2015 Specialized Turbo motor cutting out

[MojaMonkey]

Hi, hoping someone can help.

On a ride yesterday my motor was cutting out intermittently.

The bike lcd would not show any errors and the bike power on self checks also complete with no problems, I just get no power.

I've tried taking the battery in and out and adjusting the screw at the bottom to tighten and loosen the battery in it's compartment.

None of that seemed to help.

My bike has a brand new battery and replaced SBC M01 motor. I have another turbo as well and the batteries can be swapped over and tested fine on that bike. When the motor is working the bike pulls well.

I'm in Singapore and these bikes were never officially sold here so I think I'm going to be out of luck from dealer support perspective.

So any help would be amazing, thanks in advance!

 

[Allan47.7339]

I used to remove the battery at work for charging. Several times I would have it cut out after a few bumps. I found that by wiggling the battery to seat the top connector before fully locking into place would take care of that problem. The connector in the frame is mounted in rubber to allow movement and if you are too quick to seat the battery it won't align properly. The bottle cage makes a good handle to rock it back and forth before you latch it.

Also check to make sure the connector between the frame wiring and the hub is securely locked together. I usually use two hands on the connector when I put the wheel back in.

 

[MojaMonkey]

Thanks so much for your tips I have tried both of them a bit today but no luck.

I'll try a more coordinated effort and adjust the battery tightness at the same time when I get a chance.

Thanks again much appreciated.

 

[eagamer80]

Check if the motor connector pins and/or cable are not loose or dirty. You can also try with isoprophilic alcohol or some solution to clean electronic parts. Either that or buy a new or get a 2nd hand battery somewhere. You can try in this webpage, it's like a local german Ebay but sometimes they agree in shipping internationally if you explain the sellers your situation.

 

[MojaMonkey]

Hey thanks for all your input.

I managed to fix the issue and wanted to return here to share in case it helps someone else.

Similar to the advice here, I took apart all of the connectors and cleaned them, this includes the battery connector and all connectors in the loom at the top of the front frame tube.

There was quite a lot of carbonization in those connectors which I cleaned. I think this was due to the connectors being a bit loose causing shorting.

Also cleaned the motor connector as well.

Crimped all internal connectors to tighten them back up.

I believe it was a combination of a number of shorting connectors which caused the issue over time.

Thanks again for all of your help you definitely put me on the right track.

 

[bazzapage]

I ended up replacing the Rosenberger connector in the frame (got one from Mouser Electronics - Spesh don't stock it). Mine was doing something similar and I came up with a brilliant idea to fix ti after trying to clean the connectors. I put a bit of tinfoil between the connectors and 'hey presto' the bike worked great again. Except after 5km it stopped again and the connectors had melted! I forgot that 30A or so might not be so good for tinfoil! It gave me a bit more respect for what those connectors are having to deal with.

For reference if anyone else needs one: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/476-C003-BB-500-C

 

[Allan47.7339]

Good to know. I need to go through the connectors on mine. Sometimes if I hit a section of really rough road it will cut out and I have to stop and re-seat the battery.

update:

I went ahead and ordered a connector from bazzapage's link as a precaution. It arrived in a couple of days so I opened the battery compartment and pulled out the connector and wiring. I was able to get an intermittent disconnect by wiggling the wires while holding the battery. I've installed the new connector and was not able reproduce the intermittent disconnect. I have not had a chance to road test yet but I am very optimistic it solved it. It's a bit of careful work to splice in the wires of the new Rosenberger connector.

 

[Allan47.7339]

No cutouts after replacing the connector. I did some errands yesterday and the rough roads that previously would cause a cutout had no effect.

 

[Sclarkturbo]

Good to know. I need to go through the connectors on mine. Sometimes if I hit a section of really rough road it will cut out and I have to stop and re-seat the battery.

update:

I went ahead and ordered a connector from bazzapage's link as a precaution. It arrived in a couple of days so I opened the battery compartment and pulled out the connector and wiring. I was able to get an intermittent disconnect by wiggling the wires while holding the battery. I've installed the new connector and was not able reproduce the intermittent disconnect. I have not had a chance to road test yet but I am very optimistic it solved it. It's a bit of careful work to splice in the wires of the new Rosenberger connector.

Any details on replacing the rosenberger connector? I think i have this issue. Cant tell how hard this job is

 

[Allan47.7339]

It's a little tedious and depends on how careful and dexterous you are. You have to remove the battery and work through the battery compartment. There is a long strip on the bottom of the compartment with small screws. You need to remove the top screw and then remove the large hex on the outside which allows the top connector plate to slide down. However far it slides out is how much room you have to work. I used hot air solder connectors in a couple of different sizes since two of them are the main power connectors.

This is an old blog post:

Specialized Turbo S Troubleshooting and Diagnosis Pt.1

Welcome to Part 2 of 3 in my Specialized Turbo S Long Term Review. I feel like this is some of the most essential information that I can apply in one place that will keep Turbo pedalelecs running …

secondnaturecycling.wordpress.com

Here is a picture of the backside for reference (note harness part seems to be unavailable):

2014-15 Turbo S Wiring Harness

TMY 14-15 Turbo S Wiring Harness This is compatible with the Specialized Turbo bike.

mikesbikes.com

 

[Sclarkturbo]

It's a little tedious and depends on how careful and dexterous you are. You have to remove the battery and work through the battery compartment. There is a long strip on the bottom of the compartment with small screws. You need to remove the top screw and then remove the large hex on the outside which allows the top connector plate to slide down. However far it slides out is how much room you have to work. I used hot air solder connectors in a couple of different sizes since two of them are the main power connectors.

This is an old blog post:

Specialized Turbo S Troubleshooting and Diagnosis Pt.1

Welcome to Part 2 of 3 in my Specialized Turbo S Long Term Review. I feel like this is some of the most essential information that I can apply in one place that will keep Turbo pedalelecs running …

secondnaturecycling.wordpress.com

Here is a picture of the backside for reference (note harness part seems to be unavailable):

2014-15 Turbo S Wiring Harness

TMY 14-15 Turbo S Wiring Harness This is compatible with the Specialized Turbo bike.

mikesbikes.com

One concern was about whether soldering was required or if there were plug connectors, specifically since 2 of the wires carry power. It sounds like soldering is required.

Also trying to understand what needs disassembly. The full wiring harness install seems very complicated. I was hoping that the rosenberger connector just pops out after removing the 4x screws but it sounds like the wires the feed along the length of the battery area need to be removed also? Does the charge port on the side need to be removed?

 

[Allan47.7339]

Either crimp or solder. I used a butt connector that has low temp solder and shrink tubing all in one that you use with a heat gun to melt the solder and shrink the cover. You don't need to remove the wiring from the battery compartment only the top little screw that is on the strip cover in the compartment. It will keep the black end piece from sliding down and out. The Rosenberger connector has four screws that hold it into the square-ish black compartment end. There are some wires that go up to the control on the handle bars and some wires that go down to the motor and battery so you only have about 6-8 inches of wire to work with. I just cut off the existing Rosenberger and then spiced the wires from the new one to the bike wires. I don't remember if I needed to unbolt the charge port to give more wire access but it does not need to be changed. Also you can check your work before you put everything back by connecting the battery to see if it starts up. I spent about an hour.

This is an example of the connectors. I bought mine from a local electronics store:

Amazon.com