StewartFan20

iTrader: (4)

I have an Epic 19 turn motor that I would like to rebuild. The catch is, I have never rebuilt a motor before. I am planning on turning the comm and replacing the brushes and was wanting to get some direction on how to do this so i did not ruin my motor.

Thanks in advance.

fatdoggy

It's really very simple. Take off the springs and pull the brushes out of the endbell hoods. Then unscrew the screws in between the + and - hoods then take the endbell off the motor. *Don't loose any shims* and make sure you remember which end of the motor they went on. Take the arm out and true it on a comm lathe(till it's perfectly round). Clean everything with motor spray till all the gunk is gone and then put it all back together. Whenever you cut the comm, replace the brushes if you have more then a few runs on them. If I have 4-5 runs on my brushes I re-use them if they are in good shape, I usually do 8 runs max on a set of brushes and cut every 4 runs(for racing).

StewartFan20

iTrader: (4)

I have seen this advertised on websites. Is it needed to properly rebuild the motor?

Phatkat

iTrader: (14)

An alignment tool isn't absolutely needed, but they do guarantee that the brush hoods are straight. I have the PSE tool, and it seems to work. Before buying that, I advise buying a brush serrator and/or cutter, and a timing jig. I use a Racetech serrator, it's cheap and does the job, and a Racetech timing jig. Another good buy is the RPM motor stand, it's just VERY handy.

crashnburn

iTrader: (11)

Or buy a brushless system. Then you don't have to worry about all that stuff!

Phatkat

iTrader: (14)

Good point, but you lose the tuning flexibility. They are nice if you don't need to worry about wanting more speed later, and the lack of maintenance is great. Problem is, you're stuck with one rpm range, unless you buy another faster motor. Just depends on what you want.......

crashnburn

iTrader: (11)

True, but that's why they make different gear ratios. You can 'tune' that way, just not as well.

Phatkat

iTrader: (14)

Yep, same but different.

fatdoggy

Brushless isn't Roar legal till 2005...

crashnburn

iTrader: (11)

...gives you 6 months to practise

StewartFan20

iTrader: (4)

I know brushless would be easier. But, the fun is working on the car. I enjoy doing the tweaking and motor rebuilding to see if I can reduce my laptime.

What needs to be done, if anything, after the motor is rebuilt? Is there a break in procedure?

fatdoggy

Run in(no load) at 2v for 2 minutes then check the brushes. If the whole face of the brush shows wear then it's run in, if not, keep going till it's run in. If you don't have a 2v power source just run it in while it's in your car *take the pinion off*, set the trim so it's just spinning.