DHK Wolf – Steering But No Motor

Question:
Hiya Doc-
I have a DHK Wolf with a brushless motor and when I turn my car on, it recognizes the but the motor doesn’t respond. Do you think it’s the motor or the ESC?

Andre

Answer:
Hi Andre,
The DHK Wolf comes in two flavors; brushed and brushless. Usually you have fewer problems with the brushless version due to its maintenance-free design, but thing happen. I’ll run you through a few tests to see if we can’t get it back up and going.

First thing to do is set it on a stand of some sort to get the tires off the ground. Now turn it on and give it some throttle; does it make any sounds, like it’s ‘trying’ to move but just isn’t? If so, they there’s a good chance that you have something stuck in the drivetrain. Turn the vehicle off (safety first) and try spinning the drivetrain by hand. If it feels stuck, check all the wheels, axles and gear area and clear and rocks or debris you find.

If that doesn’t fix it, make sure all the connections from the ESC to the motor are good. The motor wires are all tucked behind and under the top deck, so there is a chance something might have come unplugged.

If there is nothing blocking the drive parts and the connections all seem good, there is one final test. Remove the motor from the car and test to see if it rotates while in your hand. There is a slim chance that the motor may not move while it’s under load and this will be a good test to try that theory.

If the motor still doesn’t work, you have 3 options; replace the motor, replace the ESC or take it back to Hobby People and have them look at it – in that order. There is no real way to test a bunk motor or ESC without replacing each to see which one has failed, however since the servo is working, that means power is being transferred through the ESC to it.

Good luck!
The Doc