Hey Fatboy Joe! you ran a great race this past Sunday! Actually, the 2 Novak Brushless Motors that I used for Off-Road are fine. No dirt, dust, or moisture in either of the cans. The problem seems to be with the ESCs. After giving Charlie (head technician at Novak) a detailed description of conditions at the track and the "symptoms" currently ocurring, his assessment is that it's either a lost sensor or a damaged harness (which are part of the connections between the ESC and motor) that are causing the problem. It's possible that these may have tripped during the system's Thermal Shut-Down which actually protects the motor, ESC, and battery from serious damage caused by overheating. The motors work except for a glitch with the throttle. Since both are still under warranty, I don't dare open up the ESC to try and figure it out. Fortunately for me, these are Novak products and I know that when it comes to Customer Service, they are 2nd to none. I still love and will continue using Novak Brushless Motors Systems in most of my active off-road buggies. Once you have a taste of 20 minute run times, you just can't go back (though since I still have some brushed motors, I will definitely still make use of them). In the end I will make whatever necessary gearing changes that are needed and keep a better eye on the temprature of the ESC's heatsink. According to Charlie, normal operating temps are in the 160 F range. That is about 3-5 seconds of "Thumb Time" after a good hard run. My ESC's heatsinks would get noticeably hotter but would cool off quickly. Anyway, hope this helps explain things for other Novak Brushless users out there!
