Crank noise Vado Sl

[mjh5]

I noticed recently a whistling noise when pedaling my Vado Sl 4.0. No noise when coasting and the noise occurs with the motor on or off. The noise does not seem to
increase with pedal speed. I've attached a link to a video in hopes that someone can identify the noise. I did clean and lube the chain and the noise is the same. The noise seems to be where the crank meets the motor housing. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Marty

 

[Prairie Dog]

I noticed recently a whistling noise when pedaling my Vado Sl 4.0. No noise when coasting and the noise occurs with the motor on or off. The noise does not seem to
increase with pedal speed. I've attached a link to a video in hopes that someone can identify the noise. I did clean and lube the chain and the noise is the same. The noise seems to be where the crank meets the motor housing. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Marty

A similar topic was brought up in another thread about a week ago. I experienced the same squeal in the drivetrain of my Creo two years ago. It may have been resolved by perhaps lubricating the seal but the dealer/Spec decided to simply replace the motor which was covered under warranty.

Definitely worth having your LBS/dealer check it out.

 

[mjh5]

Thanks,
The noise is very similar. I only have a bit over 1000 miles on it but it is about 4 months past the two year warranty period. I don't hear anything though when turning the cranks backwards. How many miles did you have on yours when the noise started?

 

[Prairie Dog]

Thanks,
The noise is very similar. I only have a bit over 1000 miles on it but it is about 4 months past the two year warranty period. I don't hear anything though when turning the cranks backwards. How many miles did you have on yours when the noise started?

I had 2800 km or roughly 1700 miles logged at the time. The new motor came with a full fresh warranty which has since passed. I dropped it off at the shop which was out of town and was back riding in less than a week. My wife’s motor suffered the same demise a month later and was quickly resolved in the same manner as mine. She had 1955 km or 1200 miles on her bike.

 

[mjh5]

If it is my motor that would be ironic in that I average less than 1% battery use per mile in my rides which is an indication of how little my motor has run. I rarely even use the Turbo setting. I don't ride in the rain and only ride on paved roads. Your wife's motor made the same noise as yours? Sounds like Specialized had a bunch of defective motors.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

If it is my motor that would be ironic in that I average less than 1% battery use per mile in my rides which is an indication of how little my motor has run. I rarely even use the Turbo setting. I don't ride in the rain and only ride on paved roads. Your wife's motor made the same noise as yours? Sounds like Specialized had a bunch of defective motors.

Your motor is not necessarily defective, Marty. You should pay a visit to a good Specialized store for a diagnosis.
For one, I could not hear anything alarming in the video you sent. It sounds to me like something related to the drivetrain. Is your chain properly aligned with the chainring? Is the derailleur aligned? Do you clean and lube the chain at least once a week?

There is 15,780 km on the odometer of my 2021 Vado SL. There was a time when I was changing the chainring and used a slightly too short a chain. I could hear a similar noise, especially when I was in big cassette cogs. Post chain replacement, the noise disappeared. I had a similar noise when the derailleur was misaligned, too. Later, I changed the entire drivetrain (10 to 11 gears). I maintain the chain on a regular basis. I take care the derailleur is aligned. No issues.

You should not assume your motor is bad when there are many many reasons behind any bike/e-bike noise...

@Prairie Dog said the motor on his e-bike was sound, only the LBS decided they wouldn't need to think or do a proper work if Specialized was ready to replace the motor, right?

 

[Sparky731]

I noticed recently a whistling noise when pedaling my Vado Sl 4.0. No noise when coasting and the noise occurs with the motor on or off. The noise does not seem to
increase with pedal speed. I've attached a link to a video in hopes that someone can identify the noise. I did clean and lube the chain and the noise is the same. The noise seems to be where the crank meets the motor housing. Any ideas would be appreciated.

I had a similar sound from my crank and it turned out to be the sole of my wet shoe rubbing on the crank! Squeak on every revolution, no squeaks while coasting.
Mine was a very high tech solution. Ha!

 

[Prairie Dog]

If it is my motor that would be ironic in that I average less than 1% battery use per mile in my rides which is an indication of how little my motor has run. I rarely even use the Turbo setting. I don't ride in the rain and only ride on paved roads. Your wife's motor made the same noise as yours? Sounds like Specialized had a bunch of defective motors.

I can’t say what caused the squealing as the shop never even entertained the thought of cracking open the motor housing. They simply informed me that the noise was not normal and consulted with Specialized after I submitted the video. The service manager wasn't sure about the issue either and these were the first two motors to pop up at the shop. Some here would say that it might be a simple matter of replacing seals or applying grease to the internal gears without even offering any advice on how to do so. Unless you know what you're up against that's a task that I would prefer to leave with a seasoned tech. I would first look into consulting with the shop where you purchased your Vado and go from there.

 

[mjh5]

Your motor is not necessarily defective, Marty. You should pay a visit to a good Specialized store for a diagnosis.
For one, I could not hear anything alarming in the video you sent. It sounds to me like something related to the drivetrain. Is your chain properly aligned with the chainring? Is the derailleur aligned? Do you clean and lube the chain at least once a week?

