Thing quit working!

thxcuz · Jul 28, 2012

I have a wildfire wf20e and a few weeks back it just stopped working. If I took out the battery and put it back in it would work momentarily then quit again. I was even able to make it around the block once or twice, but it would always quit on me. Battery is charged fully. Is it a component failure? I got a new controller but it didn't fix anything. Lights and horn still work.
I'm about to chuck it in the river!

Would this be a good candidate for a gas motor? :-||

Mike B · Jul 29, 2012

I suspect a bad battery connection. These are high current connectors and just a little resistance will cause a serious voltage drop.

Make sure they are clean and bright and fit snug.

thxcuz · Jul 29, 2012

Thanks....I will futz with it this week and see if that's the issue. I hope it's that simple. It really is a blast to ride.

thxcuz · Jul 29, 2012

I wonder if I can fit a china girl where the battery is and mount the gas tank on the rack. I'd need to put a different wheel in back. I may consider this if I can't get it fixed or if the issue is with the battery. That's the main issue with ebikes. The batteries are soooooo expensive.

Mike B · Jul 29, 2012

How many charges has the battery seen?

It says lithium, so it should be a good one.

thxcuz · Jul 29, 2012

Not a lot. I got it used from a guy who has a "scooter guy" company (you call them if your drunk, they drive your car home, drive back on a little scooter) they didn't like how they preformed for their business (it would be a little slow for that I would think), so he sold it. I don't hold the seller responsible since it worked great for a few weeks. If the battery is good, I could sell it and the rear wheel and put an island hopper viper on it.

Mike B · Jul 29, 2012

Is it a 20 inch?

I can tell you the 20" magic pie works *real* good -

thxcuz · Jul 29, 2012

I have seen them and they look interesting. I like that the controler is built in. The price is about the same as a good gas engine friction kit. It is an option if the battery is good.

I posted a video. I'm not sure if you can see it. It shows what happened most of the time. I twist the throttle the motor clicks, moves slightly than nothing.

I guess the video didn't work, If anyone wants to see it I can email it to them

thxcuz · Jul 30, 2012

Well, the contacts look real clean and the horn, lights and power indicator all work so it's not the battery. Not the controler as far as I can tell. It's gotta either be the motor itself or a problem with the wiring. I wonder if the motor isn't getting enough voltage.

Mike B · Jul 30, 2012

I would do a load test on the battery. Connect a voltmeter across the battery while it is in circuit with the controller and the motor. Then run the motor and see how much the voltage sags. Mine will sag a volt to a volt and a half. If the volts go too low the controller will shut down.

thxcuz · Jul 30, 2012

I'm not sure if I can do that due to the design. I did check the battery's voltage and it read 40. It's a 36v battery so I think that's correct. I called the company that sells them (I guess they are importers) and asked if they had a wiring diagram for it but they didn't. They told me what they always tell me "we can get all the parts for it" which is fine but I want to know what part has gone south. I don't even know what wire does what. The brakes have cut offs on them but I can't tell what wires they are.

george_n_texas · Jul 31, 2012

I wonder if a battery test at a local auto parts store might not diagnose the problem...too bad you can't borrow someone else's battery to try it sounds like the battery done went south on ya.

I've never shopped at one but I bet the battery store has a way of testing it.

thxcuz · Jul 31, 2012

I checked it yesterday, it's reading 40v. I think that's how it's supposed to be.

george_n_texas · Jul 31, 2012

Well that's low if it's supposed to be 48v but that doesn't show the capacity it has to have a different tester.

thxcuz · Jul 31, 2012

It's 36 volts, so 40 should be ok, right?

Mike B · Jul 31, 2012

Yup, 40 is a good charged no load voltage on a 36. My 48 fully charged will no load 57-58.

paul · Jul 31, 2012

you need to take it somewhere to check it under a load. auto shop or somewhere. a battery can show full voltage and still be junk. need to see if it keeps its full voltage under a load

george_n_texas · Jul 31, 2012

BTW Cuz Paul is the guy i told ya was the expert on the Island Hopper since he lives on an island...AKA owner of this message board LOL

thxcuz · Jul 31, 2012

An auto repair shop or an auto parts shop?
If the battery is toast it will cost more to replace it than I paid for it. If that's the case I'll convert it to friction. How powerful of an engine do you think I'll need to move the bike and a 220lb guy around (20 - 25 mph tops)

paul · Jul 31, 2012

i do like hopping around the islands lol. seriously though take the battery to a tire shop or somewhere that sells auto batteries and they will check it for free. just a voltage check doesn't tell much, needs to be checked under a load

Thing quit working!

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