Can anyone help me identify what’s going on? As I’m riding, the mid drive motor on my E bike sometimes starts making a whirring noise and then loses power. The console and lights remains on but the motor doesn’t give any more assist. When I turn the power off and back on, it works again. Does anyone know if this is more likely to be a battery issue or a motor issue?
I’ve taken it into a mechanic that specializes in E bikes already, but the business was brand new and, based on my discussions with them, I didn’t trust that they knew what they were talking about. I feel like, when it comes to E bike repair, it’s the wild west out there.
I’m definitely no expert but I’ve owned a mid drive for a few years. It could possibly be the nylon gears transferring power from the motor to the bike’s gears- that happened to me early on. I’d go full throttle from a dead stop and eventually the gears sheared and binded.
Otherwise, depending on the actual sound it could be the driver fets or the motor itself. Can you post a short video or audio clip of it happening? Also does it only happen under load or can you trigger it with the back wheel off the ground?
The bike is in the shop for a separate reason but when it’s back I’ll test it out. What would it mean if it only happens under load or not?
If it only happens under load, that would make me suspect the motor driver. It sounds like the circuitry isn’t able to handle much current anymore, which would cause it to basically lock itself out for safety, until it’s power cycled. Most likely such a scenario isn’t communicated to the display.
Under load would refer to when you’re on the bike and activating the motor vs lifting the rear wheel of the bike off the ground and activating the motor.
Depending on the results of this test, it would identify that the motor may have sheared gears/components.