

If the motor has ball bearings, then don't use it unless you are prepared to fully wash out & re-lube them.  Once you shoot those chemicals in there, it will wash all the fine dust/dirt down into the bearing AND break down the grease inside.  This means you must fully clean the bearings to remove all the old dirt & grease,

To clean a motor, it must be fully disassembled down to bare parts.  Repeatedly soak the bearings in spray and then spin.  Spin the bearings with a small screw-driver or even the rotor shaft.  Absorb spray with a q-tip or towel.  You will know the bearings are fully cleaned when they spin perfectly smooth ONCE COMPLETELY DRY.  To dry the motor spray, simply blow hard with your mouth while spinning.  If you can't get the bearings to turn perfectly smooth without lube, then it's time to replace them.

Re-oiling them is as simple as applying a small drop to the outside metal shield and letting it soak in.  The problem is oil is not as long-lasting as grease.  It also doesn't make as good of a dust barrier.  This means you have to maintain the motor a bit more than previously.  The good news is the oil alone will allow the motor to run with less drag.

Everything else can be cleaned with spray and paper towel.  Don't mix up the motor shims, and don't forget to put the motor timing back how you found it.  Also don't over lube the bearings.  They should be dry on the outside.  Too much oil will make a mess inside the motor.

[Malakite]

14 minutes ago, 94eg! said:

If the motor has ball bearings, then don't use it unless you are prepared to fully wash out & re-lube them.  Once you shoot those chemicals in there, it will wash all the fine dust/dirt down into the bearing AND break down the grease inside.  This means you must fully clean the bearings to remove all the old dirt & grease,

To clean a motor, it must be fully disassembled down to bare parts.  Repeatedly soak the bearings in spray and then spin.  Spin the bearings with a small screw-driver or even the rotor shaft.  Absorb spray with a q-tip or towel.  You will know the bearings are fully cleaned when they spin perfectly smooth ONCE COMPLETELY DRY.  To dry the motor spray, simply blow hard with your mouth while spinning.  If you can't get the bearings to turn perfectly smooth without lube, then it's time to replace them.

Re-oiling them is as simple as applying a small drop to the outside metal shield and letting it soak in.  The problem is oil is not as long-lasting as grease.  It also doesn't make as good of a dust barrier.  This means you have to maintain the motor a bit more than previously.  The good news is the oil alone will allow the motor to run with less drag.

Everything else can be cleaned with spray and paper towel.  Don't mix up the motor shims, and don't forget to put the motor timing back how you found it.  Also don't over lube the bearings.  They should be dry on the outside.  Too much oil will make a mess inside the motor.

wow - thank you sir! A little more to it than I thought!! So with a basic 540 can, would you still recommend doing all of the above??  Can I not just spray inside and allow to dry??...

[waterbok]

The standard silvercans will also need a drop of oil on the bearing, I just drop those in a glass of distilled water and run them on 3v for a few secs.

[Illogical]

I wonder if there is any real difference if you used general automotive brake and parts cleaner (basically just a spray can of methanol, acetone and toluene). Use a light machine oil on the bearings afterwards - like sewing machine oil (some electric razors come with a little bottle of such oil).

[GooneyBird]

11 hours ago, Illogical said:

I wonder if there is any real difference if you used general automotive brake and parts cleaner (basically just a spray can of methanol, acetone and toluene). Use a light machine oil on the bearings afterwards - like sewing machine oil (some electric razors come with a little bottle of such oil).

That is essentially how I clean my brushed motors. I run a stock class, with closed end bell motors, so you can't take them apart to clean (or tweak) them.

I hold the motor over a trash can or something, and blow a can of brake cleaner through it until the liquid dripping out of it becomes clear. I then water-dip it, running it on two batteries out of an old stick pack for about a minute while fully submerged. Take it out of the dirty water and blow it dry with compressed air. After it's fully dry I put a drop of machine oil (I now use Yeah Racing bearing oil, but have previously used all sorts of light oils) on the bushings at either end and wait for it to soak in. 

I then mount it back in the car and proceed to carefully not end up in the A-mains as planned.

[94eg!]

Motor spray (or electronic parts cleaner) is just more gentle than brake cleaner.  It's easier on plastic parts and on your lungs.  It is a bit more expensive though.  Personally I use QD Electronic Parts cleaner by CRC.  It's the same stuff but you can find it at Walmart for cheap in the Automotive section.

Yes for a silver can you just blast it out and re-oil the bushings at both ends once dry.  Motors like to be clean.