How to Rewind an Electric Motor

Edited by Webster, Chloe, BR, TraceyBrown and 5 others

Electric motors are relatively simple mechanical devices, but rewinding the
coils on a DC motor is a precise task that should only be undertaken by those
who with experience in mechanical or electrical repair. A mistake or poorlyperformed rewind job will result in a motor that doesnt work. At that point, your
only options are to buy a new motor or to take it to a professional shop for
repair. Given the variety of motors and types of windings, this can only be a
general article on rewinding. If you dont understand the terminology, you
shouldnt be rewinding a motor; once you start removing the original coils,
theres no going back.

Steps

1.

1
Clean your work surface to make sure its free of dirt and dust.

2.

2
Remove the motor housing to reveal the armature, stator, and the
windings.

3.

3
Document the present configuration by taking notes or
photographs. You may even wish to videotape your deconstruction so that
you can precisely recreate the original winding pattern and connections.

4.

4
Take the wire from the tabs on the brush pads. Bend the tabs gently (and
as little as possible) and completely remove the wire from the tabs before
cutting the coils of the wind.

5.

5
Cut the coils in the wind free from the armature and/or stator. The easiest
place to cut is at the tops of the coils at the top of the armature and/or stator
posts. Count the number of winds in each coil so that you can rebuild the
motor to its original configuration.

6.

6
Check the insulation that lines the actual steel laminate areas of the
stator before you rewind an electric motor. If its in good shape, you can
put it back in place before beginning your rewind. You can replace burned or
damaged insulation with similar material or insulating tape.

7.

7
Rewind the armature and/or stator using the same gauge and type of
magnet wire that was on the original motor. If youre more experienced,
you may wish to upgrade your wires quality, substituting a nylon-andpolyurethane-coated wire for the original enamel-coated wire, for instance.

8.

8
Recreate the exact winding pattern and number of coils around each
winding.Take great care to make each coil tight and precise for the best
performance.

When beginning your first winding, leave the end of the first
winding free but long enough to reach the first tab. The last winding will attach
to the same point.

Crimp all the other windings down as you work to hold the wire in
place. You do the winding with one long wire, so dont cut anything as you go.

Before you crimp the wire down behind the tabs, use a sharp knife
or sandpaper to remove the insulation from the wire at the point where it
makes contact with the tab. Make sure you only remove as much insulation as
is necessary to create good contact.

9
Connect the end of the last winding and the loose wire you left in the
first winding to the tab where you began.

10

Check to make sure that none of the wires connecting to the tabs are
touching.

11
Reassemble the motor housing.