Motor bearing failure in flight

[MpVpRb]

I had a motor bearing failure in flight

Heli is about 1 month old

Using Castle ICE 50 with governor

Is this common?

Should I replace it with a stock motor, hopefully under warranty?

Or should I get a better motor?

If so, what is a good motor for these helis?

[josefmd]

Originally Posted by MpVpRb

I had a motor bearing failure in flight

Heli is about 1 month old

Using Castle ICE 50 with governor

Is this common?

Should I replace it with a stock motor, hopefully under warranty?

Or should I get a better motor?

If so, what is a good motor for these helis?

Scorpion 6 or 8 work great, as many of us have gone that route!! I personally went with the Next-D 8 which is a rebadged Scorpion 8 for a heck of a lot cheaper. http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...rce=google_ext matched with a 12t pinion the performance is pretty close to stock.

[jchandler]

It's a very common issue. I'd sell the replacement that horizon sends you and put in something better. I'm using the scorpion -6 with a 10T pinion.

Search the forum, this is a well covered topic.

[AR90]

Originally Posted by josefmd

Scorpion 6 or 8 work great, as many of us have gone that route!! I personally went with the Next-D 8 which is a rebadged Scorpion 8 for a heck of a lot cheaper. http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...rce=google_ext matched with a 12t pinion the performance is pretty close to stock.

Looks like a great deal, are you running this with the stock ESC?

[josefmd]

Originally Posted by AR90

Looks like a great deal, are you running this with the stock ESC?

Yep! and some guys are running the 6 with the stock ESC also!

[jchandler]

Originally Posted by josefmd

Yep! and some guys are running the 6 with the stock ESC also!

I'm doing this. 0 problems.

[TheMark]

Just curious, has anyone put better bearings in their replacement motor from HH? I wonder if that would be a cheaper & just as reliable route...

[missle]

Are those that are having bearing issues oiling the bearings? I have no clue if the beargins are "closed" but I've been oiling every 5-10 flights and so far no sign of failure. How many flights are folks seeing bearing failure? I'm up to 32 now and i'm wondering if I should be expecting a failure soon.

[jchandler]

Originally Posted by missle

Are those that are having bearing issues oiling the bearings? I have no clue if the beargins are "closed" but I've been oiling every 5-10 flights and so far no sign of failure. How many flights are folks seeing bearing failure? I'm up to 32 now and i'm wondering if I should be expecting a failure soon.

Mine had 10 flights, out of the box. No oil, just failure.

[Talesin]

Originally Posted by TheMark

Just curious, has anyone put better bearings in their replacement motor from HH? I wonder if that would be a cheaper & just as reliable route...

There are a few places that sell ceramic bearings, but very few go that route.
Normally it's an upgrade to the Scorpion 2221-6 or -8 (preferably with an ESC upgrade, as the Scorps are MUCH higher amperage motors!), or alternately a dab of preventative blue loctite on the motor main shaft.

Normally what happens is that the main shaft spins inside the main bearing inner race (rather than turning the bearing) and wears itself down. Taking the motor apart, dabbing the contact area on the main shaft (making SURE not to get ANY in the bearing itself!!) and putting it back together, then letting it sit for 24 hours to fully cure is the current preventative measure most take; doing it on a new (warranty replacement) motor prior to first-run seems to be recommended if possible, and we have yet to have a loctited motor fail, to memory of the threads on this forum.

Though the Scorpion is more powerful, it also needs regular maintenance/re-lubrication after every few flights, unlike the stock 440H. Why I'm going to stick with mine (and bought a spare when they came back in-stock) for the foreseeable future. Plenty of power for my current level.

[jackate11]

Originally Posted by josefmd

Scorpion 6 or 8 work great, as many of us have gone that route!! I personally went with the Next-D 8 which is a rebadged Scorpion 8 for a heck of a lot cheaper. http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...rce=google_ext matched with a 12t pinion the performance is pretty close to stock.

I went with a align 450mx which is as good or better then the scorpion-8 it depends on who you ask. I use 12t and 13t align pinion. Only on ebay can you get them for around 30.00 to 37.00 shipped brand new no pinion. This is where I got mine shipped for 37.00. It needs longer motor screws then what it comes with, and you need to add a washer in between the mounting plate and the motor so nothing rubs. it's all self explanatory when you do the install.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/450MX-BRUSHL...item231dbe3c20

No maintenance with the 450mx