waterproofing motor

[ax10scorpion89]

sup guys? been a while since ive logged onto here. i have an axial ax10 scorpion. its a RTR but with a 55 turn crawler motor in it. i like to mudbog this thing all the time. i live on a farm so its pretty hard to keep away from tractor ruts and such. anyway what are some ways to prevent my motor from possibly shorting out should it end up under the water level?

[Ax-hole]

It wont short out, will run underwater till it gets full of dirt an gunk, then just clean it out and oil the bearings! I do it all the time but it will wear the brushes an com alot faster.

[JeepinOR]

Don't forget the electronics! There should be a sticky in this section.

[ax10scorpion89]

what do you mean by "wear out the com"?

[Ax-hole]

Originally Posted by ax10scorpion89

what do you mean by "wear out the com"?

The "com" or commutator is the part that spins inside the motor, it has copper contacts on the end that the brushes ride on. mud-dirty water etc can let bits of soil or rock scratch or chip the com or brushes as the grit gets rubbed bettween the two.

[Ax-hole]

P.S. if you do wear or chip the com you can remove it and have it turned down with a lathe so it has a new smooth finish, should replace the brushes as well when doing this. Any good hobby shop that does servicing "should" have a com lathe an be able to do it for ya cheap (we only charge $5 at our lhs)

[ax10scorpion89]

oh ok gotchya. so how do i take the motor apart and clean it? or so i just run like warm clean water through or smething like that?

[Ax-hole]

Originally Posted by ax10scorpion89

oh ok gotchya. so how do i take the motor apart and clean it? or so i just run like warm clean water through or smething like that?

If mine stoped turning out on the trail due to gunk in the motor then ya dunk it in a clean puddle while turning the spur by hand till it frees up.
But then when u get home, take the motor out, pull out the brushes and unscrew the 2 philips head screws on the back of the motor. Then you can pull the back off and then pull the com out, clean and reasemble

[Tanis]

To begin with, just spray the motor out with WD40 after you run it. When you start noticing the motor doesn't have the power it used to, then you will want to worry about opening it up for service. It really all depends on conditions, sometimes you won't need to do anything for months, other times you it could be a few runs before it needs it.

[BigBaller]

...soak everything in a thin layer of Super Glue. Seals it all up well.

[ax10scorpion89]

tru but im not seeing any screws to open this motor up and take the brushes and stuff out.

[Tanis]

Originally Posted by ax10scorpion89

tru but im not seeing any screws to open this motor up and take the brushes and stuff out.

It's the stock motor that comes with the kit? If so, it's a sealed endbell and all you can do is spray it out as best you can through one of the openings if you start having trouble....besides, they are fairly cheap and could be considered a "throwaway" motor

[88gmchog]

worst case it craps out and you goto rc4wd.com and spend $10 on a silver can

[ax10scorpion89]

tru tru. who knew u could get a 55t for so cheap. haha. i'll buy like 5 at once so i have all those spares. haha.

[88gmchog]

lol yep, sounds like a plan

[ax10scorpion89]

yeah definitely. haha.