motor spins, nothing happens

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hey gang đź‘‹


I'm an RC noob with a brushless Maverick Strada DT and an issue I'm hoping some of you might be able to help me diagnose. I was driving it a while back and it suddenly stopped; no power to the wheels. It didn't slow down or start to malfunction, it literally just stopped dead.

I've had a look and it seems like there's two things potentially causing problems.

1. The small gear behind the motor (pinion?) isn't connecting with the big one (spur?). So it's spinning fast and nothing's happening. That's presumably the issue.
2. The rear left axle can't turn freely. It looks like the bearings are jammed, and it just won't turn.


So what I'm wondering is, would you expect these two things to be related? I figure I just need to replace one or both of those gears and potentially the bearings/axle, but the thing that I'm not 100% sure about is why it would just die suddenly. Like if the teeth on the gears have worn that should happen over time, right? Or would it be possible that if a single axle got stuck, that would cause the gears to spin and just grind the teeth out?


Hopefully I'm describing everything well enough to understand. Can also post some photos/vids of the gear if that helps. Thanks in advance!
Apologies also if this is in the wrong spot. The forums are huge and I'm not sure the best place for it to go. Cheers :)
 
I would pull the rear differential apart. It is not likely a failed bearing will completely sieze up an axle, though it could happen. But if a gear in the diff fractured and jammed things up, it could have seized up the drivetrain, causing the motor and pinion to push away from the spur. Look at the screws holding the motor in. Do you see signs that they slipped?

And any pics/vids you can share will only help.
 
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Once you figure out what came loose then I would use blue Loctite. @WickedFog posted some good advice to check into.
 
sound like motor shifted away from spur..loosen motor . use a piece of paper put between gears for mesh and tighten back up.. also check.. all bearing.
 
Thanks for the tips!

the motor seems to be firmly in place, no sign that it’s moved. The gears are like 95% aligned and there is very clear wear (you can see the difference on the sides that don’t align), so I guess this couldn’t have just happened instantly.

with the busted rear axle removed, spinning the front wheels will spin the remaining rear axle and I can’t feel any slippage or force there so I’m thinking the diff is okay.

so maybe just regular wear and tear accelerated by stiff bearings on one axle?

Photos of the gears:

0D48D503-2F73-4ADF-93F6-24A7D4A81AF9.jpeg

61F68CF5-B724-4926-8027-CC8FB02D37FE.jpeg

B3AEEA36-D311-4A9E-B3C5-9B1D23ED07D9.jpeg
 
Thanks for the tips!

the motor seems to be firmly in place, no sign that it’s moved. The gears are like 95% aligned and there is very clear wear (you can see the difference on the sides that don’t align), so I guess this couldn’t have just happened instantly.

with the busted rear axle removed, spinning the front wheels will spin the remaining rear axle and I can’t feel any slippage or force there so I’m thinking the diff is okay.

so maybe just regular wear and tear accelerated by stiff bearings on one axle?

Photos of the gears:

View attachment 129674
View attachment 129675
View attachment 129676
Ok. Yeah, that is going to need some new gears for sure. On the rear axle, start tearing it down from the outside in. Wheel, hub, upright, axle, etc, til you find the problem. It may be the bearings in the upright, or on the diff.
 
Thanks mate. I’ll let you know how she goes!
 
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