Would a stepper motor still work if it was submerged in motor oil? I want to build an arm that could operate under those conditions.
If the oil is clean, there should be no electrical problems. The mechanical characteristics of the motor will change (probably dramatically), if the oil penetrates the motor housing.
I see now that I should have said “non-IP65” stepper motor, so it’s really a matter of when the oil penetrates the housing, not if. What mechanical characteristics would you expect to change? I would guess they include the max step rate, but I would also guess that the holding torque would remain the same.
Depending on the oil viscosity, the acceleration, dynamic torque and maximum step rate would be lower.