Do Technic motors wear down after a while?

[ArchieNov]

I've recently gotten back into collecting Technic. One of the sets I purchased was the 42009 Mobile Crane Mk II less than a month ago. While the L motor has always struggled with the outriggers or lifting the extended boom, right now I'm noticing that it's even slower than I remember it when it was still new. I haven't made any modifications to the functions, everything is as stated in the instructions. At first I thought the batteries were just getting weaker, but I replaced them with fresh ones and the performance hasn't improved.

I'm also getting the same experience with my 42042 Crawler Crane. It can no longer raise the extended boom from its lowest position. Again this was always a struggle for it, but it would be able to do it slowly but surely. Now, it can't even do it after installing fresh batteries.

So is my motor's performance deteriorating? I've been using the functions occasionally, but never straining the motors as much as possible. Or is there another underlying issue (e.g. The white clutch gears)? Do these start slipping more often after repeated use?

Thanks for any replies.

Edited August 2, 2016 by ArchieNov

[JJ2]

The clutch gears will wear down over time but with thorough use. I have a L-motor I used in high stress and it has dropped about 20 RPM since I bought it so the motors will wear down.

[Freekysch]

My motors work just fine, even the original ones from the 8275 Bulldozer which was the first Technic set that used PF. I think the problems may be the batteries used ?

[J_C]

I have one motor from 1986 and it still works. I have not chance to find out if there is performance drop. But its power is - as Rolls-Royce used to say in old days when they did not publish kW for their car engines: "more than sufficient"

With modern motors I did not notice any problems. But they are not 30y old yet.

I have 42042 and I have no issues. Maybe you want to check alignment of bushings and gears and cogs if there is not some extra friction because of poor assembly.

Edited August 2, 2016 by J_C

[Blakbird]

Every brushed motor will wear out eventually, but at the very low currents of PF motors it will take a long time. It sounds more to me that the problem is in the parts themselves. If the model was built with a lot of friction, the axles and gears will wear so it will get worse over time. You may want to consider rebuilding the model.

[BusterHaus]

Motors do wear, but their life is typically in thousands of hours (depending on the application). You will wear out the plastic Lego mechanism before you wear out the motor.

Blakbird is correct - the fault is most likely in the build.

[Zerobricks]

Take apart the model, clean the bricks and put it back together. It will work like new

[nerdsforprez]

I have harped about the clutch gears in both these models. They are more a hindrance than anything and do wear down over time. In fact, I have found that lifting limitations on both these models is a result of the clutch gears...... Not the motors. I suspect the clutch gears are also to blames for your problems.

[ArchieNov]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

I understand what some are saying about friction in the build, but I made sure that the gears would have enough slack while I was putting it together. Also, I think that if I had built it incorrectly, the performance should have been as bad even from the beginning. But like I said, it used to be able to do these actions better before, but now it's having a harder time even with new batteries and no other changes.

In any case, are the motors safe as long as the clutch gears are in place? Even if the gears at the end are barely turning?

Edited August 2, 2016 by ArchieNov

[Good old Lego builder]

I have experienced the same thing with 42009. I agree with Zblj, take it apart. I did that and rebuild it. Works fine. Dust really is an issue.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Good old Lego builder

[deehtha]

If you haven't dissemble the sets, there could be some slight deformation at all of the points that bear weight, especially the bad of the crane boom.

[ArchieNov]

Hmm, dust had entered my mind, but wasn't sure it would play a big factor. Deformation might also be the culprit. Anyway, thanks for the advice. I'll just wait to get the parts needed for the Ultimate 42009 before I disassemble and rebuild it.

[RohanBeckett]

After last weekends BrickExpo, and running 18 various PF Motors, for 3 days solid (at least 7 hours continuous running per day), I now have 2 M motors that are starting to whine/squeal (they still work, though...)

But they are probably my oldest, since my first 2007 Bulldozer set, and have done numerous exhibitions

[Thorlek]

Under normal use, the motors should last "forever" I still have original technic square motors that work fine, I just put a tiny bit of sewing machine oil into them when i dug them out of storage to get them running smoothly.

Using them in Expos on things like GBC Modules will wear them out eventually, but even then, you should easily get your money's worth out of them (dozens of days of run time) it you make sure not to stress too much.

just make sure you chose the right motor for what you are doing... XL motors for heavy loads etc, and keep everything clean and free of dust.

[dagupa]

I noticed the same with my excavator 8043. I put it in display for over two years and when I powered it again the motors could hardly move the gear box. I thought it was a deteriorating process due to lack of use. I disassembled the whole model and built it again checking that all moving part could move easily. The model started moving and all functions were responding well. I concluded that the poor performance was due to some problem with moving parts -gears, axles, etc- and the assembly and not to the motors. They still work great. It's not a technical conclusion nor analysis but (just for the fan) it's a solution worth trying.

[dr_spock]

You can check the motor by removing it from the model and running it without any load. If it can run for several minutes, then it is probably fine. You also can turn the axle where the motor was connected by hand and feel for friction.