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Direct drive ebike rear wheel noise (flic.kr)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/bikewrench

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Hi all

The rear wheel of my ebike started making an extra whirring/whining noise last time I rode it. It only made the noise when the motor was engaged and under load, not while coasting. The noise got louder as the load increased. Also this bike is relatively new, bought from ALDI's special buys. I could get a refund from them but they won't have any stock to give me a new one.

There was also some oil/lubricant coming down the hub face, either from the hub itself or from the rear sprocket which also acts as a free hub.

I thought one of the sealed bearings in the hub might have let go but they are fine. There seems to be no lubricant in the freehub/rear sprocket (Is this normal?)

I opened up the hub to see if anything is going on in there and the grease looks odd? could it have been overheated at some point? If I do replace the grease what should I use?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This isn't a direct drive motor. The nylon gears look fine. They typically get mangled if overheated. They're a bit dry though. You could clean them up and re-grease with nylon-safe grease, e.g. SHC 100.

If lubrication doesn't resolve it, and if this isn't a popular motor for which there're parts, I'd return it. If there's something wrong with it, you won't be able to find compatible parts to replace them. You'll likely have to replace the motor-wheel combo with something pin-compatible with the motor controller.