Running in

[anotherkiwi]

I am up to about 300 km over the last couple of weeks and have developed some strange noises. So went looking for answers:

1. Spokes - I had three very loose spokes, now they are tightened less noise!
2. BB - when the bearing gets hot it moans and groans I knew that it wasn't going to last very long so not worried about that one
3. motor gearing - when the motor gets warm (we are having temperatures in the mid 30°C at the moment) there is gear noise over and above 250W or so in assist level 5. I am guessing not enough grease. This is gear whine not scary crunching noise.

I saw somewhere (ES?) photos showing how to take the Mxus rear hub motor apart but I can't find the thread any more - can anyone point me to a link please?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I get them apart with a hammer, a screwdriver and a 5mm allen bolt. The head of the bolt is a nice fit in the dimple, leaving enough proud to knock round anticlockwise with the hammer and screwdriver. Draw a pencil line over the join so that you can see progress. After about 25mm of rotation, you can unscrew it by hand.

They come apart fairly easily when new, but tighten up afrter some use. You have to knock the screw so hard that the bolt becomes too loose, then move on to the next one.

 

[anotherkiwi]

OK thanks. So what I understand is:

1. unscrew the cover on the freewheel side
2. pull out the core of the motor (which is hard because of the magnets)

Then I have access to the clutch and gears.

Correct?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

No. It's not that hard. If you're very lucky, the sideplate will unscrew with the freewheel. Something I forgot to mention before: If the pencil line foesn't show movement after a few good blows, you need to heat up the hub with a hot air gun. I normally take it up to be just too hot to touch. If you heat it up before removing the freewheel, there's a better chance of the two coming off together. Don't forget to remove the nut from the other side so the axle can pull through.

There's no need to dismantle the rotor from the stator. The whole lot comes out as an assembly. You can then service the gears.

 

[anotherkiwi]

OK so I am off looking for a heat gun. It hasn't budged a bit...

I have lost several litres of sweat even without the heat gun...

 

[anotherkiwi]

Unlucky... This is not working at all not even 1mm. I am using a DeWalt professional heat gun and it is hot enough to cook an egg on...

Putting the wheel back on as is I need to be mobile I will live with gear whine or not use too much power or both. In any case it won't be going back under guarantee in the state it is in now.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Did you draw the pencil line?

 

[anotherkiwi]

yep... not a mm...

Went for a test run:

1. Today it wasn't 38°C like the other day and there was less noise - still there at around 425W in assistance level 5, could it be clutch slippage?

2. in levels 1 -> 3 the motor is silent

3. in level 4 and 5 the noise starts when climbing steep hills and drawing maximum watts then as soon as the motor turns freely the noise stops

 

[anotherkiwi]

Today even less heat and... even less noise!

1. Doesn't get hot in China?
2. Doesn't it get hot in Spain (origin of kit)

Maybe I am just fussy and the smallest noise starts ringing alarm bells for me...

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I've had some really noisy motors that went very quiet after a few hundred miles.

 

[KirstinS]

Don't know what motor you have but my old one had two tiny grub screws that needed removing first

Worth mentioning any rate

 

[anotherkiwi]

I've had some really noisy motors that went very quiet after a few hundred miles.

I think that I got lucky and at 600 km the motor is very quiet again.