My battery is stuck won't disconnect!

[teskow]

To be sure it is a dumb design. On many motorcycles electrical connectors were customer removed and the wires soldered together to eliminate electrical connection failures.

On my RC Juiced bike the connector in the bike is mounted solid as it is in the battery too so if the battery is moving the tiniest bit that means that one connector is fighting against the other and stressing the connector. The connector pins are going to wear out get loose, start arcing and eventually overheat and fail. I feel that is likely what is happening. Should I personally have any trouble I will somehow route the connector to the outside of the bike and have an external connection.
I loosened the connector in the bike frame connectin at bit so I can wiggle it and it can float with any battery movement from vibration, bumps etc. One doesn't want to loosen it very much as that will cause the connector to not get fully pushed together.
Personally I feel taking the battery in and out of the system Juiced uses only stresses the fragile connector as it takes some force to seat the battery into the bike and if the connector pins are not perfectly aligned it will stress and or tweak the pins.
I strapped my battery with two 2 inch wide Velcro straps and wedged cedar wedges under the straps the to very securely tighten them to make sure no movement could occur between the battery and the bike mount.
A stitch in time saves nine. Should one have to do this? NO but it is what it is so to minimize trouble in the future it isn't a major inconvenience.

 

[Explorer-1]

Oh man. I still keep my battery strongly secured with a rubber type of tie-strap. I 've been doing it since I got my RCS just because of the past issues others have had, and the poor and long drawn out support to remedy the issue for customers. For a long time I did not have to remove the battery, but in the last 2 months I've had to do it often. So far everything looks good, but I'm keeping it secured even though there was talk that the problem was rectified, but I've looked at the design, and there is no proper rectification of the fundamental problem, and I don't trust the tolerances are appropriate to make the design suitable for general bike usage.

 

[330rcs]

I will continue to update this thread with related developments until the issue is resolved. My order from Reention already shipped and is in transit, the ETA for the parts is Monday the 14th.

I am honestly impressed with how quickly these companies in China are responding, correspondence and communication have been clear and quick with no issues at all. I have been getting slower to no responses from local companies. I finally got a reply from Juiced today:

"It looks like the issue is indeed pointing to our battery. It looks like the arcing from the male side of the battery burn the lock interface. It can happen when the battery is not correctly placed and it vibrates while riding. We recommend stopping using the bike for now.

We'll proceed with the warranty service for the battery. We cover the shipping and handling up by providing a box and return label. Upon inspection, a replacement or service will take place depending on issue.
The return time has been extended to 20- 25 business days due to a high volume of orders and service inquiries due to COVID-19.

Lets get you started with the box order to what address should we set it up to? "

- So looks like they want to replace or fix the battery but it looks like I have to ship the battery back to them and because of covid it's going to take me about a month to just get a status update as to what they will do replacement or service.

- He didn't mention anything about the charge port on the bike itself. I sent them pictures of it and mentioned both ports having melted. I don't know why he didn't mention the bike.

I don't know if it's worth it for me to send the battery back and be out of a bike for a month just for them to give me a status update. Then wait longer for the actual resolution. If the parts I am ordering fixes the issue I would rather be back on the road. So it's either possibly get a brand new battery if they decide to replace it but have to wait a month or longer.

I'm going to reply to them to see what they say about the port on the bike itself.

 

[tomjasz]

I don't know if it's worth it for me to send the battery back

Legally you cannot ship it back. This is the least understood reality in battery purchases.

 

[Explorer-1]

Yes, very strange he ignored the Port on the bike side.

 

[330rcs]

So assuming I get everything working again, what can I do to help keep the battery more stable? Can I put a bunch of zip/cable ties around the battery and downtube? Or should I get velcro hook and loop straps? The velcro would be easier for me to take it off if needed but I would rather do whatever is more effective. Any other ideas?

 

[Explorer-1]

So assuming I get everything working again, what can I do to help keep the battery more stable? Can I put a bunch of zip/cable ties around the battery and downtube? Or should I get velcro hook and loop straps? The velcro would be easier for me to take it off if needed but I would rather do whatever is more effective. Any other ideas?

