Hugh, I have just been studying your previous photo and it looks as if the disc mounting bolts are too long and the ends of the bolts appear to have been rubbing against the ribbed cover, causing the visible circular
(arc shaped) gouges:
Although the binding bolts would produce a certain amount of unwanted friction when the motor rotates,
Placing washers under the heads of the six disc mounting bolts should cure the binding problem, but I'm not convinced that this is the entire cause of your problems.
When the motor does not run without first being spun, it is usually because the
external controller is running in sensorless mode.
(later internal controllers don't appear to have a sensorless mode.)The external controllers will automatically switch to sensorless mode if they detect abnormal Hall Sensor input signals. This could be due to a failed Hall Sensor, or a break/poor connection somewhere in the Hall Sensor wiring.
The controller should automatically revert to sensor controlled mode once the cause of the abnormal Hall Sensor input has been rectified.
Ensure that the Hall Sensor connector is fully seated into the controller and then check the voltages
(relative to the Black Hall Sensor wire) on each of the Yellow, Green and Blue Hall sensor wires to see if they continually alternate between 0V and ~5V when the wheel is rotated slowly by hand.
Take a look at
this post and
this video for more details on testing the operation of the hall sensors.
Also check that the three Phase connectors are tight and pushed fully onto their corresponding terminals
(Yellow Wire -> Yellow terminal, Blue wire -> Blue terminal and Green wire -> Green terminal).
I am also concerned that the retaining clip that holds the cable against the axle is missing in your photo,:
Without this clip, the cable can rub against the inner edge of the disc mounting assembly and eventually chaff through the wires.
A suitable tie wrap
(zip tie) can be used if you no longer have the original retaining clip, but check carefully for any visible signs of damage to the cable before fitting the tie wrap.
Alan