Help! Clicking from motor

mrgeoff

Pedelecer
Mar 12, 2015
45
15
53
UK
Hi, got a Cube from 2015 with a Bosch Drive Unit Active Cruise motor.
Its developed an odd clicking from the motor unit, like a double click on the LH pedal stroke. Its much of a click sound.

Is this repairable? New bearings, or components required? Where do I go for these please?


Thanks!
 

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,985
Basildon
The general advice is stop using your bike as soon as there's any suspicion of bearing damage because small damage is repairable, but if you leave it too long, it isn't.

Without seeing or hearing the noise. It's impossible to say. I'd lift the chain off, then wiggle the crank to see if there's any movement and turn it to see if you can feel any roughness or hear any noise.
 

mrgeoff

Pedelecer
Mar 12, 2015
45
15
53
UK
Thanks, the only repair kit I can find so far is from Performacelinebearings.com?

Cheers.
 

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,985
Basildon
Thanks, the only repair kit I can find so far is from Performacelinebearings.com?

Cheers.
They'll do the repair for you if you ask them nicely, but you need to confirm that the bearings are faulty first. You wouldn't want to spend £200 on bearing replacement only to find that you had a twig caught behind your crank or it was your pedal making the noise.
 

mrgeoff

Pedelecer
Mar 12, 2015
45
15
53
UK
The pedals backpedal with ease, there is no noise or undue roughness.
I can only just feel side to side play in the crank by holding the crank at the ends by the pedals, the movement is only just detectable.
If I push on a pedal static, there is a bit of noise where I take up slack in the internal gears I guess, but its a different noise to the click, click. This taking up the slack is the same through a complete rotation whereever I take up the slack.

The click click is less than 90 degrees apart, with the rest of the 270+ degree crank rotation with no noise. Only when im riding. I cant get it to do it by having the bike on a stand and doing the pedals by hand.

Cheers!
 

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,985
Basildon
The pedals backpedal with ease, there is no noise or undue roughness.
I can only just feel side to side play in the crank by holding the crank at the ends by the pedals, the movement is only just detectable.
If I push on a pedal static, there is a bit of noise where I take up slack in the internal gears I guess, but its a different noise to the click, click. This taking up the slack is the same through a complete rotation whereever I take up the slack.

The click click is less than 90 degrees apart, with the rest of the 270+ degree crank rotation with no noise. Only when im riding. I cant get it to do it by having the bike on a stand and doing the pedals by hand.

Cheers!
If it only does it under high load, it could be the motor fixing bolts, which is a relatively common problem. See if tightening them solves it.
 

TedG

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 8, 2017
466
494
73
Lisburn Co Antrim Northern Ireland UK
If it only does it under high load, it could be the motor fixing bolts, which is a relatively common problem. See if tightening them solves it.
Had this some miles ago. Dealer tightened the motor which was loose in the cradle as well as side to side movements of the crank of about 3mm.
This repair lasted about 250 miles and re-occurred. Back to dealer who apparently fitted some shims and re-torqued the motor.
Feels OK now but not convinced that it will last. I suggested a drop or two of Loctite from back in my days of motorbike box rebuilds but this wasn't met with much enthusiasm.
Shimano motors with whines and play??
 

mrgeoff

Pedelecer
Mar 12, 2015
45
15
53
UK
Just tightened my motor cradle bolts (5 of them) and still clicking. Tightened the 2 bolts on the ends of the cranks too.

The clicking is a similar click as to when the drive engages statically, and a bit similar to the click when you wheel the bike backwards.

im kind of OK if its the motor and how I use it, at the mileage its at.


Thanks!
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
15,971
6,292
Doh, it was a pedal! Sprayed WD40 in the pedal bearing, noise gone!
wd40 is for water displacement it is not really a lube get some of this. ;)

 
  • Agree
Reactions: Samcycles and TedG

mrgeoff

Pedelecer
Mar 12, 2015
45
15
53
UK
They are cheap alloy pedals with synthetic bearings, I’m not going to worry too much, but thanks:)

A quality pedal would have got a strip and lube.
 

Bobajob

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 1, 2019
313
140
Cornwall
Just tightened my motor cradle bolts (5 of them) and still clicking. Tightened the 2 bolts on the ends of the cranks too.

The clicking is a similar click as to when the drive engages statically, and a bit similar to the click when you wheel the bike backwards.

im kind of OK if its the motor and how I use it, at the mileage its at.


Thanks!
I had the same and it was the pedal bearings packing up. I removed the pedal and lubed it up with 3-1 oil to see if any difference. It stopped clicking for a while so in the end it was the pedal.