Help! Bafang Hub motor... user serviceable?

[Jackytwoshoes]

I have an old Brompton 48v Sparticle extreme.

The hub motor has sometimes made a clunking noise instead of engaging, and that has been getting worse recently, followed by a hi frequency clicking sound.

Today it all got a bit nasty and it sounds like it's stripped a gear. All it offers is a crazy noise instead of forward motion.

I might take it apart later- I'm guessing that they have nylon gears or something, are they available as spares? Is it all going to ping apart irreparably?

 

[vfr400]

More often, the cause is electrical, not mechanical. If you disconnect the motor and turn it backwards by hand, you should be able to feel if there's any problem with the gears.

The first thing to check is every connection between the motor and the controller. If you have the normal 9-pin connector, you must make sure that it's all the way in to the marked line, not just in tight. If you have bullet connectors at the controller, pull them apart and crimp them down a bit to make sure that they're tight. Check every pin in the hall sensor connector on both sides if you have the white block connector.

Hopefully, you will soon be able to give a sigh of relief when you find that the motor connector is not all the way to the line.

 

[Nealh]

As VFR has said a simple manual rotation of the wheel will tell you if there is a hub issue. Disconnect the controller/motor wire and rotate fwd's it should freewheel with no resistance, do the same backwards where you should feel light resistance and whirring of the gearing engaging. If you then reconnect the controller and try again (no battery connected) and the result is different then the issue is with the wiring/controller and not the hub.

The sparticle hub has two small grub screws on the circumference of the hub these need removing first and ideally you need the proper tool to open it if it has the four face plate recesses for a tool to sit in. Though if the manual wheel test is ok and no notchy or severe resistance is felt then the hub should be fine, new/more grease can quieten operation once any wiring fault is diagnosed.

 

[Jackytwoshoes]

Thanks for the responses! Sadly it's definitely changed in the way that it feels, it's making all sorts of clunks and notch resistance that it wasn't before.

here's 2 videos of it without anything connected, and what it sounds like when using the throttle.

 

[Jackytwoshoes]

It sometimes won'r roll backward as shown here and can take a hefty tug to break the resistance.

 

[Nealh]

Looks and sounds like it is not well, time to open it.

 

[Nealh]

Replacement planet gears and hub tool.

Bafang spare parts for replacement or repair BBS, ebike batteries, Bafang M620, Bafang M600, Bafang M500, Bafang M510, KT controller with display-GreenBikeKit.com

Bafang/8fun spare parts for bldc hub motor replacement, bafang mid motor repair such as Bafang M400, M620 motor etc.

www.greenbikekit.com

If you have circlip pliers then you can buy the nylon gear as singles x .

Bafang K5, SWXU & SWXH Motor 36T Gear Set for Replacement Bafang K5, SWXU & SWXH motor gear kit for replacement [Bafang K5,SWXU & SWXH motor gear] - $18.05 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

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www.topbikekit.com

 

[vfr400]

Your description is ambiguous. Is that with the motor disconnected from the controller?

If not, try it again disconnected.

 

[Jackytwoshoes]

Your description is ambiguous. Is that with the motor disconnected from the controller?

If not, try it again disconnected.

yes the top video is with it disconnected. In the video it’s making a nasty noise but is able to be turned backwards. Right now, the controller is disconnected and it’ll freewheel but can’t be turned the other way at all, it’s kind of jammed.

 

[Jackytwoshoes]

Ta

Replacement planet gears and hub tool.

Bafang spare parts for replacement or repair BBS, ebike batteries, Bafang M620, Bafang M600, Bafang M500, Bafang M510, KT controller with display-GreenBikeKit.com

Bafang/8fun spare parts for bldc hub motor replacement, bafang mid motor repair such as Bafang M400, M620 motor etc.

www.greenbikekit.com

If you have circlip pliers then you can buy the nylon gear as singles x .

Bafang K5, SWXU & SWXH Motor 36T Gear Set for Replacement Bafang K5, SWXU & SWXH motor gear kit for replacement [Bafang K5,SWXU & SWXH motor gear] - $18.05 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

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www.topbikekit.com

Thanks, are they US based? Any experience of the shopping time? If there was anything in the Uk it would be ideal... could do with getting this back on the road!

 

[Nealh]

Ta


Thanks, are they US based? Any experience of the shopping time? If there was anything in the Uk it would be ideal... could do with getting this back on the road!

China sellers, GBK are quite quick 8 -14 days, TBK not used yet but expect the same.

 

[Nealh]

The jammed motor could be due to the clutch mechanism which consists of 3 springs and pins, if a spring is broken or something has stuck then it can cause a stuck motor.
Motor needs opening to investigate.

 

[vfr400]

That's a Bafang QSWXK motor. They're really tricky to get apart. There's one or two pointed grub screws through the edge into the thread, which jams the thread even when they've been removed, but even worse still, some are left-hand thread and some are right-handed, so you have no idea which way to turn.

I'd get a new motor. A 36v 260 rpm Q100H should go pretty well with your 48v battery. It'll give around 20 mph and massive torque. You have to build it into your rim, so you'll need new spokes too.

Q100H 36V350W Front Driving EBike Hub Motor RPM 201

Q100H 36V350W Front Driving V-brake, rim-brake, Disc-Brake compatible E-Bike Hub Motor. Its reduction ratio is 12.6. The Q100H is more powerful than Q10...

bmsbattery.com

It's probably a good idea to update your controller if you can afford it, Unfortunately, BMSBattery doesn't sell the 48v version, so you have to get it from PSWPower and pay double postage. Buy the throttle, PAS and LCD with it.

36V/48V 350W 6Mosfets 17A Brushless DC Sine Wave Controller - PSWPOWER.com

www.pswpower.com

 

[Woosh]

It sometimes won'r roll backward as shown here and can take a hefty tug to break the resistance.

It seems to me that rust stops the rotor.
It's repairable but the repair cost is not far off the replacement cost.
If you want to replace buy a whole new wheel.

 

[vfr400]

If you want to replace buy a whole new wheel.

Where from? There are only a couple os sellers that sell complete wheels as part of a very expensive kit. Chinese 16" wheels are the wrong size.

 

[Woosh]

I can sell him one.

 

[vfr400]

I can sell him one.

With 349mm rim? Are you selling Brompton kits now? You know 16" ISO is 305mm?

 

[Woosh]

I spoke too soon! didn't read the thread properly.
I thought he has the common wheel, like on my Gallego.
I can still repair his old motor if he sends it to me though.
About Brompton kits, I am still researching. I don't like the bag solution, much prefer bolts to carrying a 3kg bag.

 

[vfr400]

I spoke too soon! didn't read the thread properly.
I thought he has the common wheel, like on my Gallego.
I can still repair his old motor if he sends it to me though.
About Brompton kits, I am still researching. I don't like the bag solution, much prefer bolts to carrying a 3kg bag.

It's the wheel size that's the problem with the Brompton. The only rims I found was the Sun CR18, which looks like what OP has.

As I said, the Bafang QSWXK is very tricky to open. Have you done one?

 

[Woosh]

I have the tool for that.