2020 Turbo Vado 3 Battery Charging Problem

[VeniceGerry]

Just returned from a ride, took the battery off my bike, brought it inside to charge. This is only the second time I'm charging it, but from what I remember the light on the charger should be flashing while the lights on the battery show the level of charge. The lights on the battery have not lit up at all and the light on the charger is a steady green. Two lights were lit on the battery while I was riding today. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

 

[jim6b]

Have not had the problem, but just checked my Vado charger and its light is "red" when charging, green when finished or disconnected. And yes, lights on battery blink while it is charging and go dark when finished.

 

[kcrider]

Hi @VeniceGerry!

The light is green on the charger when it is not charging. So if it's connected to the battery but the charge is full, it will be green. If it's not plugged into the battery, it will be also be green. Since you know the battery is not full and no lights are flashing on it, the first thing you should probably check is the connection from the charger to the battery and make sure it is seated properly. Maybe check the pins to ensure there is nothing obstructing them as well.

Your dealer should be able to quickly identify any issue as they can probably test the charger and the battery on the spot.

Edit: @jim6b beat me to it as my fat fingers were typing so sorry, didn't mean to be redundant

 

[VeniceGerry]

Thanks jim6b & kcrider for your quick replies. I've charge the battery once before without a problem and when it didn't charge this time I checked the connections and the pins. I'm going to go to the bike shop this morning to see if they can figure out what the problem is.

 

[VeniceGerry]

Have not had the problem, but just checked my Vado charger and its light is "red" when charging, green when finished or disconnected. And yes, lights on battery blink while it is charging and go dark when finished.

Went to the bike shop with my battery & charger and they confirmed that it wasn't charging. They tried to charge it with their charger and the battery still didn't charge. They were going to write up a work order, but I asked if it would be better if I rode the bike in so they could determine if there might be a wiring problem or the motor and they agreed that would be a better idea. Going to try and ride it in today or tomorrow once I can arrange a ride back home.

 

[VeniceGerry]

Still getting used to posting on the forum so I was going to reply separately to kcrider, but I see the post goes to the original thread. Anyway, thanks to both of you for your input.

 

[VeniceGerry]

Brought my bike into the bike shop this morning and they talked with Specialized about the problem. There are two different ports used to perform diagnostics; one on the display unit and the other accessed through the battery charging port. The diagnostics didn't find any damage, but indicated that software needed updating on both the bike and the battery. Both updates were performed successfully and everything looked normal until they tried to charge the battery which still would not accept a charge. They've initiated a warranty referral to Specialized and asked to keep the bike. Since we're prepping for Hurricane Dorian here in FL I don't think I'll be doing much riding for the next week or so. I'll keep everyone informed once I have more information.

 

[VeniceGerry]

Been awhile since I've been on the forum or posted anything. Got the new battery from Specialized and it's been working flawlessly. Yesterday after riding for a bit I ran into some friends and I stopped to talk with them. Since we chewed the fat for over ten minutes the battery automatically shutdown the system and when I turned it on I got a "motor error" warning. I turned the power off, waited a few seconds, and then powered up again without an error message. This is the intermittent problem I've had with the bike since I purchased it last year. It doesn't happen often and whenever the service dept. at my local bike shop does a diagnostic they can't replicate it so I've decided to just live with it until it truly becomes a problem. At least there's a record of it occurring and I usually take a photo of the display when it happens so I have some verification. All in all I love the bike and it is easy to ride and very smooth on the roadway. It may be a heavy bike, but it doesn't feel like it. Most of the time I don't even use the power assist unless I'm on a long ride or have a strong headwind or steep hill to climb.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@VeniceGerry: What is the display on your Vado? Is it BLOKS? If yes, you can either:

1. Ask the Specialized dealer if the software for your Vado has been updated
2. In case you have BLOKS display, ask Specialized to replace it with newer TCD-W display. They do it as a part of their programme.

 

[VeniceGerry]

@VeniceGerry: What is the display on your Vado? Is it BLOKS? If yes, you can either:

1. Ask the Specialized dealer if the software for your Vado has been updated
2. In case you have BLOKS display, ask Specialized to replace it with newer TCD-W display. They do it as a part of their programme.

My bike has the newer TCD-W display. My dealer is aware of the problem that occurred soon after I purchased the bike last summer. Thanks Stefan Mikes for the information on a possible cause for the error display.