Infamous stuck motor issue strikes again

[c64-dev]

So, today I decided to do a test flight with my Mini2.
The (previously) stuck motor was feeling almost normal, in the sense that you could turn it easily with one finger and you could clearly feel the magnetic clicks as the rotor was going around.

Th drone started immediately, hovered perfectly and flew around with zero issues at all. No messages came up, no wobbling, nothing out of the ordinary. I ran the craft through a whole battery and immediately tried to feel if the motor was feeling hot to the touch or at least hotter than the others. Nothing at all.

However, trying to turn the props by hand the motor gave a bit more resistance than before the flight. 2 questions:

1. If I send the drone in, is there a possibility that DJI will say there is nothing at fault, seeing how the drone flies perfectly and no errors come up on the app?
2. What would cause the motor to be quite easy to rotate before the flight but a bit stiffer afterwards? Friction?

 

[cheddar-man]

After a flight the motors have heated up so some clearances may have reduced, especially in the motors. Any sign of further grease leakage from that bearing?
I recommend you contact DJI Support - [email protected] - and copy them your original thread, with all the details, and see what they say. You could even copy them this thread address.
Certainly don';t be afraid not a refurbished replacement, they are "as new" and come with a guarantee.

 

[c64-dev]

You are absolutely right about the refurbs and about contacting DJI. I sent them an email already and I’ll be letting you all know what they say.

My main question is if they will be covering whatever related costs arise in the warranty, as it expires in 10 days. Logic dictates that the warranty activates when you make a claim and not when the repair is carried out but we’ll see.

Ps. @test2000Anafi, glad to see that you find my particular problem so hilarious. I am certain that when the Mini 3 Pro is not busy beating military drones into submission it will never suffer from such humble issues as a stuck motor (what with using antigravity technology and all...)

 

[c64-dev]

Update: So after a long message describing the problem, including photos of the problematic motor and making a short list of questions I have about shipping, firmware updates, repair handling and if my warranty is still active or not etc etc, I got a very short canned reply from DJI support saying that ...they are glad to hear that the error is fixed (!) after me following troubleshooting steps, but they will get in touch with the appropriate team just in case and will revert as soon as they have an update.

I replied trying to make clear that the issue is not resolved (otherwise why would I be contacting them in the first place?) and that my warranty is fast running out (10 to go now). I appreciate their quick response but I don’t think I’ll get anywhere with this.

 

[c64-dev]

So, I opened up a repair case for the issue with the motor and DJI sent me a return label.

However, their support also made it clear to me that there is a good likelihood that the drone will be returned without any repairs done to it, as the problem is not occurring anymore and neither is Fly app giving out any errors when the Mini is flying.

They advised me to send it out for inspection just to be on the safe side, but if no issue occurs when operating/testing the drone then nothing will be done to it.

So, I guess that rotating the problematic motor by hand and feeling how it is not exactly like the others will not cut it right? If that's the case, I am rather ambivalent about going through the hassle of posting via courier to Hungary and waiting to get it back, with all the dangers of transit damage that this entails...

 

[cheddar-man]

Quite honestly, if the drone is flying just fine and you cannot discern any difference between the motors, especially heating after flight, I wouldn't bother to send it to DJI with all the mail risks involved.
Have you got Care Refresh with them? That will cover the drone if something does go wrong in the future.

 

[c64-dev]

Quite honestly, if the drone is flying just fine and you cannot discern any difference between the motors, especially heating after flight, I wouldn't bother to send it to DJI with all the mail risks involved.
Have you got Care Refresh with them? That will cover the drone if something does go wrong in the future.

That might just tip me over towards not sending the drone. Here are the facts:
1. The stuck motor and the related error in the app came up only once.
2. After that, I have been unable to reproduce the issue ever again.
3. The drone starts and flies perfectly every time
4. There is no discernible heat on that particular motor after a full flight.
5. The affected motor is not rotating as freely as the others and the magnetic steps cannot be heard/felt as easily.

To cut a long story short and spare boring you all to death, the only way you can tell that something is not right is by rotating that particular motor and compare with how the others are rotating.
I guess it's more an OCD issue than anything else at the moment...

 

[cheddar-man]

As long as the motor isn't overheating during flight I don't think I'd worry too much, the "difference" isn't a friction/bearing problem but I can't think what it could be, there's noting in these motors that can get "stiff"???
I can only think that when the "error" came up etc, there was a bit of something restricting its normal rotation which has since almost cleared itself. A few more sessions with a strong vacuum cleaner and gentle rotation during the sucking might further improve it. Take the props off first.

 

[c64-dev]

I don’t know if it’s relevant, but When the error came up, it was after the drone had been sitting on a shelf unused for about 9 months. (Last time I had flown the Mini was in July 2021.)

There might have be some correlation between the time the craft was left just sitting there and the stuck motor...?

 

[cheddar-man]

Entirely possible, grease tends to "stiffen" when not in use.