|  | 
[ Home > Maintenance ]
Scooter Maintenance
SCOOTER MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST
Other trouble
shooting tips
Before operating your electric scooter:
- Make sure the tires are inflated properly. Small tires loose air
pressure quickly and must be aired frequently. Most small tires can accept air
pressure to 85 psi. This allows the tire to properly contact the surface and
keeps the tube from rotating inside the tire during braking and acceleration.
If the tube rotates, the valve stem will possibly be cut or torn from the inner
tube. This will require replacement of the inner tube.
- Charge the battery. Batteries should be charged frequently, especially
after prolonged usage that runs the battery down. Allow the batteries to cool
for an hour or more before charging. Heat will damage batteries and it is helpful
to keep batteries as cool as possible during use or charging.
- Keep the right tension on your drive belt (or chain) during use.
A loose drive belt will allow the teeth to slip and wear at an excessive rate.
Failure of the belt will occur due to slippage or the heat generated due to
improper tension. The belt can be adjusted by moving the rear tire forward or
aft. Check your specification, but look for approximately one-half to one-quarter
inch gap when pressing against the middle of the span. It is important to prevent
slippage.
- When you change a belt due to wear be sure to center it so that it
does not ride against the side of the belt hubs on the motor or rear tire. If
it is not centered properly it will cause the belt to try to jump up on the
edge of the hub and cause a tear in the edge of the belt which will eventually
cause the belt to completely separate. Most dealers have a very limited replacement
warranty for belts due to improper installation and replacement. Please check
your belt often after replacement to insure it is properly installed and centered
on the drive hubs.
- Lightly oil throttle and brake linkages to prevent binding. Check
nuts and bolts to insure they are tight and cannot come loose. Wipe down the
chrome pieces to prevent rust.
- Do not ride electric scooters through water or mud, or even on wet
grass since water can cause failure of the electrical components! Electric scooters
are meant to be ridden on dry hard surfaces.
PROBLEMS AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
No power/ system won’t charge
In this situation we will assume that the battery has been charged or allowed to
stand for several hours (a battery will normally self-charge up to a point and make
the scooter power up for a fair distance). There are generally two main suspects:
1) First suspect a loose or broken connection. Take the top or deck off to
see the wiring and inspect it for any loose or broken connections on the battery,
switch, controller, etc.
2) Second suspect the controller box has failed. Since the controller is
the heart of the system it can fail in many ways to prevent current from being supplied
to the motor.
3) Other less likely suspects can be:
- A battery that is completely open, supplying no current and possible
even testing as having no voltage. It can be very briefly shorted with a wire
to see if an arc is produced, revealing current is present. See Below for more
advise on batteries.
- It is also possible to have a bad brake lever or throttle since both
have wiring and switches or variable controls. The brake lever has a power cut-off
switch. The throttle variably controls the speed of the scooter.
- The scooter On/Off switch can be defective. Without a good switch
the scooter has no power, but the test of this is the power light. Does the
power light come on when the switch is activated to the On position?
After fully charging, powers only for short distance use.
Suspect the battery charger or the battery as the primary cause of short
distance riding after a lengthy or full charge. If your battery charger does not
have charging indicator lights then you may not be charging the battery at all if
the charger is defective.
The battery may be self-charging to only about 60% on it's own. If the battery
is getting old then it may not be able to hold a full charge and the battery will
need replacement. When suspected you can very briefly arc across the battery terminals
with a insulated wire to see if it produces a nice arc. It is also possible to test
some individual battery 12 volt cells using 12 volt motors or lights that will show
you the available current capability. Is the 12 volt light dim on a charged battery?
Does the 12 volt motor run slowly when connected to the cell? Similar type tests
can be performed using a 24 volt battery cell, too.
WARNING! Batteries contain acid that can explode,
or the vapors ignite from an arc. Batteries produce current and voltage that can
burn you when a shorted circuit occurs. Be absolutely sure you know what you are
doing before trying any tests to eliminate a component from consideration of being
defective!!!
You can take the battery to a shop capable of testing the battery under a loaded
condition. Fully charge the battery and carefully remove it. Let a technician determine
the condition of the battery for you.
We absolutely recommend a high quality Battery Charger as sold on our scooter
parts page. These chargers provides a battery
status light - Red for charging and Green for charged (no longer charging). It also
prevents over charging with auto shut-off circuitry. This will increase the life
expectancy of your batteries.
|
You may also need:
| |
