Re: Locked motor

Geoffrey Hyde wrote:
> "linmix" <[email protected]> wrote in message 
> news:[email protected]...
>> I've just received a 2nd hand lego motor (peeron #71427), and to my 
>> surprise and (... well let's leave it at that) it's jammed.
> 
> The 9v motor you mention may have come from an older set, I've had one motor 
> which failed, I got it from the 8479 Barcode Truck set myself, when I opened 
> it up I found that the part which has the motor spindle had been chewed up 
> by the metal gear driving it, and this created a hollow in the plastic where 
> the motor could not engage the spindle and therefore not drive it at all, 
> rendering the unit inoperative.
> 
> I'm sorry to say if this has happened to your motor internally, the only way 
> to confirm it would be to take apart the motor, unfortunately this is not 
> recommended as there is no way to repair this sort of damage.

I have not taken my locked motor apart (see below) but if it is a gear 
that is stripped then, as a last resort, these can be replaced with a 
custom made one.  If you are lucky enough to know someone who is a 
machinist, or in the local Model Engineering Society you can get them to 
make a replacement from aluminum or brass pretty cheaply.  If you need 
to resort to a machine shop, depending on you luck, you might get it 
made for a reasonable price.  Although not for this type of Lego motor, 
I have had small gears and parts custom made for as little as a 6 pack 
of beer :-)

> 
>> I remember seeing a website that showed the internals and possibly a way 
>> to solve this (except for complaining to the person I bought it from). Can 
>> anyone help me with a link (or other good advice) to see if anything can 
>> be done.
> 
> If it is due to electrical fault, and the part inside the motor hasn't 
> failed, I would recommend that you keep the motor intact instead, and call 
> LEGO to arrange for a replacement motor unit, as later versions of this 
> motor address the drive spindle problem and will be less prone to this kind 
> of failure.
> 
> I don't know if you'll be asked to pay for it although it may be likely if 
> the motor looks used, and isn't looking new on the outside.

I also have a motor that is locked along with a second that is 
intermittently making a grinding noise.  I emailed Lego about getting 
them replaced and explained the situation.  Unfortunately their response 
was to the tune of CAN$37.00 for each motor.  Needless to say I did not 
get replacements from them.  In my case I was lucky and came across 3 
kits for CAN$20.00 each that contained a motor.

> 
> Cheers ...
> 
> Geoffrey Hyde
> 

Good luck!
Merlin.