Pedego/Ford Super Cruiser issues

[nvreeland]

I have a pedego ford super cruiser. I got it second hand in exchange for some work. When I got it the battery had been stolen and the thieves broke the rear fender/rack. I put a new rear rack on it and got a new battery (not from pedego, they wanted $800 for a 12ah battery.) I installed the battery and it ran like a champ, although i think it should have had some kind of suspension, you can feel every bumb and crack in the road. After about 6 months of running steady, it cut out on me. I used my multimeter and checked the battery, it was fully charged and sending out the right voltage. When I hit the button on the throttle to turn it on, the battery charge LEDs go up and down, sometimes showing full battery, sometimes 50%. When i hit the throttle the indicators drop to red/low. every now and then it will jerk a little like it wants to go but then it doesn't. There was one day while i was pedaling it, and decided to try it again, and it took off. It ran just fine for about a week, then went back to glitching. It makes me feel like there is a short somewhere, but not sure where to start. If anyone has a solution/recomendation I would be pleased to hear it. Since I am not the original owner there is no warranty, and even if there were the closest pedego store is an hour and a half away. When I tried to talk to them about it they wouldn't give me any information and insisted I take it in. I'm more of a DIY kind of guy and have experience with electrical engineering. If anyone could give me some advice it would be nice. It's my main vehicle and it is heavy as heck so pedaling isn't very fun. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

 

[Deleted member 4845]

OK, these "battery charge indicators", that go up and down when you turn on the button on the throttle, are they on the battery itself, or on the display, which has several intervening wires and connections between it and the battery. THIS IS IMPORTANT.

Tell me about your charging schedule, do you have a charger that does 80 or 90% charges, have you left the charger on overnite?

The one time when it worked for a week, what did you do different? What happened that was unusual? SOMETHING DID, give this some thought if you want to solve the problem.

Does your bike have regen braking?

Sounds like you get a severe voltage drop when any load is applied, which is a common problem indicating a bad battery. You could have a loose wire or connection, which causes about half of all ebike problems, check carefully from front to back, top to bottom, check every pin in every connector, do this slowly, carefully, and thoroughly, then do it AGAIN going in the opposite direction, and do NOT make me repeat this three times before you actually do it. Most people have to hear this MULTIPLE times before they actually do it.

If it is not a loose connection, then leave the battery on the charger overnite, in a safe, fireproof location. DO NOT DO THIS unattended with any flammable materials within 15 feet of the battery. Inside a BBQ grill is a good choice. If you do not post again, it will be understood that you failed to follow this instruction.

You may need to open up the battery and test the individual series strings at the BMS, also may need an in-line meter to measure voltage under load. Voltage will quickly rebound when load is removed. If your meter does not have at least two digits past the decimal point, you need a better meter. Also, test it and/or put in a fresh battery, an old battery will cause inaccurate readings, and if you get to the point of testing internally on the battery, you need accurate readings within 0.01 volts.

 

[nvreeland]

OK, these "battery charge indicators", that go up and down when you turn on the button on the throttle, are they on the battery itself, or on the display, which has several intervening wires and connections between it and the battery. THIS IS IMPORTANT.

Tell me about your charging schedule, do you have a charger that does 80 or 90% charges, have you left the charger on overnite?

The one time when it worked for a week, what did you do different? What happened that was unusual? SOMETHING DID, give this some thought if you want to solve the problem.

Does your bike have regen braking?

Sounds like you get a severe voltage drop when any load is applied, which is a common problem indicating a bad battery. You could have a loose wire or connection, which causes about half of all ebike problems, check carefully from front to back, top to bottom, check every pin in every connector, do this slowly, carefully, and thoroughly, then do it AGAIN going in the opposite direction, and do NOT make me repeat this three times before you actually do it. Most people have to hear this MULTIPLE times before they actually do it.

