Originally Posted by
Caroline S
Perhaps those of us who are attempting our first motor project should also have some info regarding what to look for in order to determine when a motor is not repairable.
What I think would make it a project I wouldn't (at this point) tackle would be:
1. Major wiring problems like bare or broke wires inside the motor. Mostly I'm just not sure what would go where, so that's a little beyond me right now and I certainly wouldn't want to make anything dangerous!
2. If all the little coils of copper wire on either the magnet or the armature were messed up. If they were broken, or if it looked like some spots were melted or burned.
3. If the commutator (the copper "barrel" looking thing on the end of the armature) was broken or totally worn down to whatever material it is covering.
4. If any of the mechanical parts, such as the shaft of the armature, were broken.
5. Remember that small parts like the little motor pulleys, carbon brushes, electrical plugs, screws can be replaced. I think this would be important if you wanted to keep an original motor with a machine because of color or branding. Some repair shops might be able to re-wrap the copper coils if something is wrong with them, but I have no idea if it would be cost prohibitive or even, really, if it could be done.
That's just what I can think of right now. If anyone else has any specifics to look for, I'd love to know.