Working fine and now dead

[Sinar]

I went out for a small ride on my Cube Elly bike with Bosch activeline motor, it’s probably done less than 200 miles from new, it’s maybe a couple of years old, my mother gave it to me as she never uses it.

It was working fine, a few hours later I went to ride it again but it’s totally dead, the display will not turn on, I have tried 4 Different batteries on it, they all work 100% fine on my other bikes, But the elly is still dead, I have replaced the button cell batteries in the Purion display, still dead.

It was not raining when I was riding it, it was working 100% as it should, can anyone recommend anything I can check?

Thanks

 

[Serialnerd]

I went out for a small ride on my Cube Elly bike with Bosch activeline motor, it’s probably done less than 200 miles from new, it’s maybe a couple of years old, my mother gave it to me as she never uses it.

It was working fine, a few hours later I went to ride it again but it’s totally dead, the display will not turn on, I have tried 4 Different batteries on it, they all work 100% fine on my other bikes, But the elly is still dead, I have replaced the button cell batteries in the Purion display, still dead.

It was not raining when I was riding it, it was working 100% as it should, can anyone recommend anything I can check?

Thanks

Since the display will not turn and you know the batteries are good my first guess Would be the wire harness/loose connection/battery connection.

I'd check that first and is probably the cause.

 

[Sinar]

Thanks, if it’s not eligible for a warranty repair (can’t find receipt) I will see if I can fix it myself.

 

[William - Bosch Team]

Hi Sinar,


Can I ask where you are from? I did not see it in your profile.

If you haven't already, try turning the eBike 'ON' using the power button on the eBike battery, rather than the Purion power button. In some cases, this can get us closer to the root cause.

As Serialnerd suggests, it may be a matter of a loose connection. This is fairly well supported by the eBike working fine, and then suddenly not.

It may also be corrosion on the battery cable contacts, etc. This can happen on eBikes that sit for extended periods, especially in more humid/salty environments. Is there any visible corrosion on the terminals where the battery connects to the eBike?

It may also be the battery power cable (connects the Drive Unit to the battery.)

Does anything react when you try to turn the eBike 'ON?' ie: something lights up for a second or two, but then shuts off?

It may be worth taking the eBike to a Certified Bosch Dealer. They can safely check the plugs on the Drive Unit, and may also have some spare parts to use for troubleshooting. More importantly, they should be able to connect the eBike to the Diagnostic Software, and hopefully give you a better idea of whats going on. This may cost you a little bit if the eBike was not purchased there, but may be worth the help in determining if this is something simple like a battery cable, or something bigger like the Drive Unit.

 

[Sinar]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply
.
I am from England. I have tried turning the bike on using the button on the battery, the battery flashes the charge level but nothing else happens.

I am very confident there is no corrosion , it has never been out in the rain and has been kept in the house at all times, it basically looks like a brand new bike , but I will check it very carefully.

Nothing at all happens when I press the on button on the purion display. When I was riding the bike a couple of hours before it was dead it was behaving normally, it was a short ride of 3 miles or so.

i have emtbs With Bosch cx motors that are used to pull a trailer with very heavy loads , commute 50 miles a day in all weathers including torrential rain and been used it quite extreme off road conditions, and still work perfectly without issues, yet this bike which could not have had an easier life just dies.

taking it to a Bosch dealer will be an option But it might not be for a while as bike shops are very busy here and some are only servicing bikes they have sold, the shop the bike was bought from has closed down sadly.

 

[William - Bosch Team]

Sounds like you have a fun commute! Can I ask what you pull in the trailers? eBikes/ bicycles as work and utility vehicles have long been an interest of mine. Not practical where I currently live, so I have to get by on short rides and the adventures of others.

The eBike battery lights flashing charge level, and then turning off seems to point to a battery cable issue. Especially if you've tried multiple other batteries with same result.

Not knowing what the report says, and not having put hands on the bike myself, this is still somewhat speculative...

