When, if ever, should I replace the bearings in my drone's brushless motors? Are there signs that a motor needs new bearings?
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4 Answers
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Bearings generally last much longer than the rest of the motors with how often we crash. If you notice a rougher noise or the motor doesn’t feel smooth when you spin it, that’s a sign your bearings might be shot.
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Learning how to replace bearings is a skill worth having.
It doesn't take much slop in a bearing to add a lot of noise to the gyro signal, and that will be amplified by the PIDs, causing hot motors or reduced performance.
If the quad is a high-performance or cinematic machine, its best to replace bearings as soon as they sound rattly or get free play in the bearings.
For everyday park fliers, it matters a lot less. The correct answer is that you change them according to your ability to do the job, and the need for it.
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In addition to what Spencer mentioned, as bearings wear out they will get "sloppy" or loose. Grab the bell gently and rock it back and forth (perpendicular to the rotation axis). If it moves it may be wearing out. Do this on a new motor for a point of reference.
I had a motor that sounded really bad. Wasn't getting hotter than the rest and seemed to fly ok. Rocked the bell and was amazed at how loose the bearings were.
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I recommend replacing bearings in a motor only if the motor has been discontinued and you really love the motors. Otherwise, it's much easier to just replace the motor with a new one.