21
Levo Retailer Technical Guide
Troubleshooting & Diagnosis Guide -
Performance Issues
S y m p t o m C a t e g o r y - N o i s e
Type of
Noise
Conditions & Checks
Typical Cause
How to Address
Grinding
Occurs at all speeds
Tactile
Felt when turning motor by hand
with bike in stand
Outer bearing wear and/or
damage
Abuse
Use of pressure washer,
especially on the drive side
Replace the motor unit (typically not
covered under warranty).
Work with Retail Care rep for potential
"crash replacement" pricing of motor.
Educate the rider on proper bike washing
habits. The rider can continue to use the
bike until there is excessive bearing play.
Squeaking
Occurs at all speeds
Dry belt, found on early motors
SBC Service center can address in the
Summer 2017 (CE and US).
Possible warranty resolution, send to Retail
Care for evaluation.
Felt when turning motor by hand
with bike in stand
Bearing failure/seize
Use of pressure washer,
especially on the drive side
Replace motor unit (typically not covered
under warranty).
During extreme effort the motor
produces a loud squeak then
shuts off
The over torque protection is
engaged. This happens when the
rear wheel suddenly stops while
the rider and motor are providing
full effort.
Not typically a fault or defect as the system
is designed to perform this way to protect
the motor. The motor should return to
normal operation after restarting the bike.
Clicking/clunking Occurs intermittently during
specific conditions such as:
• Acceleration
• Hard efforts
• Rapid changes from pedaling
to coasting
Loose spider and spider lockring
Remove, grease, and tighten to 70 N
•
m.
Motor cover bolts over tightened
Remove, clean, prep, then reinstall bolts:
• Clean bolts thoroughly
• Apply light grease under bolt heads
• Apply blue thread lock to bolt threads (i.e.
Loctite 242®)
• Clean the edges of the motor cover and
frame
• Install the cover bolts and tighten to
1.5 N
•
m, do not overtighten
Motor covers have edge
contamination
Remove the motor covers (does not require
crank removal)
Clean the edges of the motor cover and
frame
Lightly roughen the motor cover edges with
a 100-180 grit emery cloth or equivalent.
Prep and install the cover bolts.
Improper motor mount fastener
torque
Loosen, then gradually tighten the bolts in
an across-the-motor sequence to 23 N
•
m.
Do not over tighten.
Loose belt in motor, occasionally
found on some early motors
SBC Service center can address in the
Summer 2017 (CE and US).
Axial play in spindle
Contact Retail Care
Variable
Motor sounds change during a
single ride
Different demands during a
ride will result in different motor
sounds
General, as opposed to specific, motor
noise is not typically problematic nor
covered by warranty.
Motors that do create excessive noise can
be covered under warranty on a case-by-
case basis by contacting Retail Care.
Motor sounds change over the
life of motor
Motors generally get louder as
they age
Motor sounds change in
response to heat
Motors generally get louder as
they generate heat internally
