Clicking noise on Pro Connect drive sprocket/

My Pro Connect has developed a ticking noise on each revolution on the drive sprocket when I pedal. I've checked pivot on jockey wheel and tightness of motor mounting bolts (had to tighten these previously). Anyone have any ideas what might be cause? It's more annoying than anything, there's no strange 'feeling' in the crank etc. Would like to be reassured it's not a ticking time bomb of trouble to come!

 

Regards.

 

Mike

Is it definitely a tick every revolution of the motor drive sprocket Mike, which would be a very rapid rate of almost continuous ticking, or one tick per pedal revolution?

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Hi flecc

 

It's one click each revolution on the crank drive sprocket - I can 'kid' myself that it's at the same point of the revolution. It's when there is no pedal assist at all - it's just my effort on the pedal crank. Funny the things you notice when gently cycling along quiet car free country lanes in the sunshine. Once I'm in the hurly burly I don't notioce it - but it's still there.

 

Mike

Edited July 10, 200916 yr by oriteroom

In that case Mike it's what I suspected, the crank itself is probably slightly loose on the tapered square and the centre nut needs tightening. That can give exactly the click you describe. Prise off any end cap and tighten the nut shown on the right. Do both cranks:

 

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/flecc/images/crankcap.jpghttp://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/flecc/images/cranknut.jpg

 

You need a thin walled socket to do that, or your local bike shop can do it for you. Very occasionally a similar click can occur with a faulty pedal bearing, so if the click remains after tightening both cranks, that's the next thing to suspect.

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It's one click each revolution on the crank drive sprocket - I can 'kid' myself that it's at the same point of the revolution.

 

Are you absolutely certain that the noise is coming from the pedal crank? The reason I ask is that you seem to imply that the tick does not happen at the same point on each revolution of the crank.

 

I had a very annoying ticking which I thought was coming from the motor / crank. It turned out to be the back wheel. I think it was caused by the spokes moving slightly and causing the ticking. Tightening the spokes improved matters a little and it went away completely when I changed the wheel.

You might also have an errant chain link. Check your chain to see if the one of the sides has sprung out of its holding.

 

bw

musicbooks

A click/creak on the push stroke is most likely Flecc's diagnosis. Research on this and other forums suggest that the torque on the crank nut should be 30lbs. I had not tightened mine enough having read lurid tales of splitting cranks.

To grease or not to grease seems to be a highly contentious issue. I have smeared a little grease on to keep out moisture.

Same click

 

I had the same problem on my Lafree which I thought was a motor bearing failing, I couldn't detect any movement on the cranks that's why I thought it was a bearing, but the other day my right hand crank dropped off!!! Do what flecc suggests & you might find your click has gone, mine did.

 

Derrick - Llanberis

I notice on the Sheldon Brown website that there are 2 different standards in use for the square taper on bottom brackets - the ISO standard and the J.I.S. (Japanese International Standard).

 

Does anyone know which standard is used on the Panasonic drive ?

 

Thanks

 

James

 

Does anyone know which standard is used on the Panasonic drive ?

 

Thanks

 

James

 

I don't James, but the unit was specifically designed for the Japanese market only originally, with the characteristics to suit that, so that almost certainly indicates the Japanese standard.

 

Maybe this photo from my Lafree site will give a clue, and if you have an ISO spindle to compare to, the Panasonic spindle flats are 11 mm long:

 

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/flecc/images/pedalshaftstrip.jpg

I sometimes get a click on my Wisper whenever I apply pressure to the right crank. I simply oil the chain and put a little oil on the pedal thread just in case it's the pedal moving slightly inside the crank arm.

 

I've never actually tested to see what the cause of the click is. I can never be bothered to just put oil on the chain or the pedal and then go for a ride to see if either fixed the click. Because if it didn't then I'd have to either turn back or carry on riding with that rather annoying *click* *click*.

