Motor stuck Estes Ascender

Launched my Estes Ascender this past weekend at a DARS event and it splashed down in a lake. Took a nice swim in the Texas sun to go recover it. Once I got back on land, I tried removing the G74W and it was stuck in there good. I pulled numerous times and it was not coming out. Because the whole rocket was soaking wet after floating in the lake for 5 minutes, I decided to let it dry and then try again. Still no luck. Ive even tried inserting a rod through the front end and pushing it out... nothing. Any ideas?

Air compressor? Corkscrew w/ lever arms?

Have you tried try knocking out from the front with a long wooden dowel/broomstick? Small quick and lighter hits may work better and do less damage. Try supporting the bottom while doing this (ex. - place over a peg board with a hole for the motor to come through or between two bricks) unless the tubing is weak.

Also can you provide a bit more info? Is it a disposable/SU(Single Use) motor or reload?

If it is a SU motor, (and assuming that you've already tried using pliers or vise grips to rotate it out) can you drill out the end and empty it to relieve possible expansion pressure (from the contents expanding when soaked) and then try knocking out from the front? Additionally, note that the cardboard tubing shrinks after it dries from a bath, so that's working against you as well...you may want to check if the nose cone still fits.

Best luck!

Drill and a screw extractor?

KenECoyote said:

Have you tried try knocking out from the front with a long wooden dowel/broomstick? Small quick and lighter hits may work better and do less damage. Try supporting the bottom while doing this (ex. - place over a peg board with a hole for the motor to come through or between two bricks) unless the tubing is weak.

Also can you provide a bit more info? Is it a disposable/SU(Single Use) motor or reload?

If it is a SU motor, (and assuming that you've already tried using pliers or vise grips to rotate it out) can you drill out the end and empty it to relieve possible expansion pressure (from the contents expanding when soaked) and then try knocking out from the front? Additionally, note that the cardboard tubing shrinks after it dries from a bath, so that's working against you as well...you may want to check if the nose cone still fits.

Best luck!

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its a single use g74w. The nose cone and body coupling still fit fine. It makes sense if the mmt shrank. If so, could I soak it again and it would loosen up? I have tried knocking the motor out with a dowel with no luck.

This may or may not work, but I have tried it with success. Put the rocket in a bag, seal it, and throw it in the freezer for a few hours. The bag keeps the nasty stuff from getting into the freezer. The cold should shrink the motor more than the cold will shrink the motor mount. Then tap on the motor or gently rotate with a vise grips. Proceed carefully as everything will be slightly more brittle than normal.

RalPh8 said:

its a single use g74w. The nose cone and body coupling still fit fine. It makes sense if the mmt shrank. If so, could I soak it again and it would loosen up? I have tried knocking the motor out with a dowel with no luck.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't soak it again...the tubing can weaken/de-laminate and the wood glue (assuming that's what you used) may dissolve. Generally it's bad to get it wet. If the rocket is still in good shape, I would work away at the SU motor since it's garbage and will need to come out anyway. If all else fails (and lacking other good advice) I would saw off the end of the motor, ream out the contents and then carefully cut/grind off one of the sides of the motor casing, use needle nose pliers and twist&peel into the center and then pull the motor outwards. Come to think of it, the last two things are how I get out the Estes cardboard motors which get wet (had to do that enough times now...ugh).

Zeus-cat said:

This may or may not work, but I have tried it with success. Put the rocket in a bag, seal it, and throw it in the freezer for a few hours. The bag keeps the nasty stuff from getting into the freezer. The cold should shrink the motor more than the cold will shrink the motor mount. Then tap on the motor or gently rotate with a vise grips. Proceed carefully as everything will be slightly more brittle than normal.

Click to expand...

Interesting! I might try that next time. However those rockets which can fit in the freezer are small and don't usually have plastic RMS cases, so it's easier to remove the spent motor by drilling and then with pliers. Maybe try some cold spray (like a can of air duster held upside down) or bag the end and put that into a cooler full of ice?

