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[Pauline]

In France, Freego Eagle battery fine but suddenly bike races away and can only be stopped by brakes. Happens also when handlebar controls are off. Dangerous situation and spoiling holiday. Any advice?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I don't understand what you mean by "Happens also when handlebar controls are off." Could you explain a bit more.

If it goes full speed, your throttle might be disconnected. Check the connector at the handlebars.

If it goes at half-speed, your throttle is broken

 

[Pauline]

I don't understand what you mean by "Happens also when handlebar controls are off." Could you explain a bit more.

If it goes full speed, your throttle might be disconnected. Check the connector at the handlebars.

If it goes at half-speed, your throttle is broken

 

[Pauline]

The handlebar has a display for switching motor on/off and for selecting one of three speeds. Even when I switch this off the motor then decides to work and races away. I can then only stop by applying brakes and switching battery off with key. On switching back on, the display lights again but motor will not work unless I give bike a good shake, it then works normally for a while but soon races away uncontrollably after a short time, back to square one!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

That's interesting. In normal Ebike wiring with the panel you have, the power comes from the battery to the panel, goes through the switch and then back to the controller. With the switch off, the controller has no power. The brake sensors, pedal sensor and throttle would be inactive because they only get power when the controller is on.

The conclusion must be that there's a short circuit on the 36v wire that runs from the battery to the panel and back . For the throttle to jump to maximum, there must also be a short between the signal wire and either the 36v or the 5v wires. This implies water in a multi-pin connector. The place to look for that is in the wiring manifold in front of the steering head if it's the type that can be opened to expose the connectors, or in the multipin connector near the controller. You have to follow the thick cable from the manifold down to the controller, which sits in a compartment under the battery. The connector will be in that compartment or underneath it. It's also worth opening the compartment to see if water has come in.

I've known other bikes have faulty wiring harnesses that cause all sorts of nasty problems. If you don't find water anywhere, it might be worth a call to Freego, who would about these sort of things, so it might be worth a call to them and hope that they don't just say "take it to a dealer".

 

[clanky]

Hi, I'm no expect on your bike but I am an engineer so I add my two pence. It seems like you really need to isolate the actual problem. What I would do is disconnect all of the plugs for the battery, motor, display, brakes, sensor, etc.. Then put them back to together to see when the fault appears again. It could be that you've got power shorting to the motor across a wet connector or broken wire. You'll need to be logical and start with the battery and motor connectors and then work from there. Look along the wires and check for any damage or wear, it could be that the insulation has rubbed through. Hopefully it will be something simple and your can do a temporary fix on with some insulation tape or terminal block! Don't stress, be logical and I'm sure you'll figure it out!

 

[Pauline]

Thank you both so much for taking the time to reply. The bike worked perfectly today, 30 miles on the Ile de Re including the bridge! I think you are both right about the wet connector as the bike got soaked in a storm 2 days ago and has now probably dried out. freego did reply through my dealer and offered to send a new 'controller' ( not sure what that is) but hopefully the problem is solved, fingers crossed. Nice to know there are helpful people out there on this site. Thanks.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Pauline,glad it's all working. You mentioned Ile deRe,I loved that place,it sort of reminds me of a bit of Holland alongside France,bikes everywhere.
I took the boat into the harbour there and had a great time exploring the island-it is reputed to be the sunniest location in France.
Anyone going down the west coast of France should consider it a worthwhile diversion,hope you are having a good time.
KudosDave

 

[Pauline]

It is indeed a lovely place for cycling although in late July and August the paths are very crowded. Managed to get to the far end by the lighthouse where the beaches are quieter and very beautiful. Cycling over the bridge is great fun, especially with the kite surfers below!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I've recently seen another bike that has the same (or similar) shroud over the connectors in front of the steering head. There were several wires that went in the top with small gaps between them for water to get in, but only one coming out the bottom that was quite tight in its grommet. I can imagine that the housing will therefore fill up with water. I'd bet a lot of money that that's where your problem is. If you have the same arrangement, you should drill a small hole in the bottom to let any water out and put some silicone sealant where the wires go in the top.