MMM/2650 + Slash 4x4 = FIRE!!
 

I have been patiently waiting for the new Slash 4x4 to be released. When I heard about the Platinum Edition, I cancelled my preorder of the RTR and ordered the PE instead. I finally go the truck on Monday. Traxxas set the truck up to accept the MMM combo, so I installed a brand new MMM/2650kv combo from the get go. I connected a brand new Hyperion G3 VX 4S 5000mah pack. The truck ran great for about 45-60 seconds, then the ESC burst into flames. I've never seen an RC vehicle on fire before, but it was scary and the smell was HORRIBLE. Anyway, I was able to blow the flames out within about 20 seconds. I've included pictures below (cuz everyone loves carnage), but please also take a look at my questions.

1) What the heck could cause this?

2) Obviously the ESC is toast, but should I be worried about the motor? In the Slash 4x4 the ESC and motor are pretty close together and the endbell of the motor is blackened from the fire.

3) Is there any way to be sure my lipo is OK? It doesn't have any visible damage and it still reads full voltage.

http://www.nuibe.com/rc/slash4x4/mmm...mmm_fire_1.jpg
http://www.nuibe.com/rc/slash4x4/mmm...mmm_fire_2.jpg
http://www.nuibe.com/rc/slash4x4/mmm...mmm_fire_3.jpg
http://www.nuibe.com/rc/slash4x4/mmm...mmm_fire_4.jpg
http://www.nuibe.com/rc/slash4x4/mmm...mmm_fire_5.jpg

are your deans soldered correctly?


spin the motor by hand- if its obviously hard to turn (aside from the motors natural resistance- it should be fine. and if your lipo is not puffed and is still in balance your fine

Correctly? The polarity is correct. The solder joints seemed to be good. I installed them the same way as all my previous vehicles. Is there something specific I should be looking for?

I was thinking Polarity- might have been a fluke with the ESC. call castle creations- they will more then likely send you out a new unit.

Damnit, that sucks. Your motor and lipo should be ok. You might have just gotten a bad ESC. I bought my 2 combos from the same place and they seem to be working ok so far. I'd give Castle a call in the morning.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune and hope you get the answers you need.

What shocks you running, I seen Green Losi springs in pic #2 ????

8ight's

I've installed shocks from a Losi 8ight 2.0 buggy.

Bad luck, the MMM is a nice ESC when it's working, but it seems that when they die, they die in a rather well, explosive fashion, and when it's right next to Lipos and a not so cheap motor, that can be dangerous.

Unfortunately with any warranty claim comes disappointment and resulting downtime of an rc you're probably pretty eager to run.

Lets hope Castle can help you out on this one, they read these forums a bit, strangely they never seem to reply in one of these threads regarding a failure of their esc though.

conspiracy theory here. castle will take care of you. they know they have failures and stand behind their product, and I stand behind them.

well, if I could stand:whistle:

Certainly no conspiracy theory, just an observation.

But I can see that commenting in a thread can open a can of worms from liability to making a judgement on warranty without seeing the unit etc etc

My thought exactly. I'd rather have them deal with the person individually. Castle will stand by their products. I had my own experiences returning burnt ESC's and I'm very satisfied with the customer service Castle has.

to the point- I would guess a binding in the driveline somewhere, or too tight a gear mesh.

It's really hard to say what the failure could have been. Maybe a fluke?

send it in...their customer service is awesome... :)

I hope it's a fluke. The truck rolls nice and smooth and the gear mesh wasn't too tight. Maybe something came loose on the board or something.