Yes! It may happen, you may find your electric scooter is not working properly. You were up for a nice and refreshing ride but suddenly you found out the electric scooter’s motor is not working properly. Surely you should maintain your electric scooter very carefully. Generally, electric scooters are durable and built to last for a long time. They also required minimum maintenance. But like other vehicles, the electric scooters have parts and components that are sensitive to damage. The damages may come from overuse, overcharging, and stress due to extreme riding activities causing various outcomes like- malfunctioning, melting or even burning different parts of the electric scooters. After reading this article you’ll have at least some basic knowledge of how to fix an electric scooter or you may become an expert on this! So, try to read the whole article diligently.

About the Motor of Electric Scooter

The electric scooters use different types of motor, mainly- the hub motor or the electric motor. The motors are generally incorporated to the rear or front wheel. This doesn’t change the basic structure or design of the scooter. The motors are very easy to install and access for service and repair. You can also turn off the motor and run your electric scooter like a kick scooter. The motor just moves along with the wheel without any influence on the motion.

The electric scooter motors come in different designs, like-

• Geared hub motors- These are smaller and lighter. They have a good range coverage but less power.
• Gear-less hub motors-These motors are usually big and heavy. But they are more efficient and powerful.
• Brushed motors-Brushed motors have more moving parts than brush-less ones. They are tough and reliable. These motors can withstand more riding pressure, but they are a bit less efficient.
• brush-less motors- Brush-less motors are more efficient and have fewer moving parts.
• But they are fragile and cannot sustain adverse condition.

Knowing the types of motor that your electric scooter using will definitely make you proactive. To maximize the performance of your electric scooter you have to take a very good care of the motor also along with the scooter.

How to Fix an Electric Scooter: Troubleshooting the electric scooter’s motor

As it may happen, you may spend a lot of time to find out what actually happened to your electric scooter. You may try to fix the problem but you found out that you have no idea what or where the problem is. Here we are mentioning five general tips and guidelines-

· Inspect the motor

First, you can check for any disconnected or loose wires by smoothly pulling the wires one by one and try to find out is there anything burnt or melted. But be careful, they should not be disconnected. Try to check all wires or wire connectors that connect to the motor. Or you can smell the motor, speed controller and other electrical components.

This may happen if the coils get overheated, and there also might be damage to the speed controller due to the short circuit. If this happened you should replace the motor immediately.

· Check the battery and charger

If the electric scooter does not run check the motor because the motor is the power source. Because of excessive riding or doing stunts may cause the problems. Check the battery charger too. Connect it to the port and look for the indicator. If the indicator does not work properly change the charger and then try again.

· Check the fuse or circuit breaker

Check the electric scooter’s fuse or the circuit breaker. The fuse may get burnt due to many reasons like- overheating, overcharging. You can check the fuse or circuit breaker by multi-meter.

· Test the throttle

Test your electric scooter’s throttle. You can use the 4.5-5V DC power source and multi-meter. Sometimes the throttle causes the problem. If you cannot use the multi-meter seek help from an expert. If there is a problem with your throttle the multi-meter will detect it. And if the problem arises you should get the throttle fixed.

· Test power switch or key switch

If your scooter does not work try to move the power switch or key switch between the “on” and “off” position several times. If you find that the switch is loose there may be a problem because of the switch. The problem with the switch can also be checked with the multimeter.

If above’s actions do not work for your electric scooter try to follow the following instructions step by step for specific issues-

If the Motor Does Not Run Follow the Following Steps

• Make Sure the power switch is on
• Check the fuse or circuit breaker
• Try pushing the scooter to start
• Try charging the battery pack for full hours
• Inspect the motor by sight, touch and smell
• Test the fuse or circuit breaker and also the brake lever switch
• Try to test the Key Switch or Power Switch
• Also, test the Battery Charger and charger port
• Try to test the Battery Pack on A Scooter That Runs
• And then test the Battery Pack on A Scooter That Does Not Run
• Test the voltage of the battery pack
• Also, test the Throttle
• And lastly, inspect the speed controller and motor carefully

If the Motor Runs but Scooter Does Not Move

• Inspect the Power Transmission System
• Make Sure the Chain or Belt Is Properly Installed

Speed Controller Does Not Work

• Make sure the power switch is on
• Check the fuse or Circuit Breaker
• Try pushing the scooter to start
• Inspect the controller by sight, touch and smell
• Try to test the other components connected to the speed controller
• Test the Fuse or Circuit Breaker
• Then test the brake lever switch
• Test the key switch or power switch
• Test the battery charger and port
• Check the battery
• And also test the voltage of the battery pack
• And lastly, try to test the throttle, speed controller and motor

If the Belt Falls Off the Rear Wheel or Motor

• To Select the Right Size Drive Belt
• Change the belt
• Check the Outside of The Old Belt for Numbers and Letters
• If the Belt Does Not Have Its Size Printed on It
  a) Measure the length of the belt’s loop
  b) Measure the distance from peak to peak of two adjacent belt teeth
  c) Measure the width of the belt
• Find a replacement accordingly

If the Key is Lost

• If Key Is Lost the Key Switch Needs to Be Replaced

Batteries Loose Power too Quickly

• Determine the Battery Packs History
• Try Charging the Battery Pack for 8 Hours
• Test the Battery Charger and port
• Test the Battery Pack on A Scooter That Runs
• And also test the Battery Pack on A Scooter That Does Not Run
• Test the Voltage of The Battery Pack

If the Fuse or Circuit Keeps Blowing Out

• Check if the scooter may have been overloaded
• Then check if the scooter may have a defective electrical component
• Inspect the fuse or circuit by sight, touch and smell
• Inspect the speed controller and motor

If the Brakes Do Not Function Properly

• Inspect the brake pads or shoes
• Adjust the brake cable tension
• Maintain the braking system

If the Motor Runs Constantly

• The problem is most likely the speed controller
• Test the throttle and speed controller
• Try to find the reason why motors run constantly
• Speed controller replacement can be done

If the Battery Does Not Take Charge

• Determine the battery packs history
• Inspect the battery by sight, touch and smell
• Try charging the battery pack for 8-10 hours
• Test the battery charger and port
• Test the battery pack on a scooter that runs
• And also test the battery pack on a scooter that does not run
• Then test the voltage of the battery pack

If the Chain Falls Off Rear Wheel or Motor

• Determine the chain and sprockets history
• Inspect the chain and align the sprockets
• If possible change the chain

If the Motor Runs Slowly

• Determine the battery packs history
• Try charging the battery pack for 8 hours
• Inspect by Sight, Touch, And Smell
• Test the battery charger and port
• Try to test the battery pack on a scooter that runs
• Test the battery pack on a scooter that does not run
• Then test the voltage of the battery pack
• And also inspect the speed controller and motor

Finally, at the end of this article about how to fix an electric scooter, we hope you could gain a good amount of insights about your electric scooter. And we also hope that now you can fix your scooter’s general problems all by yourself and ensure better safety.