Most people seem to use velcro strap. A zip tie seems like a quick solution, or get a removable zip-tie for more convenience and you can check on the connector without cutting it each time. I use a rubber based tie known as a kwik bandit like shown below, but can't remember the exact size.

https://amazon.com/gp/product/B07S9H9N46

 

[330rcs]

Most people seem to use velcro strap. A zip tie seems like a quick solution, or get a removable zip-tie for more convenience and you can check on the connector without cutting it each time. I use a rubber based tie known as a kwik bandit like shown below, but can't remember the exact size.

https://amazon.com/gp/product/B07S9H9N46

Thanks that looks good. How many do you use to hold your battery securely?

 

[Explorer-1]

Thanks that looks good. How many do you use to hold your battery securely?

I just use one close to the top end near the connector. I think i use a 14” 50lb tie.
i think i posted a pic on here somewhere

 

[330rcs]

No way that was quick the connectors arrived earlier than expected! Meanwhile some local companies are just now replying to my email! I hope this is everything I need am contacting my bike guy now to see if he can do the repair.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Looks like you have a lifetime supply as well.

 

[330rcs]

By looking at the back of the connector does it look like the wires just snap in? Or does it look like they need to be soldered? If they just snap in then I just have a couple screws to take off and might be able to attempt this myself?

 

[330rcs]

Looks like you have a lifetime supply as well.

LOL yeah I bought 3 sets just incase possibly one set for every year lol

 

[Gionnirocket]

Those are known as solder cup termination

 

[330rcs]

Those are known as solder cup termination

Oh ok sounds like I have to solder so will not attempt lol

 

[Gionnirocket]

Yeah... Not for a novice.
The wires will be thick and require a fair amount of heat... The trick is to heat the connector enough to melt the solder... but not melt the plastic.

 

[330rcs]

Yeah... Not for a novice.
The wires will be thick and require a fair amount of heat... The trick is to heat the connector enough to melt the solder... but not melt the plastic.

I dropped the bike off just now possibly until early to mid next week if there arent any unforseen circumstances come up.

 

[330rcs]

STILL NO REPLY OR UPDATE FROM JUICED BIKES.

Last Wed almost a week ago their reply only mentioned the battery port not the bike. I replied mentioning the bike port and one week later no reply.

I posted the issue regarding the port melting on Reddit last week. Somebody with a Juiced CCX responded with the same issue with the ports melting. On his as well both battery side and bike side melted. He contacted Juiced early AUGUST with no update or reply since AUGUST 18 regarding this issue. They also replied only about the battery only. They very conveniently IGNORED the bike port melting with him also!!!

I don't know whats going on here but something doesn't seem right. On the same issue for two different customers they ignore the bike port melting and only replied about the battery.

I just sent them an email expressing how upset I am, I know they are going to give me their covid excuse but in these times it says a lot about a company in how they handle themselves when the going gets tough. I know I am resolving the issue myself but it's still the principal of the matter and I want to know what their resolution is regarding this issue.

Well a few days ago I placed an order for a new ebike with Biktrix for the Ultra Eagle and coming from Canada it's out for delivery today. So I'm not really buying their covid excuses. Other ebike companies are somehow managing to reply and ship orders out to customers during these times.

Multi-Purpose

Buy USA's Best Multi-Purpose Bikes Online ✔ Custom Built ✔ Free Shipping ✔ Lifetime Warranty ✔ Direct Support. Get a Customized Biktrix eBike Today!

www.biktrix.com

I'm never buying a Juiced Bike ever again.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I wouldn't waste too much time and stress dealing with them. It's a poor design and they know it... so they've got nothing to say.
If it was my bike and everything else was ok... I'd figure out a way to have the connection float. Meaning not secured at the frame. This isn't done by the manufacturer as it makes battery removal and reinsertion difficult... But if you don't need to remove it to charge it, no problem and the connection will be more vibration resistant

 

[330rcs]

Thanks to everybody here and NO thanks to Juiced!! 7 business days later and I'm back on the road!! I just rode about 5 miles and everything was fine. Let's see for how long...

My ebike guy did show me the wires they use inside are really thin as well. 52v running through and they use these thin gauage wires.

I actually totally understand the reason for buying locally now. If you're somebody like me with zero mechanical/electrical experience and this happens you can definately be totally screwed buying a bike online without a local shop to service it. Or buying from a company with crap support. I need to sell this thing this company has just pissed me off. I'd rather take my business to a different company. f*ck Juiced Bikes!