Nihola Cargo bike -Sunstar 3.0 motor drive issue

[Phil E]

Hi Team!
I’m new to the world of ebikes and recently purchased a second hand Nihola cargo bike which I knew had a dodge electric motor. The battery charges and motor produces power but there seems to be an issue with the drive. There is a horrendous clicking sound when the electric motor is engaged. Almost as if the drive is slipping. When the motor is turned off everything runs smoothly. The electric motor is a Sunstar 3.0 and I’m aware these are no longer produced which makes it difficult to get spares. It seems a shame to replace the whole system when most of it works!
Any ideas on what it could be please? I’m not a bike mechanic but will strip down the motor this weekend to see what I can find.
Thanks for your help,
Phil

 

[sjpt]

Most motors have a clutch/freewheel so they freewheel when turned off or when you are going faster than they want to drive. It could be the pawls of that are not engaging properly, either worn or just stuck with dead grease.

 

[vfr400]

It sounds like a hall sensor or controller issue to me rather than a mechanical issue. You'd have to do some test to find out. Does the motor have a separate controller or is it inside the motor.

 

[Phil E]

Thank you Guys for your help. I will have a look at the internals this weekend. Below is a photo of the bike and the controller that is mounted on the
handle bar. How would I test the hall sensor?? Thanks again for your help!!

 

[vfr400]

That's the control panel. The controller will probably be in the compartment at the front of the battery if it's separate.

In this installation video, there's no mention of the controller, so it must be integrated into the motor. You're going to have to open the motor to find out what's wrong.

 

[Phil E]

Most motors have a clutch/freewheel so they freewheel when turned off or when you are going faster than they want to drive. It could be the pawls of that are not engaging properly, either worn or just stuck with dead grease.

hi Guys, I found the issue! Teeth completely gone. Any ideas where I can source a new one of these? 52teeth, width 4.5cm. I have searched google but no luck!
Thanks
Phil

 

[sjpt]

It's a bit outside their usual area, but worth asking at https://www.performancelinebearings.com/

 

[Ocsid]

No direct help unfortunately, but there has to be a "business opportunity" waiting for "adaptors" enabling the use of the available Chinese crank drives, in place of defective drives of various, but limited brands?