Propeller is very close to the arm/body

[Boki994]

Hi guys,
I’ve been reading a lot of topics here on forum but I decided to create my own post so maybe I can get some help from you.
I’ve got my Phantom 3 SE few days ago from my brother (his friend gave it to him because he bought Phantom 4). I saw this drone flying without problems but when i got him into my hands i saw that propeller on back right side of the drone is very close to body/arm. If I replace that propeller for the other one, the other one scratches the body a little. I also see some little plastic damages from probably a crash and also a scratch on the motor on that arm. It is fliable but is it smart to fly like this?
As I red before, the best solution is new shell, but I also saw there is a way to fix this by heating the arm with heat gun/hair dryer. Can anyone please help me if you had any experience with this? Is there any tips for me to do?
Here are the pictures of my drone

 

[Boki994]

Don’t get confused because there is no camera down there. I removed it for transport reasons

 

[With The Birds]

I only looked at the first image- Don’t see any cracks in the shell. Is it possible you may just be able to disassemble and realign the clips, it may come back into shape if your very lucky. Worst case is you will need to replace the shell.

 

[Boki994]

Do you mean screws? Sorry about my english
If you mean by them, i did it already but no result. I feel like I have to change the angle of the arm just a few milimeters to the outside (opossite of body center). That way i will selarate the propeller from body more.

 

[With The Birds]

Do you mean screws? Sorry about my english
If you mean by them, i did it already but no result. I feel like I have to change the angle of the arm just a few milimeters to the outside (opossite of body center). That way i will selarate the propeller from body more.

The shell has plastic clips integral to the halves, perhaps one or more has been partially undone? Apologies for my English also (and it was the first language I started with)...

 

[Mark The Droner]

I had a crash with my old P2V two summers ago and had to realign the motors because the motor mounts had melted. I used spacers to get the motors right. It flew great! I even broke my distance record a week later. But I did notice that little scratches were appearing on the top of the body where the props were hitting. Apparently it was only hitting intermittently because the prop blades would bend during flight.

I agree with WTB, try to clamp the two halves better. Otherwise, you might try to straighten the motor. Yes you can replace the body but it is probably not necessary quite yet.

Good luck.

 

[Boki994]

Thank you for your answers

I menaged to put stainless washers under the motor and separated propeller from body just like the other 3 propellers are. I saw somewhere on forums that one guy posted this so i tried and succesfully did it. I didn’t fly yet because of the strong wind but I hope everything will be good when I do. I’ll let you know as soon I do it. Here is a picture to show you what kind of washer i putted.

 

[unit338]

Yes- The heat gun will work. A friend brought a Phantom by for me to look at since a
tree jumped in the way.. Using heat to just soften the plastic- the arm can be realigned.
You could not even tell it had been bent. Just go easy with the heat.

 

[BigAl07]

In that first pic you can see the "buckle" of the shell from a hard impact directly on that arm. I had the EXACT same issue. I used a heat gun and a Kevlar glove (designed for handling glass safely). I removed the prop(s) and heated the affected portion of the shell and slowly molded it back into the original shape (or close to it).

Go slow and don't apply heat to the point the plastic starts to get dark. You want "just enough" heat to make the plastic somewhat soft but not too soft. It took a few minutes to get it right but was well worth the efforts.

That same aircraft now has over 180hrs on it since the "repair"

 

[Noah5666]

Nobody’s saying this but, JUST TRY BENDING THE PROPELLER. There’s been so many times when I’ve tipped over and the the prop just needs no be bent for like 5-15 seconds. Try that before you make any permanent modifications.

 

[BigAl07]

Nobody’s saying this but, JUST TRY BENDING THE PROPELLER. There’s been so many times when I’ve tipped over and the the prop just needs no be bent for like 5-15 seconds. Try that before you make any permanent modifications.

There's a reason no one is saying that Noah. It's not a good idea because under pressure it could "distort" back to the original shape and cause an impact at altitude. I'm not saying your method won't work but it's potentially a temporary and unsafe "fix".

Why not fix the problem and not have to worry about it? The props are a specific size and shape for a very good reason.

You really want the solution to be PERMANENT especially dealing with the propulsion system on a non-redundant aircraft.

 

[Noah5666]

I’ve done it multiple times with my old p3s and it worked fine. But you could always buy new propellers I guess.

 

[Boki994]

Hey guys, just wanted to update you that I’ve been flying for 2 days now whithout a single problem with my drone. Like I said before the solution was washers under the motor and everything works fine.

 

[RodPad]

Related to what @Noah5666 said.

One day I started the motors on mine and It had this ticking sound.

Playing with props one was super close and had made marks in the shell. Crap

I couldn't see the cause, traded the two props on the Phantom.
Problem move to other motor but not as severe.

Prop was bent because how it been setting for a few days, or weekdays or few weeks.
I think it was upside down, less likely for it to tip over.

Bent it back in shape, good to go.

As @BigAl07 stated, that buckle looked to be the real problem.

So in that case, i would just cut off 1" off of each prop you wouldn't want to do it just one.

Rod