If it is not a loose connection, then leave the battery on the charger overnite, in a safe, fireproof location. DO NOT DO THIS unattended with any flammable materials within 15 feet of the battery. Inside a BBQ grill is a good choice. If you do not post again, it will be understood that you failed to follow this instruction.

You may need to open up the battery and test the individual series strings at the BMS, also may need an in-line meter to measure voltage under load. Voltage will quickly rebound when load is removed. If your meter does not have at least two digits past the decimal point, you need a better meter. Also, test it and/or put in a fresh battery, an old battery will cause inaccurate readings, and if you get to the point of testing internally on the battery, you need accurate readings within 0.01 volts.

The battery holds a charge at about 52.6. I tested it both at the battery and inside the controller. The streets here are awful and my guess is something bumped in a way that made the short stop arching, and last thing I did before it stopped was go down a curb and then it died. There are two sets of LED's one on the battery and another on the throttle along with the power button. The ones that flicker are on throttle, which makes me think it's a short somewhere between the throttle and the controller or the controller and the motor. I have a good multimeter and will be tracing the cables for a short next time I have a day off work. I used to do electrical work so I am capable, even if I have to fish the wires through the frame. The charger has over charge protection I think it stops at 90%. It also has short protection. My meter also does inline so I could measure amps but I can't get it to generate a load so that won't help. Also as an after thought, when I opened the controller it's insides were covered in some sort of resin, I guess to keep components from being damaged by bumpy roads. There were two tiny leds on the pcb they were flashing red in different intervals. I'll try to get a video of the flashing LEDs and post it if that would help. I wish I had a service manual for this bike it would make it easier for me, but pedego didn't want to share it with me.

 

[nvreeland]

Sorry it took me so long to respond my email was mis-categorising my emails in a way that I didn't see it until today

 

[nvreeland]

Also I was charging about every other night

 

[Deleted member 4845]

`52.6 is not a valid, fully charged voltage. 50.4, or 54.6. When the battery is not fully charged, it is possible for the discrepancy to be concentrated in a small number of cells, possibly a single parallel group. The battery can become UN-balanced. This could cause that single parallel group to drop below a safe voltage when under load, triggering a cutoff from the controller. Remove the load, voltage rebounds, but unbalanced state remains. Check your charger, check your series count on current battery. You MUST know your series count. The low parallel group can become permanently damaged, appear able to hold a charge but it immediately disappears under load, only to rebound when the load is removed.

Now, the ONE time it worked for a week, argues against this theory. If, perhaps, the battery was given a 100% charge that day, that could make a difference. However, this indicates the VERY common, loose wire or connection, that you now have to hunt for. Particularly if thieves ripped off parts, and I mean literally ripped them off. Did you perhaps charge it regularly during the non-functional time period? Several times?

Flip your charger to the 100% setting. This MUST be used periodically, without fail, or the battery can become permanently damaged.

Knowing EXACTLY what happened, different, unusual, or outside the norm, when the unit CHANGED ITS FUNCTIONALITY, is the key to figuring out what is going on. It worked, it stopped working, it worked again, it stopped working, again. This is NOT random chance, there is a definite cause.

Could be something as simple as mounting from a particular side, where there is a wire or plug on one side that gets brushed or bumped, or a longer charge, or a charger setting, or a squirrel farted on it.

One question I frequently ask is at any time during this sequence did you dance the hokey-pokey for 3-5 minutes? Something is causing behavior to change, and that IS what it's all about. It is something you are not noticing, but it is there.

The resin in the controller is mainly for waterproofing. Makes replacing individual components difficult.

 

[nvreeland]

I could be mistaken with the exact voltage. I was going from memory which is often not the best resource I'll bring my meter down there in a minute and check it. And no I did not charge it while it was not functioning.

 

[nvreeland]

Are the cells inside one of these batteries 18650 cells with parallel groups wired in series? I haven't wanted to open it because I feel li. I put it on the charger set to cut off at 100% like you suggested and once it's done I'll take a voltage reading.