so i binned my 5inch pretty hard into a chain link fence last week and ever since one of my rear motors has been making this low grinding sound, not super loud but definitely not right. i can spin it by hand and it feels slightly rough, like there's something catching every like quarter turn or so.

the weird thing is it still flies, kinda. i took it up yesterday just to see and it was pulling a bit to one side and betaflight was having to compensate a lot based on the motor outputs tab. temps after a short 3 min pack felt noticeably hotter on that motor too.

my question is whether its worth trying to clean out the bearings or reflow the windings or whatever, or just swap the motor entirely. i've got a spare xing2 2306 sitting around that would work. the current motor is a T-motor velox v2 2306 so its not like it was super cheap but also not irreplaceable. just dont want to swap if a good cleaning might sort it out.

if its grinding its almost certainly the bearings. you can pull the motor apart, press the bearing out with a screwdriver and some patience, and replace them ? bearings are like a dollar each from a decent supplier. but honestly unless you really like that specific motor or youre trying to learn how to rebuild them, just swap it. labor time vs cost of a new motor doesnt make sense unless the motor itself is expensive enough to justify it. velox v2s arent bad but theyre also not t-motor f40 or something crazy. id just put the xing2 in and move on, maybe keep the velox as a parts motor or practice rebuild.

also check your frame and stack while youre in there, chain link hits can crack carbon in non-obvious places and cause weird vibes that look like motor issues in your logs.

i had almost the exact same thing happen and i tried cleaning mine first with some isopropyl and compressed air, got some grit out, and it was quieter for like two packs then started again. ended up replacing it anyway so i basically wasted an hour. just swap it imo