I can only officially recommend that a Certified Bosch Dealer does this test, but here is what I'd recommend they do:

- Source appropriate replacement Bosch battery cable (brand new, or borrowed from another eBike)
- Remove battery from eBike
- Carefully remove plastic design cover from non-drive side of Drive Unit
- (this would be a good time to check that all plugs are secure, as Serialnerd suggested. Also check for any visibly cable damage
- Carefully lift retainer clip, and unplug battery cable from Drive Unit
- Plug-in new battery cable to Drive Unit, and then to "hand-held" eBike battery
- Attempt to turn eBike "ON" using Purion, and then using eBike battery if necessary

Obviously, a test ride won't be possible with this configuration, but if the eBike turns "ON," and the Purion displays a 0.0 speed read-out, then we've found the issue. If this doesn't solve it, I'd recommend a similar swap for the Purion.

Again, Bosch recommends that this test only be done by a Certified Bosch Dealer.

 

[Oberst]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply
.
I am from England. I have tried turning the bike on using the button on the battery, the battery flashes the charge level but nothing else happens.

I am very confident there is no corrosion , it has never been out in the rain and has been kept in the house at all times, it basically looks like a brand new bike , but I will check it very carefully.

Nothing at all happens when I press the on button on the purion display. When I was riding the bike a couple of hours before it was dead it was behaving normally, it was a short ride of 3 miles or so.

i have emtbs With Bosch cx motors that are used to pull a trailer with very heavy loads , commute 50 miles a day in all weathers including torrential rain and been used it quite extreme off road conditions, and still work perfectly without issues, yet this bike which could not have had an easier life just dies.

taking it to a Bosch dealer will be an option But it might not be for a while as bike shops are very busy here and some are only servicing bikes they have sold, the shop the bike was bought from has closed down sadly.

Ah, England. Are you sure you didn’t get any Lucas products nearby? I hear the prince of darkness can have a field affecting nearby electronics. Just kidding, Electronic gremlins are extremely frustrating!

 

[TMH]

...The eBike battery lights flashing charge level, and then turning off seems to point to a battery cable issue. Especially if you've tried multiple other batteries with same result...

William,

Thank you for being a helpful, contributing member of this forum!

We are so fortunate to have folks like you here, who are able to provide so much deeper insight than us end-users would normally have.

 

[Sinar]

Thanks for the really informative replies. I have found the receipt for the bike, it was purchased September 2018, so hopefully if it needs any expensive parts they should be covered.

I have it booked into a Bosch dealer on Monday, I hope they can diagnose the problem, one dealer I contacted said he had seen in the same issue in a couple of cube bikes, and the problem was poor cable routing leading to a damaged cable, I hope it is something as simple as that.

i will report back if I find anything out in case others have a similar problem.

 

[William - Bosch Team]

William,

Thank you for being a helpful, contributing member of this forum!

We are so fortunate to have folks like you here, who are able to provide so much deeper insight than us end-users would normally have.

I'm happy to help! Besides... my wife gets tired of hearing me talk about bikes, so this is a great outlet!

Thanks for the really informative replies. I have found the receipt for the bike, it was purchased September 2018, so hopefully if it needs any expensive parts they should be covered.

I have it booked into a Bosch dealer on Monday, I hope they can diagnose the problem, one dealer I contacted said he had seen in the same issue in a couple of cube bikes, and the problem was poor cable routing leading to a damaged cable, I hope it is something as simple as that.

i will report back if I find anything out in case others have a similar problem.

That's great news on the receipt! Hopefully it is simple, but luckily it sounds like you are still within the warranty period.

Definitely interested to hear how it works out!

 

[Sinar]

Hi, sorry it’s taken a while to reply, the bike shop was really busy.

The purion display had failed, Bosch replaced it for free, I just have to pay £40 for fitting and diagnosing the problem, which I’m happy with as I never bought the bike from there.

It seems strange that it failed with so little use and always kept indoors.

thanks for all the help, hopefully this thread might help if someone is in a similar situation.

 

[William - Bosch Team]

That's great news! Glad you got it worked out.