The excitement of cruising around and with an electric bike can be amazing. But when something goes wrong, it can give you loads of headaches as you can’t figure out what to do. As there are too many technical aspects of an electric bike, it may seem overwhelming where and what to look for.
Knowing the basic electric bike troubleshooting guide will help you keep things in control. So, if you’re more into DIY quick fixes, this guide will help you get things straight. Although it’s a tricky business to fall every ebike in the same rule, it’s also necessary to understand the issue.
No worries, we’ve crafted this guide in a way, so that you can understand all the common ebike issues. Let’s help you save money on costly repairs by using essential DIY electric bike troubleshooting tips.
Contents
- Electric Bike Troubleshooting Guide
- 1. Check The Batteries Of The Ebike
- 2. Check the Voltage of the Battery
- 3. Check the Charger of the Battery
- 4. Check the Battery Prongs and Port
- 5. Check the Battery Management System (BMS)
- 6. Check The Brake Motor Inhibitor
- 7. Check The Throttle
- 8. Check The Ebike Controller
- 9. Check The Pedal-assist (PAS mode)
- 10. Check The Rear Axle Motor Connection
- Final Thoughts
Electric Bike Troubleshooting Guide
Knowing the essential Ebike troubleshooting guides are utterly necessary because you should not be wasting money and time hiring a professional for small fixes. Whether you have high-end bikes or smaller ones, the basic troubleshooting will be almost the same. Even if you’re talking about powerful ebikes for Climbing Steep Hills, the guides we’re about to discuss will be fairly similar.
Some factors that cause the faults in an electric bike are defective battery pack, bad battery charger, defective battery prongs, connector problem, bad throttle, just to name a few. Knowing how to troubleshoot these common faults of electric bikes is a piece of invaluable information. This keeps the electric bike in great shape. So without further ado, let’s get started.
1. Check The Batteries Of The Ebike
Batteries form a crucial part of an Ebike and are damaged easily because of the operating circumstances. The damaged batteries of an Ebike are due to improper washing methods, careless usage of the Ebike, accumulation of moisture, overcharging, over draining, and more. All these make the batteries of the Ebike defective.
So, if the Ebike keeps cutting off and fails to start, then the battery is faulty. It is pertinent to scrutinize the battery of the Ebike during a troubleshooting routine. We’ll explain some techniques you can use to figure out a defective battery.
2. Check the Voltage of the Battery
Identify a faulty battery by checking the battery voltage. This gives you an indication that the battery is defective. On the control panel, the LEDs should light up. Then there is a possibility that the battery is charged. But, if it does not light up, it is possible that the battery has not been charged or the fuse has gone bad.
You can check the voltage of the Ebike battery using a voltmeter by fastening the prongs to the negative and positive parts of the prongs. Another method of reading the voltage is by attaching the voltmeter directly into the battery charger connector. If the battery loses power quickly, it could run at full speed when recharged for 8 hours. But, where the battery is faulty, it will not run at full speed.
Also, if the battery drains out quickly, you need to find out how long the battery pack was left uncharged. If this battery pack was not charged for six months, then there is a chance that you can recharge it. But if you left the battery pack uncharged for more than six months, it is mostly impossible to recharge the battery. It means that the battery is bad and needs replacement. In other to avoid the risk of overcharging, it is recommended that the Ebike rider must not plug the battery charger into the Ebike for more than 12 hours.
3. Check the Charger of the Battery
When trying to identify a defective battery, always check the battery charger. There is no requirement for special tools in doing this. All that is required is to plug the battery charger into the fuse on the wall and look for one or more illuminated indicator lights. If there is no luminous indicator light or a blink, it simply means that the charger has a problem.
Using a voltmeter or multimeter, the Ebike rider can test the battery charger’s output voltage. Simply put, the voltage must be a few volts above the rated voltage of the battery charger. But, if the output on the battery charger is under the battery charger’s rated voltage or zero, then the battery charger is bad.
For instance, if the Ebike has a 46V battery, but the voltmeter reads 12 volts, this indicates that the battery is defective. At this stage, if the Ebike has a warranty, then the user can file for a warranty claim. On the other hand, if you have a 31 V battery and 36V surface charge, it means the charger is good, and the battery is fully charged.
4. Check the Battery Prongs and Port
To detect a faulty battery, check the lining up of its prongs and charging port. As a result of the improper lining up of prongs, the electrical circuit can be incomplete. It is pretty easy to fix this issue. Using a wrench, you can bend the prongs small to realign them. This places the battery prongs in the proper position.
In addition, it is vital to check the battery charger port but ensure it is unplugged from the fuse. What is required here is to identify the battery charger port on the Ebike. Then plug the battery charger directly to the port on the Ebike and look out for the illumination of the indicator light. When the charger is plugged into the power on the Ebike, if the indicator light illuminates, this means that the charger port is working properly.
