Electric Motor Break In

It’s been a while since we have added a new Tips For Bashers post, so I thought I’d help out and get things rolling with a quick Electric Motor Break-In Tip.

Ever wonder how some people get extraordinary life span out of a stock motor and others only get a couple of weeks? Well, it most likely comes down to how well the motor was broken in. One of the best ways to break in a closed endbell motor is to use the water-dip method.

Here is how it is done:

First, you will need a container that is large enough to fully submerge the motor in water. Sure, you could use a bucket or even a bathtub for that matter, but I use a cheap plastic cup.

You will also need a 2 to 3 volt power source. Since water and electricity do not mix, I recommend using batteries. Such as 2 cells of a side by side NiMh pack and some clip leads.

Using clip leads, connect the motor to the battery. Connect the positive terminal of the battery to the positive (red wire) of the motor. Likewise, connect the negative terminal of the battery to the negative (black wire) of the motor. Then lower the running motor into the water. Note; It’s better to lower a running motor into the water than to start a motor already submerged, otherwise you will get very wet. Let the motor run for about 50 minutes. Yes, that’s fifty minutes. Depending on the size of your battery, you may need to either switch batteries or stop and recharge the battery.

The way to tell when the motor is broke in is the water will no longer be crystal clear. But have a very light grey tint to it. This signifies that the brushes have seated. Once this occurs, remove the motor from the water and let dry. Then reoil the bushings with a good light weight oil and install in your car.

You can also use the water dip to clean and refreshen a motor when it appears to be running slow. The steps are pretty much the same only the motor will only have to be dipped for a minute or two and the water will get very dirty as it cleans. Once clean, simply reoil the bushings and reinstall.

Note: If you hook up your motor this way, your going to have 2 cells run down more then the rest of your pack, so you are going to need to run down the rest before you charge this pack, or you may run into issues when recharging. Another good method, if you don’t want to deal with the battery is to use a Team Checkpoint or Duratrax Ice charger with their motor break-in settings. This way you don’t need to worry at all about the battery.

DISCLAIMER – Performing this tip should only be done at your own risk. BigSquidRC cannot be held accountable for your mistakes. So, please do not attempt if this is beyond your scope of ability.