Twist Lite - Grinding Sound on Pedaling

[gaffrig]

I'd be grateful for any advice.

I have a Lafree Twist Lite and recently it has been producing a clickety grinding sound from the the pedal / bottom bracket area when pushing down (without power) on the right pedal.

I changed the pedals hoping that doing so might cure the problem - but it didn't help.

The power assist still works perfectly - in fact there's less noise when using it. (I guess because it's taking some of the strain off the crank when pushing the pedals round?)

Do you think this is a problem with the bearings inside the motor case?

I've looked at Flecc's site (that's one terrific resource - thanks!) and it looks as though they can be replaced, but can I ask

- is my diagnosis likely?
- are the parts for repair still available?
- any suggestions for a repairer in or near Birmingham (UK!) that could help?
- failing that is it difficult to effect a diy repair?

With many thanks for any advice.

 

[flecc]

It might be the needle rollers on the right hand of the pedal shaft breaking up, though I've never known a case of this happening. However, that sounds the most likely cause.

There have never been any spares for the Panasonic unit internals and therefore no companies repairing them. Panasonic policy is repair by replacement at around £450 last time quoted, which is why I set up this site years ago so that owners could carry out repairs for themselves where possible.

The bearings are mainly standard types available from bearings factors everywhere in the world, so you could open up the unit as shown on my site and replace the bearings if that's the cause. If you need any help at any stage, just post back here or mail me from my site contact link.

However, before doing anything else, check that it's not severe chain or sprocket wear that's causing the trouble, the idler and motor sprocket can be a source of this type of trouble.
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[gaffrig]

Thank you Flecc for that very helpful feedback.

I guess I'm just going to have to sharpen my screwdriver and give it a go myself while following your excellent instructions.

Thanks also for the offer of further help. I'll try not to take up any more of your time but something tells me I might just need a bit more of your expertise before I'm finished.

 

[flecc]

No problem, if it does turn out to be the needle rollers etc, I think I may have a spare new set you can have.

But do investigate the chain and sprockets first, worn and hooked motor sprockets can make some horrible crackling noises on these, and sometimes the motor sprocket can suffer spline wear, causing it to wobble about. Fortunately A to B magazine have had a new batch of motor sprockets made at half of Giant's price.
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