While electric scooters are among the PEVs that require the least maintenance, the unexpected happens sometimes and you could easily miss that commuting deadline you are looking forward to.
There could be multiple reasons why an electric scooter won’t work, and one of those is an electric scooter motor not running.
In our blog post today, we are going to dig deeper, look into why an electric scooter motor doesn’t run, and the possible fixes.
Table Of Contents
- How to Test Electric Scooter Motors and Fix It (Overview)
- 1) Switch on the electric scooter
- 2) Use your senses to inspect the motor
- 3) Inspect the charger and battery
- 4) Check if the circuit breaker or fuse is burnt
- 5) Check the controller
- 6) Check if the brake lever switch is worn out
- 7) Inspect the throttle
- 8) Check the bearings
- In Summary
How to Test Electric Scooter Motors and Fix It (Overview)
You, of course, cannot fix an electric scooter motor without testing if each of the parts that make it work is in stellar shape.
Below are our tested and proven tips on testing and exactly how to fix an electric scooter motor:
- Switch on the electric scooter
- Use your senses to inspect the motor
- Inspect the charger and battery
- Check if the circuit breaker or fuse is burnt
- Check the controller
- Check if the brake lever switch is worn out
- Inspect the throttle
- Check the bearings
1) Switch on the electric scooter
It’s somewhat hard to know if the problem lies with the motor unless you switch on the e-scooter.
If it doesn’t start even after switching it on and off, then you may engage the scooter into motion by kick-starting it specifically if your device has kick start motors.
You may do so by pushing it forward with one foot and use the other to stand on the deck.
If this yield no fruits or the scooter switches on properly, then look into the next step.
2) Use your senses to inspect the motor
Your eyes, nose, ears…name them.
You will need to thoroughly and carefully inspect the motor.
While there are a few complaints about an electric scooter coming with a faulty motor, you could be having a bad day and such happens to you.
The best starting point when it comes to inspecting the motor is by checking if there are any loose wires, connectors, or even disconnected wires.
If it’s not your first time to ride that very e-scooter, then it could be that you had some bumpy rides that could cause a loosened wiring system.
To check for looseness, you may gently give tension to the wires and in case of such a scenario, the wires will come out on their own.
Have you encountered loose wiring components?
Gently start tightening each piece into its correct place until you are assured that there are little to no chances of falling out again.
If the wiring components are in their correct place, use your eyes and nose to check and smell if there are any melted or burnt motor components.
In case of any, then chances are high that your motor was overheated.
An overheated motor often causes the melting off of the wiring components due to the wearing off of the insulation.
3) Inspect the charger and battery
These could appear to be minor but not so.
The best way to ensure that the charger is working is by checking that the indicator light of the charger works.
If the indicator light just blinks or turns off after a little while, then chances are high that it’s defective.
If all seems okay at this point, don’t feel excited just yet.
Use a voltmeter to check whether you get the correct voltage.
While the indicator light can show as expected, a multimeter will give the finest details.
If you are convinced that the charger is okay, then it’s time to check the battery.
There are many reasons that could render an electric scooter battery faulty.
These include but are not limited to riding under rains or ice above the water resistance rating of the e-scooter and also bumpy roads that could eventually kill the battery cells.
When the battery is faulty or doesn’t receive the stipulated charge, you can absolutely nod that the motor lacks the power to run.
4) Check if the circuit breaker or fuse is burnt
Depending on your ride, it could be using a circuit breaker or a fuse.
If any of these are burnt, then having the motor work is a pipe dream.
A great way to check if your electric scooter circuit breaker or fuse is working is by using a multimeter.
In case it isn’t then there are slim chances that you can fix it.
Shopping for another is the only choice you have.
5) Check the controller
While there are not many reported incidents of an electric scooter speed controller being defective, it’s not to say that it’s impossible.
A defective speed controller could be a result of roasted wires or wire connectors.
The smell of burnt plastics could be a warning that the controller is already damaged and replacing it or fixing it is inevitable.
If there are no signs of any burnt stuff, you may best opt for testing each electrical component around your controller.
If they still seem okay, then rest assured that you may have missed it, but the controller is defective.
Remember, an electric scooter motor won’t run effectively if the speed controller is damaged.
If the motor lacks hall sensors, then fixing it is easier.
Mostly, these kinds of motors have 3 wires that run from the controller and ensure that they aren’t damaged is easy.
To keep motors without hall sensors perfect, ensure that water doesn’t enter the motor, and in case of an accident, ensure that the wires are checked.
In the case of motors with hall sensors, it contains 3 motor wires and 5 hall sensor wires.
Factors such as uneven road surfaces, excessive heat, water, or even poor quality wires lead to poor functioning of the controller; thus causing scooter motors not to work effectively.
6) Check if the brake lever switch is worn out
The brake lever switch sends signals to the speed controller that it needs to switch off in case brakes are applied.
A worn-out brake lever leads to the controller getting locked in the “on” position and this causes it not to switch off even when brakes are applied.
This leads to a negative effect on the motor.
To fix it, ensure that you remove the switch.
If the e-scooter works, then the switch lever is damaged and you will need to replace it to save your motor in the long term.
7) Inspect the throttle
When the throttle malfunctions, it could lead to an electric scooter motor not working.
To test if it functions properly, use a multimeter and DC power source (preferably 5V).
These are the ideal steps to inspect the throttle:
- Apply 5V Direct Current to the throttle’s positive terminals (red wire)
- Apply the negative terminal to the black wire
- Attach the multimeter to read the Direct Current
- Engage the throttle.
If the reading on the multimeter is less than 4.5V, then the throttle is defective.
This means the motor won’t run.
The solution left is to replace the throttle and get going.
8) Check the bearings
If the electric scooter motor bearings don’t run as smooth as butter, then they are worn out.
Worn out bearings lead to the e-scooter motor being jammed and to ensure that they are in great shape, you will need to replace them after 3000 miles.
In Summary
Under most circumstances, fixing an electric scooter motor involves ensuring that the bearings, wires, and sensors are top-notch.
However, there are some instances where no matter how hard you try, you simply won’t ace it.
A simple online search for motor scooter repair near me would help you fix the problem.