Rail (750Wh) Multiple power offs today and not delivering correct power when turned back on

JP-NZ

E*POWAH Elite
Feb 17, 2022
1,030
778
Christchurch - New Zealand
I’m sure it’s moisture related.
Gee thats annoying Dave. Makes me even more determined that I'll stick to washing with a soapy bucket of water and a wet rag. I rode through some water about 12-14 inches deep last week and was so worried about the motor.

I'll be interested to see what the LBS says, no sign of water ingress in the battery area?
 

Dave_B

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Aug 29, 2020
1,420
1,542
Newquay
The bike gets damp in the battery area for sure. LBS thinks it might be the battery. The post above suggests a dodgy cable, which I suspect could be true considering I did a 25 mile wet ride with no issues, but moving the lower battery plate during the lock delete bracket install suggests something got stretched out a bit and maybe incurred a faulty connection again (although the previous fix was a new lower battery plate and a few new cables, so who knows?)
 

scooby82r

Member
Aug 15, 2020
80
47
Manchester, England
@Dave_B
I had a similar issue with my unit powering on but then nothing. It did it at random times, flat ground, sending it - made no sense.
It ended up being the two connectors going to the Kiox unit under the top tube.
They seem to push in then click.
One of mine was in but didnt click. Removed them pushed them in hard to get the click and Ive been fine ever since.
 

Dave_B

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Aug 29, 2020
1,420
1,542
Newquay
We think we have solved this. Charging connector and associated loom being prone to getting wet.
 

Mikerb

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 16, 2019
6,136
4,669
Weymouth
I think you need to look for potential weaknesses on all the bikes on offer..............most especially in terms of protection of the electrical components and take action! I did quite a bit of extra protection for my LEVO mostly on the TCU and the motor to battery rosenberger plug. Personally I think fixing controllers, like the TCU, into the top tube is a mistake. The environment inside of an ally or carbon tube is not very electrically friendly! I taped up the TCU and its connectors and made a gasket to fit between the TCU and top tube. I covered the rosenberger plug area with neoprene fixed with HD self adhesive velcro.

I now have 2 Whyte bikes which have needed far less protection. The main battery sits in the downtube exiting from the bottom avoiding the silly idea of having one face cut away. All I have needed to do with that is smear a little grease on the edges of the motor guard that fixes to the bottom of the downtube before refitting........absolutely nothing gets in there even if I go through deep water. The charger plug is positioned on top the motor area and kept secure with a rubber cover and is pretty well protected as is..........even so I have made a neoprene cover fixed one side with HD self adhesive velcro and hooked into a frame edge on the other.

Elecrical connectors on the motor PCB are potential problem area if the motor cover allows the ingress of trail debris and water. They all rely on a push fit and an o ring seal on the shaft of the connector. Those O rings need to remain flexible and lubricated to work over time with exposure to varying temperatures. I treat them with silicone lube which both keeps them flexible and lubricated. Once all connectors are inserted I fill the area around and between them with lithium grease..........all of that treatment repeated twice a year. On the Levo I filled most of the cavity inside the cover with moto foam. I believe in keeping electrical connectors clean. So I use electrical contact cleaner twice a year. That remove any oxidisation and provides protection for a few months.
I have never had electrical problems associated with dirt or water ingress or poor connections on any of my bikes.
 

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