Motor overheating and burning

Fixitman1983 · Jan 14, 2020

I recently had an issue where my right front motor burned out. I had my M2P flying for about a minute before it was forcing me to land. Right before it landed both right side motors stopped and the drone flipped over. The front right motor was smoking and burning hot to the touch. I had a message saying ESC Error 1. After some research I figured it was either the motors or the ESC board. I bought parts online from Amazon and watched some YouTube tutorials. I replaced the front right motor and that fixed it. I hadn’t had the drone for 3 months and this happened. Is this a common issue? Also I know I probably should’ve bought the DJI care but I only paid $40 for a new arm with motor.

bumper · Jan 14, 2020

Awhile back I posted about my fall on icy steps, resulting in throwing my M2P into a block wall. Inspected and saw no damage so went flying anyway.
It tried to land and I gave it throttle. Flight ended with it pinwheeling down to crash in the snow with two broken arms. Left front motor was hot and I believe that arm had an unseen crack from when I slipped. I attributed the hot motor to it having to work overtime with the bent arm before it failed completely.

After replacing both arms, bushings hinge pivots etc. I took the failed motor apart. Outer housing and prop are supported on fixed shaft by two small ball bearings. If a bearing failed, for whatever reason (including prior crash impact) it's conceivable that as friction increase, the speed controller would dump more current into the motor to make up for the additional friction and a vicious cycle would result.

old man mavic · Jan 14, 2020

motor failure is very rare it is normally down to some outside issue, such as dirt or sand or some other object getting in to the motor,one problem which is quite common,is for one of the little prop fixing lugs to break off and fall into the motor this can be avoided by doing regular inspections of the props off the drone DJI don't recommend adding lubricant to the motors as it will cause small particles to stick to the workings i use an air puffer to give a good blow through the motor during airframe inspection

Starz · Jan 14, 2020

Without any history on the why the motor had an issue would be a guessing game. I have been very fortunate in not having those kinds of issues with any of the over a dozen DJI products that I have. Any mechanical device can fail and with anything that flys, more attention to details on what keeps them in the air is a must. I recently discovered a prop problem on the mini that I have because I wasn’t checking as closely as I should have been. The damage on the prop was so minor that at a glance was not noticeable. Old eyes? No. Just wasn’t paying close enough attention. Lesson learned. On the motors themselves, it wouldn’t take a large quantity of any foreign material on any of these motors to create some form of destruction.
Hopefully the op doesn’t have any more issues.
I’m knocking on my wood table now!

Bill combs · Jan 14, 2020

old man mavic said:
motor failure is very rare it is normally down to some outside issue, such as dirt or sand or some other object getting in to the motor,one problem which is quite common,is for one of the little prop fixing lugs to break off and fall into the motor this can be avoided by doing regular inspections of the props off the drone DJI don't recommend adding lubricant to the motors as it will cause small particles to stick to the workings i use an air puffer to give a good blow through the motor during airframe inspection

i regularly use a can of air for blowing out copiers to keep all of my drones clean,you can buy these at any office supply and it will be the best money you spend on your drone.

Starz · Jan 14, 2020

If there is a foreign piece of something in these motors that is metallic, I would question whether an air blowing device would remove it from the magnets that are inside the housing. Certainly you could rotate the housing with your fingers and probably feel if something was there, but those small particles can move and not be noticeable all the time.

Dave Maine · Jan 14, 2020

Feel for freedom is probably the most inclusive check. If you can feel a problem with the rotation it will bite you. I think you can get a lot out with compressed air as well. It has a pretty high exit velocity, and will for sure get non magnetic stuff. without doing actual tests with magnetically susceptible bits it is a lot less clear.

As mentioned by others, liquids in the motor will also create the potential for particle jams- think oil or water.

The propellor downdraft is a perfect mechanism for blowing particles into the motor openings. Consider the flight environment. I have fished out grass particles from the motors from the poor choice of launch sites, as well as propellor generated plant clippings from especially aggressive low level flights.

old man mavic · Jan 14, 2020

Dave Maine said:
Feel for freedom is probably the most inclusive check. If you can feel a problem with the rotation it will bite you. I think you can get a lot out with compressed air as well. It has a pretty high exit velocity, and will for sure get non magnetic stuff. without doing actual tests with magnetically susceptible bits it is a lot less clear.

As mentioned by others, liquids in the motor will also create the potential for particle jams- think oil or water.

The propellor downdraft is a perfect mechanism for blowing particles into the motor openings. Consider the flight environment. I have fished out grass particles from the motors from the poor choice of launch sites, as well as propellor generated plant clippings from especially aggressive low level flights.

your post is a good advert for using a launch pad or hand launching

Dave Maine · Jan 14, 2020

Yes it is, although it doesn't solve the debris of nicking branches or other objects. The best option is, as part of pre-filght checks, to spin each to the motors and note how they feel. In flight, launching and landing in a clean environment works, but flying after launch in dirty air is an ever present problem. I see the video posted of farm harvests, and wonder where the plant particles go.

old man mavic · Jan 14, 2020

one only has to look at your car after a spell of rain to see how dirty the air really is not only to mention the Air con and engine air filter

Starz · Jan 14, 2020

I always am watchful of where takeoff and landing is. Dust is just as bad for the camera as it is for motors and dust is somewhat difficult to remove from around the camera.

Bob1956 · Jan 15, 2020

old man mavic said:
motor failure is very rare it is normally down to some outside issue, such as dirt or sand or some other object getting in to the motor,one problem which is quite common,is for one of the little prop fixing lugs to break off and fall into the motor this can be avoided by doing regular inspections of the props off the drone DJI don't recommend adding lubricant to the motors as it will cause small particles to stick to the workings i use an air puffer to give a good blow through the motor during airframe inspection

Another reason why I remove the props after flying. I give the prop lugs a slight squeeze hoping they break during preflight and not during flight. I use a zippered zoom lens case for my MP2 so the props fit won't anyway and I bought the rubber motor covers when the drone is stowed.
And as always make sure your takeoff/landing point is clean. The drone can suck in fine dirt.

Dale Jackaman · Sep 20, 2020

I had an engine fail on my Mavic Air 2 while doing a lift test with a length of light rope. It flashed a heat warning sign then came tumbling down. It destroyed the unit completely. DJI replaced the unit at no cost, which was nice, as it was an engine failure.

I am doing the same lift tests now but with a FLIR E60 infrared camera that does real time temperature testing of the engines while in operation. The engines run up pretty in temperature to 142 F with half the rated weight lift in 78 degree outdoor temperatures. 120 F with no load. The front two engines have the highest temperatures.

Anyone see any rated engine temperature ratings for these units? 142 F is pretty hot and makes me somewhat nervous for anything but a very short duration.

Starz · Sep 20, 2020

Dale Jackaman said:
Mavic Air 2 while doing a lift test

Curious. What is the goal?

Dale Jackaman · Sep 20, 2020

Starz said:
Curious. What is the goal?

I'm an amateur radio enthusiast. I use my drone to put up various antennas in tall pine trees. I used to use a compound bow and arrow but the drone is far more accurate at placing the lines I use.

And, I am a TSCM specialist ( Countersurveillance - Wikipedia ) and occasionally need to lift some specialized electronics to do my work. Software defined radios with an associated WiFi router and battery primarily.