A propeller won't start at times

[Vilco]

Hi folks
in the last 4 sessione it happened three times, and I worked around it by spinning that prop with my fingers, usually one try did it but the last time I had to try spinning it 5 or 6 times before it started. The message is "propellers hampered" (translating from italian so I don't know the english message). Gonna substitute the propeller this weekend but it's not like it's the propeller, sounds more like an engine fault... Anyone has a clue?

 

[old man mavic]

@Vilco its nothing to do with the propeller,its the motor that got some possible debris in it or it could be a bent shaft ,because it was in a crash
its important as part of your maintenance procedure to check for any possible ingress into the motors ,i use a puffer to blow out any dust particles ,after a days flying ,if you fly be the beach sand can easily get into the motors when taking off or landing and this can cause the issues you are having
whatever you do dont use any type of oil or solvent to try and clean the motors as this will cause further issues
a small vacuum is also helpful in removing particles from the motor housing

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Aside from checking the motor for debris, I would check that the three screws holding the motor to the arm have not worked lose.
There was a post on the DJI forum that mentions the pilot turning the motors by hand and feeling one click. The pilot did some checking, which entailed undoing those screws, and subsequently suspects that the screws had come lose because these screws seemed to screw in a lot farther than they needed to be unscrewed.
With 'tightened' screws there is no longer any clicking.
I do not know if this 'stopping of clicking' is coincidence but it won't hurt to check.

 

[Vilco]

@Vilco its nothing to do with the propeller,its the motor that got some possible debris in it or it could be a bent shaft ,because it was in a crash
its important as part of your maintenance procedure to check for any possible ingress into the motors ,i use a puffer to blow out any dust particles ,after a days flying ,if you fly be the beach sand can easily get into the motors when taking off or landing and this can cause the issues you are having
whatever you do dont use any type of oil or solvent to try and clean the motors as this will cause further issues
a small vacuum is also helpful in removing particles from the motor housing

I was too busy this weekend to swap the prop but I'm gonna find the time to follow your advice ASAP, thanks

 

[Vilco]

Well well well, as you can imagine I'm a lazy guy and endured those darn "propeller hampered" messages for months. Yesterday I took the mini 2 out and had to retry taking off 32 times, the time before I did 20+ retries, so I had enough and started looking for tutorials online: I found a couple which asked for far too much disassembling for my skills and will to risk the Mini 2, and then I found one about a mini with sand in one motor, this one:

I followed it's advice to put the open motor in alcohol and shake it a bit, without removing the screws of the arm and without starting the motor while it motor was in the alcohol, then waited a couple of hours for the alcohol to dry up and... all is ok! I just tried 7 takeoffs and it always went smooth as new! Thanks for your advice, guys

 

[old man mavic]

@Vilco ,i am glad the method you used worked for you ,personally i would not advocate using any sort of solvent on the drone, as it could have an adverse effect on the plastics ,and the varnish of the windings, and also damage the bearings ,for me the only method i would recommend is either vacuuming, or an air blower or a combination of the two