Is there any reason that a Hacker 17.5 would get too hot to touch within seconds of operation even if there is no load on the motor? ESC is a TC spec LRP. I am afraid that if I run it this way I will smoke the motor.

If everything is hooked up correctly it sounds to me that the motor has a fried winding. Is the moor new or used? Have you run it before or is this the first time?

I bought it used. I did accidentally hook up the ABC wires in the wrong order for a second. (Sorry I left that out) I guess if its fried then its just fried. It runs it just doesnt turn many RPM. But I am used to brushed and it could be normal for that motor.

Brushless motors will get quite warm if used with no load. But too hot to touch in seconds sounds like a real problem. Was it cogging or acting erratically?

No it turned in the proper direction without any hesitation. Sharp snappy throttle response. I doubt that there is anything that I can do to save it. I may just mount it and enjoy the show when it goes poof. Although given the choice I would save the motor.

Make sure there isnt a thread of wire or anything crossing from one terminal to the other, that will cause it. And hooking them up to the wrong terminals should make it go wrong rotation at most as I understand it. In some motor direction sheets it says "if motor rotates wrong direction, switch any two leads"

Thanks! It doesnt look like there is anything wrong. ????? Thanks for the help guys. I think I will just mount it and see if it pops.

For a sensored system this is NOT correct, with a sensorless system like Castle yes but sensored NO. The wires MUST be connected correctly or very bad things will happen even if only for a second! I would pull the motor apart (it's even more simple to do than a brushed motor) and look at the windings to see if any are burnt. It should be easy to see if they are and it's really only three screws to take it apart. A 17.5 motor will NOT get hot very fast running it unloaded, they just don't. I know BL motors should never be run WFO without load but a 17.5 or 13.5 doesn't run enough KV to do any damage to the rotor, which is the main reason they tell you not to run them without load.

And if it is burnt? Chunk it?