Sometimes a "splash-down" landing which results in motor tube swelling... spells doom for the rocket. Even if the motor eventually comes out, you may not be able to get a new motor back in.

I recommend trying to "save" as much of the rocket as you can. Parachute, nose cone, fins, motor retainer - should all be fine. You should be able to salvage most of the air frame - except the section with the stuck motor. You can easily repair the damage with a new piece of body tube $3.99 from Estes. You should also be able to get a coupler, motor tube, and anything else you need from Estes or other vendors.

Repair - Rebuild - and Fly again!

Use a broomstick and hammer, not a dowel. Dowels are more compressible. I've done this with a single use composite motor.

Use a can of compressed air, turned upside down with the button pressed. It'll be Freeze spray. Spray for 20-30 seconds, inside the spent motor. It'll slide right out.

swatkat said:

Use a can of compressed air, turned upside down with the button pressed. It'll be Freeze spray. Spray for 20-30 seconds, inside the spent motor. It'll slide right out.

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+1 on the canned air Swatkat. I've used it for for seized couplers successfully too.

swatkat said:

Use a can of compressed air, turned upside down with the button pressed. It'll be Freeze spray. Spray for 20-30 seconds, inside the spent motor. It'll slide right out.

Click to expand...

This worked! It froze the single use motor solid and then with some elbow grease and some banging with the rod through the forward end of the body tube I was able to get it out. Thank you! I destroyed what was left of it in the process as you can see in the photo. I also discovered that it is the adhesive backing on the aerotech label that becomes super sticky when wet. I'm sure this is what was making the motor stick.

I wanted to try Hydrostatic painting (dipping) a rocket I built that had a 29mm motor mount. I took a used AT motor, stuck a dowel in the tail end of it and epoxied it in to seal the motor. I then stuck the motor into the motor mount with some Teflon tape wrapped around the end of it and covered the retainer ring with plastic. I had the rest of the rocket sealed up tight. After the dip, I discovered a bit of the rim of the motor mount had been exposed to water. Just a little water soaked into the motor mount and soaked the label on the AT motor. Ended up crushing the body tube while trying to pull the motor out. Post Mortem found the label was extremely sticky inside the motor mount. Lesson learned. Use a reload casing next time!!

I am pretty amazed you were able to get the motor out. Does the rocket seem okay to use now?

Best regards,
Brian

Yep. I think I may start removing labels from now on if there's a chance it could land in water.

BRS Hobbies said:

I am pretty amazed you were able to get the motor out. Does the rocket seem okay to use now?

Best regards,
Brian

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Yeah. It seems ok. It's not as pretty looking as it once was when I first finished building it. But it also has prolly 12 flights under its belt as well.

RalPh8 said:

I also discovered that it is the adhesive backing on the aerotech label that becomes super sticky when wet. I'm sure this is what was making the motor stick. View attachment 292121

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I was just about to write in and say that one time I had a tough time getting a SU motor out, and it was because the label had started coming undone, and the adhesive was keeping it "stuck" to the motor tube.

Interesting extrication method, I never would have thought of the freezing "can-sicle" method...glad it worked (sort of). My Level 1 bird almost took a bath in an irrigation canal last weekend, I was really lucky it missed...and I can feel your pain!

RalPh8 said:

This worked! It froze the single use motor solid and then with some elbow grease and some banging with the rod through the forward end of the body tube I was able to get it out. Thank you! I destroyed what was left of it in the process as you can see in the photo. I also discovered that it is the adhesive backing on the aerotech label that becomes super sticky when wet. I'm sure this is what was making the motor stick. View attachment 292121

Click to expand...

It's also good for cooling off reload tubes and getting stubborn closures loose.

I've used the same technique to cool plastic while doing some quick machining.

Yup, had this happen to my SHR Mercury Redstone with a SU Estes (Areotech) G 40. I've found removing the label to be a wise idea.