Mahle SL 1.1/1.2 Re-Builds/Maintenance

[Streddaz]

Hi there

Bit late to the party here but I’m in the process of servicing my 1.1 motor and am having issues getting this brass ring off to get to the sprag bearing. Would you have an image of the tool you put together to get this apart?

Cheers!

On mine that was a pain to get out. Unfortunately I don't have any photos but I ended up finding a socket that was the right diameter to rest on the outside housing and used a pin punch on the old bearing to push it out.
I initially used the punch on the brass ring itself but it dented very easy so I don't recommend that. If I had my 3D printer back then I would have printed a tool to press it out.
I actually modelled it in CAD but I had my computer replaced and lost the files

 

[IanL]

Good to hear you got it all back together and running well! I am not sure if its just me (or at this moment) but none of the images are showing up. Any idea why?

I was happy to find this forum as I'm struggling with my 1.1 motor. I also bought the bearing kit from the ebike centre (I live in Germany) as I am getting slip in the sprag bearing. However, I can't get the main sprag bearing housing off the drive shaft. I read above that it wasn't easy to get the brass ring out, but I'm not even that far.
Can you explain how you got the sprag bearing housing off? I even bought special tools as shown, but nothing is moving. I'm scared to do some damage. Many thanks.

 

[Streddaz]

I was happy to find this forum as I'm struggling with my 1.1 motor. I also bought the bearing kit from the ebike centre (I live in Germany) as I am getting slip in the sprag bearing. However, I can't get the main sprag bearing housing off the drive shaft. I read above that it wasn't easy to get the brass ring out, but I'm not even that far.
Can you explain how you got the sprag bearing housing off? I even bought special tools as shown, but nothing is moving. I'm scared to do some damage. Many thanks.View attachment 171287

It's been a while since I replaced my sprag bearing now but I didn't think that I had an issue getting the housing off.

Maybe the sprag bearing is locking itself onto the shaft. It should just slide off.

 

[IanL]

It's been a while since I replaced my sprag bearing now but I didn't think that I had an issue getting the housing off.

Maybe the sprag bearing is locking itself onto the shaft. It should just slide off.

Just to finish the story, I ended up giving up on my motor. Specialized gave me 20% discount on a new one. This had to go via a Specialized dealer so I ended up paying 800€ for the motor plus 50 for their service.
Statistics:
- Specialized turbo vado sl
- Purchased September 2021
- 24000 km
- used for commuting to work
If I consider how much I've saved in train tickets the 4 years, I suppose 850€ is still OK. However, considering that the part that was broken only costs around 40€, I'm not really very happy with the service from Specialized.
The ebike motor centre kindly refunded the money I spent on the bearing kit.
In the meantime, Bosch offers a similar lightweight motor and Cube sells a similar bike to the turbo vado sl. Let's hope the new motor also manages at least for years, but following that, I wouldn't buy Specialized again.

 

[Streddaz]

Just to finish the story, I ended up giving up on my motor. Specialized gave me 20% discount on a new one. This had to go via a Specialized dealer so I ended up paying 800€ for the motor plus 50 for their service.
Statistics:
- Specialized turbo vado sl
- Purchased September 2021
- 24000 km
- used for commuting to work
If I consider how much I've saved in train tickets the 4 years, I suppose 850€ is still OK. However, considering that the part that was broken only costs around 40€, I'm not really very happy with the service from Specialized.
The ebike motor centre kindly refunded the money I spent on the bearing kit.
In the meantime, Bosch offers a similar lightweight motor and Cube sells a similar bike to the turbo vado sl. Let's hope the new motor also manages at least for years, but following that, I wouldn't buy Specialized again.

It's a shame that almost all of the motor manufactures won't service the motors and it ends up being companies like Ebike Motor Centre that comes to the party to fill that gap. Bosch, Yamaha and Shimano, Brose, TQ are no different, they won't service a motor either.

 

[lkh]

Can you tell me how to take it down...
I don't lose it.. T.T

Please help me

 

[Streddaz]

Can you tell me how to take it down...
I don't lose it.. T.T

Please help me

View attachment 173606

Don't do what I did and use a pin punch directly on the brass as it will dent easily. I was able to smooth it out but it wasn't perfect. I'd suggest using a gear puller.

 

[N2Deep]

Came here looking for answers or maybe parts. Lol. Took SL in for new TCU and updated FW, now get error 4 motor not found. Nobody really diagnoses anything and just forcing me to buy new motor as they claim its bricked. Worked perfectly the day before. Out of warranty and wondering if its possible to repair, seems like it could be flashed back to original software or possibly swap in new electronics if really was fried. Anyone seen that issue and think swapping electronics into motor would fix it? Seems like i could pick up a broken motor. Not sure how to test it cause i would need a dealer to assist.

 

[Fabian ko]

I also had to open my motor because of a slipping freewheel bearing. Here's a tip for anyone else: I cut a roughly 1mm deep groove on the seam between the brass and aluminum using a lathe. After that, I was able to loosen the brass part with heat and then glued it back in place with a bit of Loctite (it's holding almost perfectly fine without it).

Now, after reassembling everything, I have a new problem: As soon as I start pedaling, the assist kicks in, but when I take my feet off the pedals, it continues to move on its own. If I stay on the pedals, it goes into freewheel mode and the assist stops. I suspect it's due to that asynchronous ring on the aluminum body of the freewheel hub. But how exactly do I need to adjust it so that it works again?

Video about the unwanted automatic driving function ;-)

 

[MikeD]

What type of grease are y’all using on reassembly? Just got mine apart, cleaning everything and ready to put back together. My sprag had turned to gravel completely. More the 3/4 of the little flippers were broken in half, and very little of the cage was left, just some small remnants of the outside rings. The gravel banged the hell out of the brass ring, and I bent it a bit getting it out, but with some patience got it flat again. Ready to put it all back together, but wanted to get some input on grease type.

 

[Fabian ko]

After a long search, I found a lubricant that's right between grease and oil. It's actually quite runny, but still adheres well. I have a good feeling about it. See the following link: (Unfortunately, the stuff is almost as expensive as gold or diesel! ;-) )

Dumonde Tech Pro X Freilauf Fett 29,6ml für Industry Nine

Lieferzeit: 2-4 WerktageFacts: Das Pro X Freehub Grease wird bei Freilaufnaben ohne Sperrklinken empfohlen, um die beweglichen Teile des Mechanismus zu schützen. Öle sind im Allgemeinen zu dünnflüssig und losen sich von den beweglichen Teilen sodass diese aufgrund mangelnder Schmierung einem...

rtf-bikeparts.de

 

[Streddaz]

I also had to open my motor because of a slipping freewheel bearing. Here's a tip for anyone else: I cut a roughly 1mm deep groove on the seam between the brass and aluminum using a lathe. After that, I was able to loosen the brass part with heat and then glued it back in place with a bit of Loctite (it's holding almost perfectly fine without it).

Now, after reassembling everything, I have a new problem: As soon as I start pedaling, the assist kicks in, but when I take my feet off the pedals, it continues to move on its own. If I stay on the pedals, it goes into freewheel mode and the assist stops. I suspect it's due to that asynchronous ring on the aluminum body of the freewheel hub. But how exactly do I need to adjust it so that it works again?

Video about the unwanted automatic driving function ;-)

View attachment 182892

Hmm, that kind of sounds like there a small amount of drag going on there that allows the cranks to continue to rotate but not enough drag when there's some resistance like when your feet are touching the pedals.
It's been a long time since I had mine apart to visualise how it works.