Repairing a Traxxas Velineon 3500 motor

[Jens]

I am attempting to repair my Velineon motor that came out of my Traxxas Rustler VXL 4x4.

Basically the ball bearing at the shaft side disintegrated.

 

I know there is a rebuild kit (TRX3352) with all bushings and ball bearings.

That, at least, would need to be ordered.

 

But I am bit puzzled if the rotor also needs to be replaced.

There is some partial yellow stuff around it and I don't know if that belongs there or not.

 

 

 

For me it looks like it belonged there before and some parts have been ripped off when the motor was rotating unbalanced.

Or it is some stuff that came into the motor and wrapped it self around the rotor.

 

Any ideas?

Replace the rotor or not?

 

 

 

[lorrylemming]

I'd just trim off the excess fluff from the rotor and change the bearings. The rotors cost as much as a replacement motor from a different brand. I'm not sure how much the bearing kit is but RC bearings uk might be cheaper if you know the size. 

 

You'll be able to hear if the rotor is unbalanced when you run the motor. 

[turok007]

27 minutes ago, Jens said:

I am attempting to repair my Velineon motor that came out of my Traxxas Rustler VXL 4x4.

Basically the ball bearing at the shaft side disintegrated.

 

I know there is a rebuild kit (TRX3352) with all bushings and ball bearings.

That, at least, would need to be ordered.

 

But I am bit puzzled if the rotor also needs to be replaced.

There is some partial yellow stuff around it and I don't know if that belongs there or not.

 

 

 

For me it looks like it belonged there before and some parts have been ripped off when the motor was rotating unbalanced.

Or it is some stuff that came into the motor and wrapped it self around the rotor.

 

Any ideas?

Replace the rotor or not?

 

 

 

It is used to keep everything in one piece.  So you will have to redo it  if poss.   For fun i would get some bearings then redo the thread   se if it works  but you really need a new motor  as it might of damaged the copper windings in the can.

Edited April 29, 2021 by turok007

[Jens]

9 minutes ago, turok007 said:

It is used to keep everything in one piece.  So you will have to redo it  if poss

Thanks. 

Just found some pictures and more information about the motor and its rotor.

You are right, the yellow stuff is originally wrapped all around, probably to keep the 4 magnets in place (as you say).

And it's the rotor for a newer version of the motor.

And that newer rotor is no more available as a spare part.

For the older one it was part 3353.

 

2 choices left.

Garbage or find a way to rewrap the rotor.

Since I am expecting a spare motor soon I want to try to repair the old one.

 

How can I wrap the rotor?

Or better, what material could I use?

My guess is that I must be strong to keep the magnets in place (fabric) and it should be heat resistant.

 

[turok007]

12 minutes ago, Jens said:

Thanks. 

Just found some pictures and more information about the motor and its rotor.

You are right, the yellow stuff is originally wrapped all around, probably to keep the 4 magnets in place (as you say).

And it's the rotor for a newer version of the motor.

And that newer rotor is no more available as a spare part.

For the older one it was part 3353.

 

2 choices left.

Garbage or find a way to rewrap the rotor.

Since I am expecting a spare motor soon I want to try to repair the old one.

 

How can I wrap the rotor?

Or better, what material could I use?

My guess is that I must be strong to keep the magnets in place (fabric) and it should be heat resistant.

 

glue and cotton or floss   the issue will be gap between copper wires and whatever you use.   It's a bit like fitting a new ring to a fishing rod.  So take a look at a video of that to see the process

[Jens]

1 minute ago, turok007 said:

glue and cotton or floss   the issue will be gap between copper wires and whatever you use.   It's a bit like fitting a new ring to a fishing rod.  So take a look at a video of that to see the process

Just digged out a really old forum thread from the never forgetting internet.

https://www.rc-monster.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16781

 

It needs to be wrapped with a really strong and thin thread. Something like Kevlar.

And glued with something like a heat resistant epoxy.

 

Then the rotor needs to be perfectly balanced.

Too much for me. I don't have any reasonable means to balance a rotor to be able to run at 10000++ revs.

 

At that point I decided to just keep the remaining parts as spares...

 

At least I learned that I also need to spray some GT85 on the ball bearing on the shaft side after each water run.

 

[Kpowell911]

With the price of a replacement (upgraded) motor so cheap, Im not sure its worth the hassle of repairing it. That said, if you want a challenge then crack on 🙂

[Jens]

15 hours ago, Guns said:

With the price of a replacement (upgraded) motor so cheap, Im not sure its worth the hassle of repairing it. That said, if you want a challenge then crack on 🙂

Well...

A replacement Velineon motor still costs more than £100.

But then I got a good deal for a used one for £50.

 

Nevertheless, I thought of taking up the challenge and keep a spare motor.

But when it came to balancing the rotor after putting on the Kevlar/Epoxy stuff I scrapped the idea.

[Kpowell911]

9 minutes ago, Jens said:

Well...

A replacement Velineon motor still costs more than £100.

But then I got a good deal for a used one for £50.

 

Nevertheless, I thought of taking up the challenge and keep a spare motor.

But when it came to balancing the rotor after putting on the Kevlar/Epoxy stuff I scrapped the idea.

But you would never spend £100 on a Traxxas motor when you can get superior ones for a fraction of the price. Id even say a Gool motor is the same level as the Velineon, at circa £25. Its a poor system overall 

 

In your situation, Id be selling the Velineon ESC, and buying a Max 10 SCT/3660 Combo for £116.

Edited April 30, 2021 by Guns

[Jens]

Just now, Guns said:

But you would never spend £100 on a Traxxas motor when you can get superior ones for a fraction of the price. In your situation, Id be selling the Velineon ESC, and buying a Max 10 SCT/3660 Combo for £116.

No doubt, the Hobbywing might be superior.

But not really a desired option for me.

I want to keep the car in its original state.

But that is just my personal preference.