About to DREMEL off stuck propellers on my Mavic Pro. Any tips?

[diversions]

I suspect that corrosion on the spindle has "welded" the prop onto the spindle. Thus the prop cannot move downwards to allow disengagement of the "hooks" that keep the prop in place. I'm thinking I'm just going to cut right above the motor flange face to essentially remove the hook from the prop. Am I being stupid? Will I be able to remove the bits of the hook from inside the motor?

So many questions.

Background: bought my third second hand Mavic Pro for a paltry $180. Works great. But one of the props is stuck. So yeah.

edit: after examining a prop, I think I'm just going to start cutting away at the props little by little. take whatever material I can take away without touching any other part of the motor (or drone, or my fingers, in general).

 

[Felix le Chat]

Have you tried the obvious yet? A drop of either WD40 or watchmakers oil on the tip of the metal spindle followed by gentle and repeated downward pressure on the plastic rotor hub to encourage release.

There is a metal compression spring beneath the rotor bottom - if anything is likely to have jammed due to oxidisation: it will be this assembly.

 

[tstr14]

WD isn't a great penetrant. Kroil should work.

 

[diversions]

Have you tried the obvious yet? A drop of either WD40 or watchmakers oil on the tip of the metal spindle followed by gentle and repeated downward pressure on the plastic rotor hub to encourage release.

There is a metal compression spring beneath the rotor bottom - if anything is likely to have jammed due to oxidisation: it will be this assembly.

Yes. I've tried WD40 (even though there are quite a few experts who say it strips the motor bearings of the correct lubricant). No joy.

Sadly, I live on a tiny island (think armpit) of a country that in itself is in the armpit of the greater world. WD40 is all we have here. And motor oil. Neither of which (applied very carefully) have done anything other than shatter my hopes.

So dremel it is! Either way, I've got a spare crashed mavic pro here. I can steal a motor / strut if I absolutely **** it up. I'll try to attach photos for entertainment purposes.

 

[diversions]

Photos...

First photo shows the "hooks". One of them is right on the edge. I'll go for that one first. The two hooks that are further in the prop flange will be a little trickier. The second photo shows the side / profile view. There's just enough space for me to get in there with a dremel disc... or I might just try to file at it by hand.

We'll see where my courage takes me.

 

[Cafguy]

I would try some sort of lubricant (NOT WD} before I went after it with a Dremel.

 

[diversions]

I would try some sort of lubricant (NOT WD} before I went after it with a Dremel.

TOO LATE. But I did it. I didn't screw up too badly. I scuffed the plastic face / flange of the motor. But nothing structural. Yup it was crap-ton of rust on the spindle. Once I cut the hooks off, I just held the motor body in place and twisted the prop off. Easy-peasy.

Now I just need to blow out all the gunk and bits inside the motor (that would be hilarious if it impinged the motor completely in the middle of the next flight)... and see if she can fly. Imma gonna spin her in idle with no props for a while... make sure nothing is bouncing around in there.

HUBRIS! We shall see. Lemme post some pics of my monkey work.

ps. You can see where I slipped and the blade bit into the flange. But otherwise, not too shabby.

UPDATE: She flies fine. I spun her up with no props, and cleaned off the spindle with a paper towel with a drop of the dreaded WD40. New props slipped on with only a wee bit of resistance. Nothing too alarming. Took her on a short flight around my farm (and everything seems fine). It's dark right now, so a more definitive test will have to wait until morning. Cheers everyone! <3

 

[KB9Radio]

Some type of silicone spray might help loosen it. WD-40 makes a silicone spray that seems to penitrate very well and will dry up and not attract dirt after while.

 

[Starz]

Lube and leave it for a day.

 

[Cafguy]

I would do the same as above!

 

[diversions]

Oh, and as a summary for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation.

In this case, the stuck propeller was due to corrosion on the motor spindle. Rust does a double whammy--it takes up more space, and is much rougher than polished steel. It's a perfect storm of friction and tight fit. In theory, you could just apply crazy downwards pressure to break through the adhesion and get the pawls / retaining hooks on the props to disengage... but squeezing with all my might with my fat thumbs felt really dicey. I figured I'd damage the motors / strut in some way.

With post hoc lubrication a failure, I took my trusty dremel, and popped on a cutting disc. The disc was thin enough to pass through the gap between the motor flange face and the prop's flange and get at the "hooks" on the prop flange. Just use gentle pressure and try to keep off the motor flange as you cut into the hooks.

Once the hooks are cut away, brush away the dust from the grinding--it helps to turn the drone / motor over so that you minimize dust falling INTO the motor. Then grip the motor body (the part that spins) in one hand, and with your other hand just twist the prop off.

Before you pat yourself on the back, remember that you've got three little plastic bits that used to be hooks that are now inside the motor. Just turn the drone over, and gently spin the motor with your fingers back and forth until those three hooks fall out. You'll feel them when they catch. When they do, don't force it past that, just work it back the other way. They'll all eventually just fall out.

Now just do your best to blow out any of the dust that did fall in... I just used my lungs / lips. If you have compressed air, it might work better.

Before you fly, turn on the drone without props and run them at idle for a minute or so to make sure nothing catches.

Easy.

*T
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And for the search engine so this becomes easier to find (since I couldn't find anything for the mavic pro on the intarwebs):

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