Changing the 48V dolphin battery case on the Radrover. Step by step.

[mrgold35]

The exact thing happened to me and I thought what a waste. I am going to try the fuse thing. Any pointers beyond what was originally posted in this thread? Has your fuse popped again?

Zero issues once I replaced the fuse. I rotate the battery pack with the other two I have to keep the charge cycles around the same. I'm not sure what caused the fuse to blow in the first place. Maybe the power supply was on when I plugged into the battery pack? I now plug everything in before turning on the power. I also turn everything off and then unplug the power.

 

[Lost]

Yes, plug in the charger *before* plugging into the battery. I have one charger that must have a good sized cap on the output, and every time I forgot to energize the charger first, ZAP!, nice spark. That's not what blew the fuse in my case, but it does do this every time.

 

[TenBlinkers]

Hi, I know this is an old thread, but I'm having similar fuse issues. My 2016 RadWagon battery is dead and won't charge. Rad missed the part about it being a 2016 model, and sent me to their page for how to change the fuse on a 2018 model. Mine is different, of course. I did find a rubber plug on the outside that says 'FUSE', but when I removed it, it was stuffed with podding. I cut out the podding, and underneath is not a fuse. Its perhaps something used to wrap up all the batteries in a bag or something.

Finally, my question: is it possible that in 2016 they didn't have a charger fuse and only had an internal battery fuse? Or, is there somewhere else other than the 'fuse' cover to look for the external fuse?

 

[tomjasz]

Hi, I know this is an old thread, but I'm having similar fuse issues. My 2016 RadWagon battery is dead and won't charge. Rad missed the part about it being a 2016 model, and sent me to their page for how to change the fuse on a 2018 model. Mine is different, of course. I did find a rubber plug on the outside that says 'FUSE', but when I removed it, it was stuffed with podding. I cut out the podding, and underneath is not a fuse. Its perhaps something used to wrap up all the batteries in a bag or something.

Finally, my question: is it possible that in 2016 they didn't have a charger fuse and only had an internal battery fuse? Or, is there somewhere else other than the 'fuse' cover to look for the external fuse?

Or no fuse anywhere, not unusual.

 

[TenBlinkers]

Wow, great. So if there's no fuse and the battery won't charge...that doesn't sound good at all.

 

[tomjasz]

Wow, great. So if there's no fuse and the battery won't charge...that doesn't sound good at all.

HiC battery Pat Duggan, for a repair. Could be a BMS replacement. Not to difficult, but needs soldering skills and patience.

 

[TenBlinkers]

Ok thanks much!

 

[tomjasz]

Ok thanks much!

any voltage reading from the charger and the pack? Looking back, a poorly managed 3+ year old battery could be dead.

 

[TenBlinkers]

There is one bar of charge showing when the bike is on, and it does provide power, but cuts out when stressed on a hill. So, it's not dead, but nearly. Unfortunately I don't have diagnostic tools to get a voltage reading. We'll see what Rad says - perhaps I'll end up investing in some tools before relegating my $500 paperweight to obsolescence.

 

[tomjasz]

There is one bar of charge showing when the bike is on, and it does provide power, but cuts out when stressed on a hill. So, it's not dead, but nearly. Unfortunately I don't have diagnostic tools to get a voltage reading. We'll see what Rad says - perhaps I'll end up investing in some tools before relegating my $500 paperweight to obsolescence.

Bars are MEANINGLESS. They are a 20 cent piece of electronics. You might find you have a bad charger! Amazon has multimeters for $10. EVERY eBike owner should have this most basic tool. My suggestions and help from others MIGHT help you sort. https://www.amazon.com/AIDBUCKS-Aut...to+off+multimeter&qid=1551549940&s=hi&sr=1-19

Sounds like it's sagging badly, not unusual for a 3-4 year old battery...sad but true.

 

[TenBlinkers]

Thanks for the link, I'll give it a go.

 

[tomjasz]

Thanks for the link, I'll give it a go.

Let us know if you need any help!

 

[Routb3d]

Hi, I know this is an old thread, but I'm having similar fuse issues. My 2016 RadWagon battery is dead and won't charge. Rad missed the part about it being a 2016 model, and sent me to their page for how to change the fuse on a 2018 model. Mine is different, of course. I did find a rubber plug on the outside that says 'FUSE', but when I removed it, it was stuffed with podding. I cut out the podding, and underneath is not a fuse. Its perhaps something used to wrap up all the batteries in a bag or something.

Finally, my question: is it possible that in 2016 they didn't have a charger fuse and only had an internal battery fuse? Or, is there somewhere else other than the 'fuse' cover to look for the external fuse?

I’m in nearly exactly the same boat with my 2016 Radwagon with less than 100 miles on the odometer.

I went to charge it for a ride after it had been sitting for the winter, and saw that the charger LED was green right away, but the bike was only showing 2 bars on the display.

I found the empty fuse hole full of hot glue, took the battery apart and found no fuses, so I took the Battery to Rad Power in Seattle, who let me know that the battery is doomed and I should buy a new one, but they haven’t had stock of the old dolphin batteries for months.

In an expirament, I took the bike out to exhaust the final bars of power, which took about 2 miles of riding, and the bike seemed to have plenty of power. After I had exhausted the battery, I brought the bike home and plugged in the charger.

I got Red lights on the charger and The battery was charging!!

That lasted all of 10 minutes, and the charger led went back to green.

Looks like a new or rebuilt battery for me, unless anyone has an idea about how to rescue my battery.

Thanks!

 

[TenBlinkers]

@Routb3d sorry to hear that! Rad informed that there is no fuse in my battery, and they declared the battery dead. 99% of the time I was good about bringing in the battery in cold weather, but didn't during our recent cold/snow snap here in Seattle. I fear I may have shortened the life on it through negligence. That said, I've used the bike a fair amount and its possible I hit the cycle limit. Side note: I've tracked all my bike-related expenses over the 3,400 miles I've put on the RadWagon, and on a per mile basis, its more expensive than driving my car! (that includes maintenance, a new gear cluster in back, new chain(s) every ~1k miles, saddle bags, Schwalbe tires, 2nd headlight, 'fun with spokes' (see elsewhere on the rad forums), helmet, etc. Its worth it, but I find that amusing.

 

[tomjasz]

Looks like a new or rebuilt battery for me, unless anyone has an idea about how to rescue my battery.

It could be as simple as replacing a BMS. If you've had it open you could use a multimeter and a number of online resources to test cells.
That said, 3 years of abuse can easily degrade a battery.

 

[tomjasz]

99% of the time I was good about bringing in the battery in cold weather

I've found that heat, not cold is a problem, UNLESS you charged a battery when very cold.