Should the inside of a motor have a burning smell?

[blakeaowen15]

I was running my notorious earlier and my 2 screws that hold the motor togethrr(the ones to be able to look inside the motor) had come out quite a bit, it had a burning smell right when I noticed it when running it. And 3 hours later I can still smell it? I’m asking bc the motor could just have its own smell so idk? It’s a BLX 185 to be exact. And if the motor was completely dunzo, would it even be able to move, mine has lots of resistance and wants to brake immediately after letting off the throttle!?

 

[hobo]

open your motor and check your bearings and rotor for damage

 

[#ARRMArcfanboy4life]

My blx 185 and 2050kv combo did this too. Mine also got very warm next time I drove it. I would advise you to run it, keeping an eye on temps. Mine looks perfect on the inside, but it gets very warm when it is used.

For all you people reading this that are saying "did you check both bearings?" Yes, I did. They both work fine.

 

[ross_jsy]

Take the end caps off and remove the rotor (carefully) and have a look at it and inside the motor casing.

If you are running it hard with high gearing, the motor will get hot. After a certain point the epoxy holding the magnets to the rotor will fail. If the wrapping is looking suspect or there is dust around the windings in the case, it is probably about to fail. Also have a look at the bearings. As a minimum if they are ok, it is worth lubricating them.

Eliminate it isn't something in the driveline binding, which would overheat your motor and also cause it to decelerate hard off throttle.

Of the 2 motors I have killed, both still rotated under power albeit it very slowly and jerky. Both rotors fell apart in my hands when I removed them. Some motors lock completely, others will gradually reduce power before ultimately failing. If the motor has far more resistance than standard and it isn't something else in the driveline, it might be on its last legs

 

[Diem Turner]

I was running my notorious earlier and my 2 screws that hold the motor togethrr(the ones to be able to look inside the motor) had come out quite a bit, it had a burning smell right when I noticed it when running it. And 3 hours later I can still smell it? I’m asking bc the motor could just have its own smell so idk? It’s a BLX 185 to be exact. And if the motor was completely dunzo, would it even be able to move, mine has lots of resistance and wants to brake immediately after letting off the throttle!?

Electronics definitely have a scent to them...this becomes progressively stronger/more pungent the hotter the components get, with the smell of components that have been pushed to failure permeating the room. So a strong oder coming from the motor that is still noticeable three hours later, to me, would be an indicator of something not being quite right, at minimum. The strong resistance that seems to slow down the car more rapidly than what you're used to might be an additional indication of something having gone awry, though I would ensure that it's not something mechanical causing by disengaging the motor from the drivetrain and jut rolling the car to see if there's anything else that's binding. If the answer is yes, investigate to find the cause of the binding. If the answer is no, inspect the motor for abnormalities. I'm not saying it's definitely the motor but, from your description, gut feeling tells me you might have fried or otherwise damaged it. Go over the car systematically and you should be able to figure out what part isn't performing as it should. Good luck!

 

[dure16]

rotor for damage

What does rotor damage look like? I’ve seen destroyed rotors but what are the early signs of an issue?

 

[Diem Turner]

What does rotor damage look like? I’ve seen destroyed rotors but what are the early signs of an issue?

The Kevlar® wrap around the rotor delaminating.

 

[blakeaowen15]

My blx 185 and 2050kv combo did this too. Mine also got very warm next time I drove it. I would advise you to run it, keeping an eye on temps. Mine looks perfect on the inside, but it gets very warm when it is used.

For all you people reading this that are saying "did you check both bearings?" Yes, I did. They both work fine.

Did it have resistance when you let off the throttle almost like it was wanting to brake immediately?