easy motor break in

jaubery · #1 12-06-2003, 10:32 AM

With the new motor out of your chassis wire a double AAA battery holder RS #270-398b to your motor terminals. You can just loop the bare wire leads around the motor connections. Put your batteries in the holder and let it run for 10 to 15 minutes.

RSXRacer001 · #2 12-07-2003, 10:20 PM

whats the point of this?

sherifx · #3 12-07-2003, 10:29 PM

your motor will run consistantly and better b/c the comms (where the electricity meets the spinning armature, will conform to the armature & make the best possible contact with the most surface area.

sherif

Deep Blue · #4 12-08-2003, 06:35 PM

Or you could use a 9v battery and submerge the motor in water and do it in about 2-3 minutes.

The water will act as a heat transfer medium so the motor will not overheat. Once you're done, simply shake out as much water as you can, and spray with WD-40.

tavisjohn · #5 12-08-2003, 07:12 PM

Have you actually done this? Do you even understand basic electronics?

That would not work, the water would short out the battery, and would cause perminate damage to the motor. You would need a non conductive liquid, but moreover than that the motor is not designed to be run inside any liquid! There would be extra resistance to the motor. On top of that the 9v would toast the motor! It takes time to break in a motor, not revoloutions! Have you EVER owned a brand new car? They reccomend that you put several dozen miles on it BEFORE you take it out on the freeway! You do not take a brand new engine out on the freeway and floor it.

sherifx · #6 12-08-2003, 07:24 PM

really? doesn't work?

I agree, lower voltage is the key, but your statements about submerging it in water are just wrong. This has been a technique used for years now w/o any major ill affects.

sherif

Spongebob · #7 12-08-2003, 07:35 PM

yeah. It's called water-dipping. It works for breaking in most electric motors.

Deep Blue · #8 12-08-2003, 09:30 PM

Tavis, for starters, I've done this process more times than I care to count. I'm glad that you listed all the reasons that it wont work, because it shows how little you really know about motors. Before insulting someone about their process, it would be advisable to ask how it is that they came to that conclusion.

You're right on one thing, the water is much higher frictional resistance than air alone, which is why it helps to break in the motor to begin with. BTW, 9v wont come anywhere near close to toasting a motor, especially one that's submerged.

As far as new cars, yes, I currently own 3 cars (going on 4) and one bike. I can provide countless images of all of them if needed. None of which are stock, and none of which are older than 2000, nor were any of them purchased used. The reason that engines are broken in at low speed (which isn't true in all cases, like an S2000 and Maranello for example) is that the motor while it is breaking in is shedding tiny bits of metal on the frictional surfaces of the engine. These little metal bits are trapped in the oiling system to be recirculated back into the car, which can cause gouging and many other harmful sideffects. A DC motor dosen't have this problem when it is water broken because the metal pieces are transfered into the water (as you can see in Sherifx's bottom image) which is what causes it to turn cloudy and gray. Breaking in a motor outside of water will always yield a higher percentage of metal retained in the motor.

The voltage issue is a personal prefference. I break-in the motor at high voltage because A: that's where the motor will operate when it is in use, and B: the heat causes everything to expand to its extreme limit, which will cause a more complete and absolute break in. This isn't to say that any other method is incorrect, simply a matter of personal preferance.

P.S. Engines are only reccomended to be broken in in the process that they are because 99% of owners won't go through the process to break them in as a race vehicle. The manufacturer gives you a generic procedure to stick to.

tavisjohn · #9 12-08-2003, 10:03 PM

After reading "sherifx" and "Deep Blue"'s posts I decided to do some research. I apoligize, but I was in error. I did read 1 article that talked about using either mineral spirits or rubbing alcohol in place of the water, but I am not sure how reliable this article was as all the other ones I read refered to H2O.

The question I have then is, does the source of the power have to be a battery, or could it be a variable power supply?

TypeZer0 · #10 12-08-2003, 10:24 PM

it's best if it's a battery. if you use a powersupply it'll burn out.

tavisjohn · #11 12-08-2003, 10:38 PM

Oh well, I was hoping to find another use for my variable power supply.

miller · #12 12-11-2003, 05:46 AM

Actually from what I heard the proper way to break in a gasoline engine is to drive it like you would normally (HARD). Bring it through its full rev range and change the oil after the first 20 - 100 and 300 miles. From the factory most sport bikes are reved hard on a dyno to start brake in. All this is from Mototuneusa.com