Fixing up an Iacocca 24v E-Bike

gwtach

gwtach

New Member
Hey guys! I'm new to the forum and I just picked up an old 24v Iacocca folding mini e-bike for $150 with no battery.

I did some tests with my 18v makita drill batteries (wired in series to get 36V) and everything was working fine... until I accidentally crossed the jumper cables I used to connect the batteries and fried the controller. Ugh! I'm still pissed at myself for being so dumb. Well I've done a lot of reading about this bike and the various ways people have modified it, and it sounds like plenty of people are running the 24v 400watt heinzmann brush motor off of a 36v battery no problem to get more speed and power, but the controller can only handle that for so long. So instead of trying to fix this controller I'd rather find another solution so I can keep running 36v. I'm not trying to commute long distances with this thing, mainly just want it for getting to and from the train station 1 mile from my house and up a short steep hill.

So here are my questions:

1) Is it possible to run the motor directly off of the battery with a simple on/off switch instead of a controller? I already tried it briefly to make sure the motor was still working after the controller blew, but are there problems that can arise by doing this long term? I'm guessing maybe the motor could overheat? I was thinking of hooking it up this way by getting a momentary switch to use as a throttle. The switch would simply turn on and off one of the battery connections to the motor.

2) If not the above solution, does anyone have suggestions or experience using these motors with different controllers? I know I can get a 36v brush motor controller pretty cheap, but is there anything else specific I should look for? Or a certain brand of controller?

3) I know these motors have an overheat protection switch or something built into them. Does anyone have experience with this function, and how to utilize it without using the original controller?

Thanks!

IMG_6193.jpg
 
Fixing up an old ebike, hmmmm. Maybe you need a new motor/controller combo? Alas, I am not knowledgeable.... It sounds to me like you might be back to square one in terms of starting from scratch. If that’s the case, a question would be if you are doing a build, is this the bike body that you want? People build a bikes out of all sorts of bike bodies. So that would be a question I to consider, perhaps …?
 
Just get a new ebike within your budget range and forego the headache of restoring an antiquated museum piece. The newer ones are lighter, has better disc brakes, has pedal assist system, and more efficient.
 
BoatFixx said:
Iacocca was ahead of his time.
Click to expand...

Agree, but nobody uses heavy lead acid batteries anymore, these heavy batteries are mainly used by low speed wheelchairs for the disabled people. The components are already obsolete and heavy. It has no pedal assist system, and the brakes are not safe for our present ebike standard.
 
Thanks for the input guys, but I enjoy these kinds of projects and want to get it working as is. If I end up burning out the motor after a while thats ok, I will use the frame for a new build, but only after this motor gives out. I actually like this bike and its funky weird frame. I don't care how heavy it is, and I never said anything about using lead acid batteries. It actually had a li-ion battery originally when it was made back around 05. It's a nice german made motor, so if anyone has any technical advice regarding my switch idea or getting a new controller that's what I'm after.
 
If it's a brushed motor, the controller should be a simple affair. To control motor speed, all it does is switch the motor on and off at different rates.. At WOT, there is no switching taking place. It's actually easier on the controller to run WOT instead of 50% throttle. I don't see an issue with a simple on/off switch to control the motor but as you suggest, it might overheat. Monitor the heat to see how long you can run it before it feels or smells hot.
 
I think you'll get lots of good advice here. Lots of folks with lots of knowledge. Maybe we should start a thread on restoring old ebikes? Is fixing up old ebikes a thing? Would you call what you are up to a restoration of sorts? :) Maybe you are a pioneer!
 
There's some interest in kit bikes with little 2 stroke engines that's I've been following.. One can buy a nice kit for less than $300 with the engine, clutch, throttle, sprocket, chain, gas tank, muffler etc. and install it in an old bike frame for a nice 2-3 HP putt putt bike BUT! noisy, smokey and probably illegal to ride anywhere except private property.
 
Thanks DDBB and Trail Cruiser. I found a brush motor controller that looks like it will work, and I should be able to hook up the temp sensor wires from the motor to the lock switch in the controller so it'll turn off if overheating. Fingers crossed!
 
ebikemom said:
I think you'll get lots of good advice here. Lots of folks with lots of knowledge. Maybe we should start a thread on restoring old ebikes? Is fixing up old ebikes a thing? Would you call what you are up to a restoration of sorts? :) Maybe you are a pioneer!
Click to expand...

Not quite a pioneer, but an old bike enthusiast for sure! There are definitely loads of diy ebike builders out there, and I've found quite a bit of info on this bike and people restoring/rebuilding them. If this turns into a bigger project I'll start a dedicated thread! For now I think I've got the answers I needed :)
 
Funny thing, the switch idea I had turned out not to be such a great idea lol. I got it all set up to do a test ride and got my wife to come out and see, then I got on the bike, started riding down the driveway and hit the switch. The bike immediately wheelied and threw me backwards and flipped itself over. So obviously its pretty powerful, think I better wait for that new controller to come in the mail before I try it out again... :p
 
Wow, I'm surprised that motor would wheelie the bike over at full power. Did you stay with 24v ? That would have made a great youtube video!
 
It's a 20" bike with much of the weight over the back wheel. Mine has surprised me a few times on 36V when my weight is leaning back and I start off with throttle. Hit a curb while starting off and the wheel keeps lifting. Starting off on a steep hill, it will also lift the front wheel. On 52V, it will lift the wheel on flat ground.
 
I'm guessing the motor won't last long with double the voltage it was designed to run on but it sure sounds like fun. We push RC brushless motors way past their current rating and if done with temp monitoring or short bursts, they still hold up. I just wouldn't run a motor designed to run on 24 volts at 36volts or higher for more than a short period of time
 
Neat project! I think these bikes are interesting and have seen them for sale locally at prices that make me want to do the same. Keep us updated with how it goes!
 
Trail Cruiser said:
Agree, but nobody uses heavy lead acid batteries anymore, these heavy batteries are mainly used by low speed wheelchairs for the disabled people. The components are already obsolete and heavy. It has no pedal assist system, and the brakes are not safe for our present ebike standard.
Click to expand...
Lead acid is also terribly unwieldy. 20 yrs, ago I built a DIY ebike using the heater fan motor from a bus, a radio rheostat for controller, & 2 lead acid
motorcycle batteries. It worked really great for about 2 mi. before bursting into flames.:eek:
 
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