Do bearings on GM front hub motors need lube?

[Nicobie]

I just put together a cheap ebike (total cost w/bike, sla batteries and kit $550 USD) and was wondering if any maintenance is needed on the hub motor.

The bike is way cool, I should have done this years ago.



Nick

[biohazardman]

No maintenance on the motor itself but check your spokes and axle nuts for tightness often as they will get loose.  Take a good look at the axle nuts and make sure they sit flat on the fork dropout or they will never stay tight.  I had to replace mine as the threads were not square with the face of the nut.  You need a torque bar if you don't have one to keep things in one piece.  Spokes will stretch and become loose several times before they are set.  Tighten each evenly but don't overtighten or they will break.  Looks good and have fun/be safe.

[Nicobie]

Hey...

thanx for the info.

I cut off a cheap 10mm wench and used a hose clamp as a temp. torsion bar. The guy at my local bike shop said that it wasn't necessary as the fork is notched.

It is a steel fork but only walmart quality.

[biohazardman]

Yes the forks are notched and they need be but these motors put out a good amount of torque.  I have read posts and seen pics of several broken dropouts, mostly fronts, and with my rear loosening up even with the nylock/aircraft type nuts went ahead and put one on. Possibly this is more of a problem with the regen enabled as the torque happens in both directions. We kind of depend on these things working right if they don't bad things can happen.

[Nicobie]

We kind of depend on these things working right if they don't bad things can happen.

Hahahahaahhaaa....  That's a bit of an understatement  The wrench is staying on until I get around to making a 'prettier' one.

So I take it that the hub motors use sealed bearings and won't ever need lube?

[Leslie]

Are they Sla's you got tied to the frame?


Use rubber inner tubes to secure them to the frame and make hoods out of car tubes for weather resistance as they will never fail then dress it up to look nice with what ever looks great..


12 amp hour SLA's have a maximum charge rated at 3 amps and below 2.8 for 10 ah.  Most would settle for 2 amps for longest life and maxiumum charge capacity. You can get cheap SLA charger for around $40..

I use a 2.2 amp sla charger for big 18 ah batteries and they charge really well.  Better than the 3 amp charger I have...

[Leslie]

Its not the size that counts its the weight to area ratio that is the biggy.  Even the smaller SLA's are heavy compared to the size...



If you like it neat a few plastic ties will fasten the inner tubes together,



I started with a g clamp to clamp them to the frame.  I used a woodden spacer cut to size in between the batteries to place the pressure evenly along the battery casings, then I used racing bike inner tubes and stretch them as tight as my hands could tie them then I went up to a thicker BMX tube and did the same.

I used carpet underlining to pad in between the batteries and frame.  I used car inner tube to make a weather proof hood.

I can jump on those suckers 100 times and they DO NOT MOVE. and the rubber is better than metal or anything hard for this application.

Just an Idea.  When you get out there on the bumps you need as much shock absorption with SLAS as you can get...

 Edit:

I like the idea where you place them on the back near the sides nice and low, with the lower center of gravity going.  Keep that in you design and improve on it...

[biohazardman]

We kind of depend on these things working right if they don't bad things can happen.

Hahahahaahhaaa....  That's a bit of an understatement  The wrench is staying on until I get around to making a 'prettier' one.

So I take it that the hub motors use sealed bearings and won't ever need lube?

Smeee has had the motor all apart and the pics look like sealed bearings to me.  I have read somewhere they were also. 

http://goldenmotor.com/SMF/index.php?topic=354.0

[Nicobie]

 Thanks for the info Bioh man.

However I think I'll take mine apart and check just in case. The only way to tell is by checking out the part # at a bearing house.

[biohazardman]

If your going to take it apart you may as well replace the bearings with some good ones cuz what's in there is not all that good so I have been told.
 I copied this info from somewhere he did the swap.

Draggin said the bearings are #6202RS. We should write down all the numbers for repair/replacement parts on a separate post to make it easier to refer to for maintenance or crash damage repairs. 

Let us know how it goes.  Mine gets another controller today as the other one died. I can't see anything plain but smells burnt.