Mavic Air 2 ESC Error

[Joshlund26]

Long story short, I had an Air 2s that had a motor failure over a very deep lake. Not retrievable.
Since I still had my remote, extra batteries and charger, I decided to seek out a cheap air 2 or 2s body so at least my accessories wouldn't go to waste.

Being somewhat experienced with drone/electronics repair, I bought what appeared to be a RMA Air 2 body locally for a really good price as it has an ESC error. Motors on one side of the drone would twitch during startup, but the other two would not.
I tried all of the easy stuff first (updating and refreshing firmware) with no success. My ESC error didn't specify the motor number(s) that was causing the error so I ordered a new ESC. Just finished installing it and I'm still getting an error. Annoying but not unexpected. Additionally, I tried getting an older version of DJI assistant to work so that I could get logs and try testing motors but I couldn't get it to work.

I've been researching this for days with no conclusive findings as most of the posts I've seen tend to die off before a resolution is found.
I would prefer to not have to buy a bunch more parts so I'm looking for some advice.
What are the chances that two motors on what I assume is a "brand new" drone would be defective? Both turn freely and "feel" no different than the other motors.
One of the motors looks like it might have some form of damage as the varnish on one of the windings looks kind of off... almost like it became frothy from heat?
The other motor that does not twitch during start up looks totally fine. I could understand the one motor not twitching, but both?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Im not sure I understand what your asking however I can tell you that if the Drone came in contact with water , there is a good chance you compromised the ESC module and you will need a New Main Board.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water.

 

[Joshlund26]

Im not sure I understand what your asking however I can tell you that if the Drone came in contact with water , there is a good chance you compromised the ESC module and you will need a New Main Board.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water.

No, this drone did not come in contact with water (as far as I know). I'm wondering if the motor in the picture looks damaged and if it's likely that both motors are DOA. Keep in mind I replaced the ESC with no change in error message.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Ok, my point is that replacing the ESC by itself is not likely to work as you might also need to replace the Main Board.
The motors look fine to me, , there not a perfect wind but many are not and still fly nicely.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water..

 

[PHZ]

I know you are a capable do-it-yourselfer, but DJI Repair would typically replace the whole drone for a very reasonable price. May be an option for you.