Click/Creak Every Pedal Stroke

[pollywaffle]

Commencal Meta Power
Shimano e8000 motor

A while back I clipped my left pedal on a rock and went over the bars. I clipped the rock so hard that the left crank was bent/twisted. The axle appears to be straight after I put some new cranks on.

In the first 10 kms back riding a clicking sound came from the right crank (drive side) at the 1 o'clock position of the pedal stroke. It made this noise for a while but then disappeared and reappeared over the next 150 kms, but mostly no clicking sound.

It went away for ages but came back; but this time at the 6 o'clock position on right hand drive side crank. I can feel the click through into my shoe. It is similar to the sound and feeling of bad bearings catching in an old set of pedals.

So I swapped the pedals but the click not only persisted but has become a (loudish) creak. This time it will not go away.

I am guessing the hard hit on the left crank resulted in some kind of damage to the drive side bearings? It's all a bit weird because it came and went then moved position in the pedal stroke.

 

[pollywaffle]

Okay, it’s disappeared again after i laid the bike on its side and sprayed lube around where the axle enters the motor. Rode 40 kms and no click or creak or even any sign of a drama.

 

[Gary]

sprayed lube?

please tell me you don't mean WD40 or GT85?
both products can work their way towards your bearings, and both degrade grease if they get past your seals.

 

[pollywaffle]

sprayed lube?

please tell me you don't mean WD40 or GT85?
both products can work their way towards your bearings, and both degrade grease if they get past your seals.

No but I’d still love to know what’s going on with it all.

So I guess I’m going to have to buy two tools to get the lock ring off then crack it open and have a look.

 

[Gary]

You can check for play (looseness in the lockring) without any specialist tools. The first E8000 motor I had the lockring came loose. chainring/spider play was obvious. and I just did up the lockring (carefully) with a set of pipegrips. Obvs the correct tool is best but it's about £40 and pretty much no bike shop workshops have one.

There's nothing you can "crack open" without voiding your 2 year warranty.
You def don't want to lose your warranty on an Emtb motor.

 

[pollywaffle]

I know what you are saying but it might be cheaper to fix it myself. Because i live in the middle of nowhere without a shimano dealer.

At the moment it has stopped making the click/creak for the last couple of hundred kms so I guess it doesn’t matter