I race 1/10th touring cars and have a TC5R, LRP Sphere Comp ESC, and use a Reedy 5000 lipo. The first motor I got was a used Speed Passion 13.5 and I never had a problem with it until I bent the shaft that the gear locks onto and had to get it replaced.

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Once it was replaced I soldered the motor back in and hooked everything up to test. When I pressed the gas it made a high pitch whine and about 3 seconds later it began to smoke. The tires never moved as if the motor could not produce enough power to move the wheels.

I figured the motor was done and bought a new Speed Passion 13.5. It ran without issue on day 1 and 2 of qualifying. When my main came up I put the car on the track and nothing happened when I hit the gas. When I picked the car and hit the gas the high pitch whine came back and again smoke began to come out of it. Looks like it wasn't the motor.

I check the temps on all my runs and to my knowledge the motor isn't going over 155 degrees. I also checked that the solder from one tab wasn't soldered to another tab.

Can I use any sensor wire or must the one that comes with the motor be used?

Should I be able to use my LRP ESC with any brushless motor without issue?

If the ESC timing is too high wouldn't it bring the motor temp up significantly?

Could the problem be the wires coming from the ESC to the motor?

My gear ratio is around 4.5 but I'm using a larger number of teeth on the pinion and spur to reach that number than I usually do. I imagine this will cause more heat but again I don't recall it going over 155.

I bought a new Novak SS13.5 to try out but I'm hoping to figure out the problem before burning up another motor. I also bought a motor heat sink/fan combo. I've never had a problem with it before so it is a bit frustrating.

Any help you all could give me would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has a link for Brushless Motor Tips please feel free to post it.

There is no reason why your speed controller shouldn't be able to handle a 13.5. I run a 10.5 with my sphere and have never had a problem. Your best bet would be to send it back to LRP and have them look at it. There is clearly a problem with your esc and should be fixed to prevent further damage to anymore motors.

I talked with a couple of experienced racers at the club track and I think the problem may have been a faulty sensor wire. When I put the new motor in I kept the old sensor wire on the motor. I bought a new Novak and it is hard wired into the motor so I can't make that mistake again.

Is there a way that I can test the output to the motor once I have everything wired up so I can tell that the sensor is working correctly? One blown $80 motor is enough but sending off the ESC will keep me from racing for awhile and I think I got it fixed but want to be sure. My next ESC will be a Speed Passion as they are local and support is very quick if needed.