Intermittent non-connection, Bosch Performance Line

[withiniswithout]

I have a 2017 Bosch Performance line battery and display, mounted on a Gepida city bike. Intermittently the display turns on and works, but the motor doesn't engage. It's a connection problem somewhere. I take the display off the bike when I leave it chained up in a public place, so it has been taken on and off many times. The connections on the display mounting look clean. Any ideas on how to troubleshoot this? A couple times I've had 15 lbs of groceries and the motor didn't kick on for a while. I would have been dead in the water trying to get up a hill.

 

[rich c]

Take a pencil eraser and rub the display contacts no matter what they look like. When the motor doesn’t work, does the speedometer show 0 when you push the display start button? I had an issue with a 400 pack for several months. Intermittently the display would only partially initialize. If no 0 came on the display, I’d additionally reach down and push the battery test button. The speedometer reading would then show zero and everything worked. After 3 months it stopped doing that.

 

[Chris Nolte]

I put together a video about troubleshooting Bosch issues and this is one of the first topics. I think @rich c described a good solution above. I would also recommend getting a software update as the new software decreases the chances of this happening since it can handle a brief period without power.

 

[TOOSLOW]

Chris, in regards to the Bosch CX, can you provide any insight as to why a motor periodically may NOT engage immediately when the pedal crank is first engaged after coasting?

 

[rich c]

Chris, in regards to the Bosch CX, can you provide any insight as to why a motor periodically may NOT engage immediately when the pedal crank is first engaged after coasting?

Just a thought. Is the bike going faster than what the gear selection and cadence combination will match?

 

[Chris Nolte]

I bet Rich C is right. You’re probably in the wrong gear.

 

[TOOSLOW]

Just a thought. Is the bike going faster than what the gear selection and cadence combination will match?

Hmmm, derestricted, would that not overide your explanation?
This has been going on for some time, albeit rare, and the likely hood of being in the wrong gear every time is remote. That being said, it is still an explaination. Are there others though?

 

[Chris Nolte]

You can test this by putting your bike in a high gear (hard to pedal) and coast at a low speed (5-6 mph) and try to resume pedaling, it’s likely that you won’t have the issue.

Keep in mind that the motor works based on your cadence and torque, if the bike doesn’t sense you need the power it won’t give you power. This is a normal behavior. The torque is usually favored so if you’re in too low of a gear a coasting it might take a moment of your pedaling to get to a point where you or the motor can provide any additional power to the wheel.

I hope this helps.

 

[TOOSLOW]

Okay, thanks guys. I am going to pay close attention and see if these suggestions are what is going on.

 

[elliot friedman]

Had the same problem for 2 years with my 2017 performance speed system. Motor would cut off when hitting bumps on the road. Tried everything: changed power harness, changed Intuvio control unit, loosened intuvio mount as not to deform it, cleaned battery heads etc, etc. Nothing made a difference.
FINALLY: Bosch suggested changing to the LATEST INTUVIO MOUNT, the one with a certain configuration of gold pins. Mine was all silver.
After hundreds of miles, not a single cut off. Thanks Bosch for sticking with me even after the 2 year warranty expired.

 

[withiniswithout]

video--great info. I checked my display and it was torqued down extremely tight. I loosened it a bit and cleaned the contacts.