Motor cutting out, thoughts?

thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
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oxon
I don't know if you've watched the video I posted , but it would seem there's not much chance of fixing it. Who knows, the guy on the video is a bike mechanic. The video stops without resolve and in the comments section he mentions. The parts could not be found and he had to buy a new motor.
I don't know if the clutch is in the planetary gears or in the motor.

There's certainly no easy fix, at least not if I'm doing the fixing. If anything it's a learning experience.
I have watched the vid now ;) - indeed what i considered a bearing that looked like a push fitted component is in fact a keyed one way clutch part and parcel of the larger planetary gear plate, so humble pie for tea again.. ;)

If you still want to strip down for parts/experience? you will need beefy screwdrivers to pop the assembly off as well as the confidence to apply the required oomph as per the vid ;) failing that a basic puller should be a cheap pick up from ebay/china or ali express set of 3 for £12 on ebay


however in my limited experience such tools are never a good fit and always result in a scraped knuckle or more this end
 

esuark

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Jul 23, 2019
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kent
.........all else failing if it was me I`d hold it so the bearing is facing down and clean it best I could so nothing goes inside the motor. Light oil it and see if it works. Nothing to lose if parts are not available.....
 
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chris_n

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Apr 29, 2016
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.........all else failing if it was me Id hold it so the bearing is facing down and clean it best I could so nothing goes inside the motor. Light oil it and see if it works. Nothing to lose if parts are not available.....
I'm pretty sure the clutch / bearing will be available from a bearing supplier.
 
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volt x

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Apr 26, 2025
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I have watched the vid now ;) - indeed what i considered a bearing that looked like a push fitted component is in fact a keyed one way clutch part and parcel of the larger planetary gear plate, so humble pie for tea again.. ;)

If you still want to strip down for parts/experience? you will need beefy screwdrivers to pop the assembly off as well as the confidence to apply the required oomph as per the vid ;) failing that a basic puller should be a cheap pick up from ebay/china or ali express set of 3 for £12 on ebay


however in my limited experience such tools are never a good fit and always result in a scraped knuckle or more this end
Yeah I'm going to give it another go. I took the bike out today and for a good part the motor worked. It's been mentioned that a clean out might resolve the issue. What have I got to lose and I do have some beefy screw drivers. Can't say the same about my arms .
 

volt x

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Apr 26, 2025
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.........all else failing if it was me Id hold it so the bearing is facing down and clean it best I could so nothing goes inside the motor. Light oil it and see if it works. Nothing to lose if parts are not available.....
I'm going to give it ago as the bike and motor worked to a point today on the road.
 

volt x

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Apr 26, 2025
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I'm pretty sure the clutch / bearing will be available from a bearing supplier.
The video I posted shows a mechanic trying to fix the planetary gears. He doesn't manage it and in the comments section. He explains how impossible it was to source the parts. He bought a new motor in the end. The motor is a Shengyi and apparently parts are hard to find.
 

chris_n

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 29, 2016
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Niedeau, Austria
You don't need gears, if the problem is really the clutch / bearing it will more than likely be a fairly standard part with a part number on it (probably on the back). The people who make parts like this don't normally get parts custom made, it is much cheaper to use off the shelf parts unless you need something esoteric. Understanding how to measure bearings and gears is usually a much better answer than asking a finished machine supplier.
 
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thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
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there are a couple of good youtube vids on the subject of one way bearings Martin of marble Machine fame did one i think a year or so back brainstorming concepts for the next version of his instrument.

My dim recall of how they work suggests minor obstruction could easily hamper expected operation.
a complete clean out flushing may reveal a foreign obstruction and learning how to regrease would be a mini adventure in itself if successful ;)

If you need a replacement?
In your vid it appears the 'bearing outer race' is the same body of steel as the plate which holds the gears?
If so learning the correct mechanical term for a one way bearing mounting for planetary gears may be a start.. not my homework ;) but i would start with exploded motor diagrams perhaps? with a correct name you can at least use a search engine and discover the defining specs? there is always the sample request option if generally orders of 1000x + are required ;)
 

volt x

Pedelecer
Apr 26, 2025
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there are a couple of good youtube vids on the subject of one way bearings Martin of marble Machine fame did one i think a year or so back brainstorming concepts for the next version of his instrument.

My dim recall of how they work suggests minor obstruction could easily hamper expected operation.
a complete clean out flushing may reveal a foreign obstruction and learning how to regrease would be a mini adventure in itself if successful ;)

If you need a replacement?
In your vid it appears the 'bearing outer race' is the same body of steel as the plate which holds the gears?
If so learning the correct mechanical term for a one way bearing mounting for planetary gears may be a start.. not my homework ;) but i would start with exploded motor diagrams perhaps? with a correct name you can at least use a search engine and discover the defining specs? there is always the sample request option if generally orders of 1000x + are required ;)
In the video the guy said as far as I can remember the unit is a solid piece. Meaning the only spare part is the whole part and he couldn't find the spare part. I don't know who'es right or wrong. From what I can see on my planetary gear is there are no markings. Though I have only seen one side.
 

volt x

Pedelecer
Apr 26, 2025
39
0
there are a couple of good youtube vids on the subject of one way bearings Martin of marble Machine fame did one i think a year or so back brainstorming concepts for the next version of his instrument.

My dim recall of how they work suggests minor obstruction could easily hamper expected operation.
a complete clean out flushing may reveal a foreign obstruction and learning how to regrease would be a mini adventure in itself if successful ;)

If you need a replacement?
In your vid it appears the 'bearing outer race' is the same body of steel as the plate which holds the gears?
If so learning the correct mechanical term for a one way bearing mounting for planetary gears may be a start.. not my homework ;) but i would start with exploded motor diagrams perhaps? with a correct name you can at least use a search engine and discover the defining specs? there is always the sample request option if generally orders of 1000x + are required ;)
If the marble machine was supposed to answer my questions, it didn't . Though it did bring a smile to my face. Then the questions why, how , what. Sometimes I get to think, humans we're not so bad after all.