I also posted his question in the Redcat forum but I think I may get some more action over here. Anyway here goes.
My son has a Redcat Volcano it came as the brushed model but we smoked the motor running in the grass. well I decided to replace it with
a leopard 3300kv brushless setup. This included the leopard esc. Well i re used the pinion from the original motor I don't know if this was ok or not.
Well its all together and what happens is it seems as if the motor cannot turn the wheels. I pulled the the motor out but left it hooked up and it seems to spin fine in forward and reverse however if I touch the pinion while it is spinning I can stop it with almost no pressure at all almost just resting my finger on it will keep it from turning. seems as if there is not enough torque to turn the wheels. I don't know if that makes any sense but I cant figure it out.

Maybe a defective motor? If it is, then this combo is on sale for cheap and a deal not to miss!

http://www.atomikrc.com/collections/...ored-esc-combo

I'm guessing you did calibrate the ESC right?

I did. Kit came with a program card. Was pretty easy to set up. Or at least I thought it was.

And your reverse has the same lack of power (assuming your ESC has reverse) with a 100% setting? Touching a pinion gear, to test the motor, is not a recommendation ....ouch!


When you have the motor in the Volcano, does the transmission turn at all, and does it sound "normal"? Does the driveline operate smoothly when turning by hand? If you think the motor is the culprit I would try to get a replacement. But since you said you were running in/on grass and burn out the brushed motor, I would check the driveline for any binding and/or missing pins; dogbones etc. etc....

I agree ouch. Thats what I thought would happen but in reality it just stops. Sounds like it is still turning yet the pinion is stopped.
as for the rest of the drivetrain it all seems good. I spin it by hand and it is smooth and clear.

Back to your other comment about reverse. There was one time where reverse seemed much faster then forward.
I have not been able to duplicate that scenario. Right now nothing spins when the motor is engaged.

Rusty, the OP said he can stop the motor with his finger. That says it all right there.

I think you have a defective system/motor. I'd return it, and get that Atomic system. Killer deal indeed.

I'd also suggest getting an IR thermometer for monitoring your motor temps. BEST way to determine proper gearing. A brushless motor shouldn't run hotter than 150F. Anything over 170F and you run the risk of melting windings or overheating the magnets. Too hot? Gear down by installing a pinion gear with fewer teeth. Running a car in grass typical to the average park imparts a lot of drag, and is no wonder why the brushed motor burned up. Avoid deep/thick grass. Look for another bash site.

Thats exactly what I thought. When I touched the pinion. And stoped ot I first assumed the set screw must have slipped. But after taking a closer look I realized it is not the case.

From your description it sounds like the motor shaft is slipping on its magnets, or vice-versa. How else could the motor sound like it's running, but you can stop the pinion from turning by simply touching it.

Can anything that I can do.be done about that.

I that is indeed true, the motor is toast. Fishing tackle. If you bought it that way, I'd return it under warranty. And buy that other system in the meantime.

And no, you can't do anything about it. It's a manufacturing defect.

Thanks, However do you think that Atomik deal is to big for me. My truck takes a 60a 3300kv that deal is for a 120a.

thanks for all the helful replies.

Nah, it just means it's 120A capable. Probably 6S capable. The 60A is probably 4S max? The key is the motor. It's a full 540-size, so it'll give you plenty of torque, and the 4000kv will give you plenty of top speed. DO get a temp gauge to monitor motor temps for proper gearing.

Thanks again. I do appreciate the help.