However, another way to test the voltage of the battery charger port is by using a multimeter or voltmeter. The voltage level calculated at the charging port must be the same rate for the battery pack. Differently, note how long the battery pack will last by test running the battery pack on a different trusted Ebike. A good battery pack lasts within the range of 30- 40 minutes, while a bad battery pack would only last 3-10 minutes.
5. Check the Battery Management System (BMS)
A renowned method to figure out why the Ebike keeps cutting off is checking the battery management system. This system could shut off the Ebike by protecting the battery pack from overheating. If it identifies that the battery is draining too quickly, it cuts off the power of the Ebike. Thus, improper battery management can also damage the battery pack.
Hence, keep an eye on the type of battery the Ebike uses. The lower quality batteries get damaged easily. So, to know if the battery system is defective, try to use it on a different Ebike. If the problem is the same, it means that the battery is bad. But frequent use of the Ebike could make the battery pack faulty. At this point, a replacement will be a wise option.
6. Check The Brake Motor Inhibitor
Mistakenly, if the Ebike dropped, it damaged part of the handlebars or brake levers. If the brake is stuck could no longer be pulled back, then the motor switch inhibitors on. The brake lever needs to be repaired for the Ebike to work well again. In some circumstances, the motor switch inhibitors need replacement. Although, this requires the services of a professional. In another way, it uses a controller to pinpoint and disconnect the wires for the brake inhibitor. But, this step is dangerous.
However, if the brakes are not working well, check the brake pads for wear, then replace them if they are worn out. You could also adjust the brake cable tension after purchasing a new brake. This results in an effective brake and reduces the abrasion of wires that could cause brake failure. Try always to replace damaged brake shoe pads quickly.
7. Check The Throttle
All Ebikes come with a throttle system. This can be easily damaged if not correctly used and maintained. If the Ebike is overused, the is a high possibility that the throttle will get stuck. Eventually, the throttle gets damaged or loosened, and the power of the Ebike cuts off. The throttle is damaged because the brake lever is engaged, affecting the use of the throttle.
To fix this, you need to disconnect the blog of the throttle and brake lever. Then, inspect the pins to identify the destroyed ones. Verify the cycle analyst problem and disconnect temporarily. Check the throttle connector. Finally, Reconnect and try again.
8. Check The Ebike Controller
The controller if the Ebike transfers energy from the battery to the motor. It is called the processor of the operating system of the Ebike. When the controller is faulting, there will be a power cut out. A damaged controller could be one primary reason the Ebike is malfunctioning. The controller also inputs and analyse signals from all the controls on the Ebike.
Check if there is any wire in the controller that is disconnected or not connected properly. Try to make the proper connections by matching up the colour of the outlet with the colour of the wire. Then, reconnect the wire. If the controller is damaged, it is crucial to turn on the power switch.
To fix a defective controller, scrutinise by touch, sight and smell. Check for any burned or melted wires or connectors. Any wire connector that is melted is faulty and must be replaced. If the other adjoining components of the controller are good, then the controller is not defective.
9. Check The Pedal-assist (PAS mode)
Every Ebike has a different pedal assist mechanism. Most has magnets built in the front sprocket chainring, while others are built into the bottom bracket. When the pedal-assist mechanism on the Ebike malfunctions, it results in intermittent power cut-offs. If you recently adjusted some mechanical components like pedals, derailleurs, wheels, sprockets and more, it could be the cause of the occasional power cut-off.
A quick fix is using a flathead screwdriver to push the pedal-assist magnets backward to the torque sensor. When the magnetic disc is not in alignment, you can make repairs with simple tools. After doing this, if the Ebike still refuses to work, then it is recommended to meet an expert in the electric bike service shop for a replacement.
10. Check The Rear Axle Motor Connection
Some Ebikes uses a rear axle motor connection. This requires that total attention be given to the connection wires. Check if the wire is not damaged or melted in any way. If the connection is frayed, the Ebike needs to be rewired. Due to overheating of the Ebike, it could result in melting off of the electromagnetic wirings. If the wire connections smell burn, the Ebike riders should replace them to avoid costly faults. So, replace any damaged wire connections and control the power transmission system for good operation.
Check The Chainstay Motor Connection However, at some other time, the issue with the Ebikes not functioning properly is not necessarily because of the disconnected wire. It could be because of the chainstay that is located near the frame. To fix, make sure the chain or belt is replaced correctly and installed. There is no doubt that chains and sprocket will wear out. It needs to be replaced promptly.
Final Thoughts
Electric bikes make transportation exciting and flexible with the convenience of higher speed, and a bicycle. So, it is frustrating for a rider whenever the Ebike gives hard time getting by. Therefore, knowing the common ebike troubleshooting guides will help you to a great extent. Carefully study the methods we discussed above to solve the common ebike issues you might be facing or will face down the line. Remember, adequate knowledge on DIY Ebike maintenance never disappoints and pays off in time.