There is 15,780 km on the odometer of my 2021 Vado SL. There was a time when I was changing the chainring and used a slightly too short a chain. I could hear a similar noise, especially when I was in big cassette cogs. Post chain replacement, the noise disappeared. I had a similar noise when the derailleur was misaligned, too. Later, I changed the entire drivetrain (10 to 11 gears). I maintain the chain on a regular basis. I take care the derailleur is aligned. No issues.

You should not assume your motor is bad when there are many many reasons behind any bike/e-bike noise...

@Prairie Dog said the motor on his e-bike was sound, only the LBS decided they wouldn't need to think or do a proper work if Specialized was ready to replace the motor, right?

Stefan,
Those are good points and I'm not assuming it is the motor. But the sound is very similar to what Prairie Dog posted. I assume dealers don't replace motors if there is an easier or cheaper fix. In a sealed motor it is unclear how one would even add lubricant, or why it would be necessary. I intend to take it in to the dealer to get checked out.

 

[OnEdge]

Thanks,
The noise is very similar. I only have a bit over 1000 miles on it but it is about 4 months past the two year warranty period. I don't hear anything though when turning the cranks backwards. How many miles did you have on yours when the noise started?

Specialized may still take care of you, my buddy with a Cyberbike got a new motor even further out of warranty ending. A visit to your local Specialized dealer is your best bet

 

[mjh5]

Just wanted to give an update: I brought the bike into the Specialized dealer I purchased it from . They did diagnostics which they sent to Specialized and determined there was a bad motor bearing. That means the motor has to be replaced. They have ordered a new motor. That was 4.5 weeks ago. Not sure how long it will take to get in. My bike is 5 months past the two year nominal warranty but I am confident that Specialized will cover it, especially given the low mileage ( 1040), and the fact that I average less than 1% of battery use per mile. So, my estimate is that the motor has been on for fewer than 10 hours.
Am I correct that when the motor is off it is disengaged from the chain, i.e. the chain doesn't turn the motor when power is off?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Am I correct that when the motor is off it is disengaged from the chain, i.e. the chain doesn't turn the motor when power is off?

Precisely. One can even test it out. When the Vado SL is inverted, the user can rotate the cranks with the chain removed. The chainring moves precisely at the rate of the crankarm rotation. One of the motor clutches disconnects the motor internals when:

• The e-bike is turned off
• The e-bike is in OFF assistance
• Whenever the e-bike speed exceeds the speed restriction value.

Yes, the crank must rotate some internal gears to engage the crankarm but the motor itself is disengaged.

 

[mjh5]

So, to be clear that would mean that the motor bearings were not being worn when the motor is off? I guess I wondered if just the fact of pedaling the bike might create wear on the motor bearings.

 

[Allan47.7339]

So, to be clear that would mean that the motor bearings were not being worn when the motor is off? I guess I wondered if just the fact of pedaling the bike might create wear on the motor bearings.

The crank bearings are in the motor so there will be wear even when the motor is off, however unlike a traditional bottom bracket they are not as space constrained and should be more robust. The bearing should have a very long life and 1000 miles is barely broken in. They can confirm how few miles you've ridden with the shop software.

 

[mjh5]

The report I was given was that it is a bad motor bearing so am I correct in estimating that if I have 1000 miles on the bike and average 1% battery usage per mile that the motor has run a total of 10 hours if I am averaging 10 mph? But that the crank bearing will have 1000 miles of wear on it? Any estimate on how long the motor bearing should last? Or the motor?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Any estimate on how long the motor bearing should last? Or the motor?

Ten thousand miles and counting...

Either you were snake bitten or Specialized misdiagnosed a loose crankarm for a broken motor bearing...

 

[mjh5]

Let’s hope it is bad luck, although there are quite a few reports online about the SL 1.1 motor on various models needing early replacement. Prairie Dog needed both his and his wife’s motors replaced a couple of years ago despite low mileage, but clearly this isn’t a common occurrence.

 

[Allan47.7339]

I think it's rare to have a failure. I have 13,805 14,500 miles on my Creo SL v1. There is a rider on the fb Specialzed Creo page with over 34000 miles and original battery.

 

[mjh5]

An update. My Specialized dealer delivered my Vado Sl to me today with the new motor. The whole process took about a month. He said he was charged $600 for the motor by Specialized as it was 5 months out of warranty, despite the fact that the motor had run less than 10 hours over the 1000 miles I had on it. But he didn't charge me for the motor, he covered it. So, I have no complaints.
He said he replaces motors every week, but he also sells some other e-bikes that aren't Specialized. Nonetheless he thinks it is rare to have a motor fail. He told me I have a new 2 year warranty. He believes that Specialized and other manufacturers are continually tweaking the motors to improve them but that they push them out before all the kinks are worked out. So, the dealers, and the users are sort of the guinea pigs!

 

[Allan47.7339]

There is a section in the support page for noise and motors Turbo Bikes: Motor Sound Explained. That is an impressive dealer. Could you imagine an auto dealership doing the same thing?