 

 

I suspect it's the chain though. The last time the click started the chain was rather dry.

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I've tried tightening the pedal crank bolts but the tick persists - one tick per revolution, from the drive sprocket side I think. Will look at pedals next as flecc suggests. The only other thing I've noticed when giving the drive sproket and chain a good clean (I regularly oil the chain with GT85) is that there are about 3 or 4 teeth located together on sprocket which have little wear burrs on them (turning outwards)? What sort of cheap alloy do they use nowadays for these drive sprockets or are they a consumable item in preference to chain wear? I'm no Mark Cavendish and have only covered close on 2000 miles but is such wear normal? Could this be the errant click? I remember in my of pushbiking days as a lad having cracked ballbearing which gave a noise. Flecc - is there any suspicion on the crank bearing?

 

Thanks again for help and suggestions.

 

Mike

Crank bearings are highly unlikely Mike, there's dual support on the drive side, a precision ballrace on the outer side of the internal crank freewhel and a substantial needle bearing on the inner side of the freewheel. On the non-drive side of the crank spindle there's a precision ballrace. These crank spindle bearings are more highly specified than is usual on a bicycle, and I've never been notified of a single failure via my website over the years.

 

A cracked or chipped ball bearing in a pedal is much more likely, but the burrs on the sprocket could be a cause and it would be a good idea to remove them with a file. The sprocket is very easily taken off and refitted, and you can also turn it round to present new wear tooth faces. Here's the details on a webpage in my website:

 

Servicing motor sprocket

 

I wasn't aware of them wearing particularly fast, but being a 9 tooth sprocket does make it vulnerable to wear as it has a tooth pass rate some 41% greater than the 14 tooth on the early unit.

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Edited July 10, 200916 yr by flecc

Hi flecc

 

Thanks for your replies and reassurances. The burrs are on the pedal crank chain sprocket not the motor one - I'll remove them and see if the elusive tick disappears.

 

thanks again

 

Mike

HI all

 

Flecc, i had just posted a couple of weeks ago that i have had no probs with my pro connect in over three thousand miles and lo and behold, i am now having very similar problems as mike had in 2008 (?) I too tightened the pedal crank bolts to no avail and see no problem with the chain or sprocket. My noise is a loud clicking/"gravelly" type of noise and seems to be only when i put a load on the pedals. The strange thing is, today, I tried it with the battery power turned off and it didnt seem to happen!

I tried to click on your 'servicing motor sprocket' link but it gave me the old '404' error and wouldnt open. From what you have said in this forum, you have your own separate web site?! thanks!

Yes, my site URL has changed. Here's the URL for my Panasonic unit index

 

And this link goes direct to the servicing page covering all the chain/sprocket transmission in the first half of the page: Repairs

great - thanks!

The motor sprocket wears quickly and leads to strange noises. It is easy to change and can be turned over to see if the noise then goes away.

 

HI all

 

Flecc, i had just posted a couple of weeks ago that i have had no probs with my pro connect in over three thousand miles and lo and behold, i am now having very similar problems as mike had in 2008 (?) I too tightened the pedal crank bolts to no avail and see no problem with the chain or sprocket. My noise is a loud clicking/"gravelly" type of noise and seems to be only when i put a load on the pedals. The strange thing is, today, I tried it with the battery power turned off and it didnt seem to happen!

I tried to click on your 'servicing motor sprocket' link but it gave me the old '404' error and wouldnt open. From what you have said in this forum, you have your own separate web site?! thanks!

I had the same problem, but it was intermittent, some days it would do it, others not . I checked everything I could think of. Then one day, when i went to my bike it had a puncture. So I decided to use my wife`s bike instead. I got the same problem throughout the whole journey! Checks revealed nothing. Then about a week later I made a momentous discovery. It only happened when I carried my tobacco tin and my lighter in the same jacket pocket. Yes, it was my lighter tapping my tobacco tin as I pedalled...