Clicking/Clacking noise from 1500W Hub Motor under load/torque

Posted by SKAYNOD@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 40 comments

Strange metallic sound only when accelerating with rider weight. Suggestions?

There is a rhythmic metallic clicking/clacking sound coming from the rear wheel area.

Only under load: The noise only happens when I am sitting on the bike and applying throttle (under torque).

Silent when coasting: If I push the bike or pedal without the motor engaged, it's silent.

Not the drivetrain/brakes: It is definitely not the derailleur or the brake caliper rubbing, as it doesn't happen when spinning the wheel freely or walking the bike.

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Low-Lunch-119@reddit

did you figure out what it was? Or have you been riding it fine with the noise

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N3onzz@reddit

Bad phase hall configuration or crap in the motor

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

Yes, I think that must be it. Do you have any tips for testing where the problem might be coming from?

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You can try messing with the hall sensor connector moving the green yellow and blue wires around to see if it fixes it. My motor wheel was a pain to take apart, I needed an 8" gear puller to get the cover off on one side as well as a thin strong piece of metal to break the seal then drop that side onto concrete to remove the other side and motor from the casing. Your wheel may come apart differently though.

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CoolButterfly1108@reddit

Check the wiring connections are secure!

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

Do you know how I could check the connections? Everything is properly connected for me

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CoolButterfly1108@reddit

Trace the wiring coming from the hub motor and see what it’s connected to.

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RadroverUpgrade@reddit

loose spokes?

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

I don't think so because there's no noise when I pedal without assistance

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DefconExile@reddit

In fact dude , it’s 1000% your spokes….. pause the video and look how bent some of them are seriously you should NOT be riding that bike , that wheel is going to fail catastrophically when it does fail. That wheel needs respoking ASAP you cannot use those spokes anymore , I can see multiple of them that are bent in the direction the torque is being applied!!!!!!

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Faze_John@reddit

I see what you mean, they aren't bent, its an illusion from the camera, that is his haul sensor that i partially plugged in

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DefconExile@reddit

If it’s a trick from the camera why is his chain completely straight whereas his spokes start and end at different places , I mean you can even see the spokes distorting the nipples on the rim they’re supposed to be perfectly straight.

I just feel if it was a camera illusion you’d see it across every spoke and nipple you rather than some spokes and nipples being more crooked, but I can’t see the bike myself so you could be right🤷🏻‍♂️

I’m still certain the ching/ping noise is spoke related tho, the hub motors sound a lot worse when they have issues

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

Appreciate the concern but it is definitely not the spokes. I had the wheel checked he verified the tension and made minor adjustments, but the noise persists exactly as before he also said to me that it could be the hall captor

Regarding the 'bent' look you noticed I think that is just the factory lacing angle due to the large diameter of the 1500W hub. It looks odd, but the wheel is structurally sound

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DefconExile@reddit

Fair enough man yeah that’s what I noticed you can even see it in that photo of the listing it just looks super odd compared to most wheels , but if it’s sturdy like you say then there’s no issues there.

How many miles do you have on the motor? It looks pretty new , like it’s had a lot less abuse than mine

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

I think it's just a poor-quality motor, which explains the noise and the manufacturing with spokes that aren't perfectly straight. I've been driving it for a week, but this noise has always been there

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DefconExile@reddit

Wow that’s shocking I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that , my hub is 3 years old with over 1000 miles on it and I do 12.6 miles on it daily at constant 30mph full throttle. I’d have been sending it back or getting a refund if it’s not second hand , they’re supposed to work straight out of the box for a good amount of time without maintaining it , I’ve only ever trued my hub once

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DefconExile@reddit

Hmmm that ping sound sounds awfully familiar though , have you pinched all the spikes to check the tension? If some are too tight or loose the torque from the motor could be causing the noise

I actually had a very similar issue which I fixed with a wheel true , although it wasn’t as prominent as yours is. But that ping noise is 1-1 with how my hub motor sounded that was badly untrue after 1000 miles of 30mph constant hard riding

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

Okay, interesting, I'll try tightening them tomorrow

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hawaiianmoustache@reddit

Spoke tension is important, it keeps your wheel true and round.

Don’t overdo it.

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FunkyWhiteDude@reddit

Get yourself one of these. An ebike tester, super cheap and universal. I have one and... Man i love this thing, it saved my ass a bunch of times

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

I have a multimeter but it's a pain, this tester seems much simpler. I'll get one thanks

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FunkyWhiteDude@reddit

I too have the multimeter! But this indicates wether the hall sensors work correctly in 1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3 etc mode, with the lights turning on after each other! Best to watch a YouTube video on how it works! :D

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Wind_Advertising-679@reddit

Do you ride on trails? Going over bumpy terrain? Do you have torque arms installed? Your weight is enough to change where the " stress or pressure and the weak link is inside the hub motor. I don't know the engineering terms to describe what I am trying to say. Hope this helps

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

I've had the bike for a week and I've barely ridden it, but I've always had this noise

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Faze_John@reddit

Dude why is yours like dis? Mine is not like that

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

I don't know poor quality maybe, can you show me yours ?

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Faze_John@reddit

How did he do that, if you look at his spokes they are all bent on the base, its like he moved the rim without the hub moving and the spokes bent, crazy that he did that on 3mm thick spokes

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

It was already like it had just come off the assembly line though I think it's normal no ?

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notoakie@reddit

The sound of spoke failure. The motor is stretching your spokes.

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

Unfortunately it's not the spokes. The noise can be confusing because it might sound similar, but even after tightening them the noise remains and it's actually coming from the motor. Maybe the Hall sensor

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The_Rociante@reddit

Check your spokes

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

That's what I did today, but unfortunately I still have the noise

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MechanicNick@reddit

i just recently built mine and its normal i think. I have the same noise when riding without the pedal assist sensor (PAS) bit everything works fine its just when accellerating from low speed

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SKAYNOD@reddit (OP)

Yes, same here, only when I accelerate without PAS at low speed. Did it completely change the noise after adjusting the spokes? Because I had mine checked, but I still have this noise.

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