dropper post not locking

[steve_sordy]

I got my Focus Jam2 out of the garage today and the KS E30i dropper just sank down when I sat on it, then rose when I took my weight off. The operation is smooth, but the remote is stiff to operate and has restricted movement. The locking function is not working.

I removed the seat post clamp but the dropper will only pull up a few inches before being stopped. The cable attached to the remote will not pull out of the frame any distance at all. I suspect that the cable has become pinched, which would account for why the remote lever is stiff and also the restricted movement of the remote cable and the dropper it is attached to at the other end.

I am reluctant to start dropping the motor, dislodging the battery etc because I know it's all tight in there and the last time the LBS worked in that area they pinched one of the electrical cables to the display.

Is this an easy job and what is involved?

 

[Gary]

Shimano motor, init?
they're only held in place with 6 T40 torx. remove 4, and losen the other two and you should be able to drop one side of the motor to get access to the cable routing.
Sorry. Never worked on a Jam so can't be more detailed.

I'd replace the full outer and inner cable if you're going this far anyway. use the RS reverb hose joining tool (wee red anodized double sided threaded barb) and join your new outer to the old. PUSH the outer through rather than pullin the old out.

Take your time and just be careful not to squish wires/cables when you re-fit the motor.

 

[Gary]

Oh... remove the cable from the droppers actuation assembly rocker and depress it by hand first to make sure that's your actual problem. with the cable removed you can also feel if it is smooth or needs replaced

 

[James_C]

had similar on a levo and I had put the seat post down too far in the frame, pinching the cable.

also check your connection at the bottom of the post. my cable end was dislodged too and would never have worked like that.

 

[urastus]

On my merida, the cable is anchored where it enters the frame. I have to loosen off that anchor point before I can get any slack cable to the dropper. Could yours be like this too?

 

[steve_sordy]

To my embarrassment, I never replied to this thread when I got the problem fixed. I had forgotten!
So, thanks to @urastus for the reminder and your suggstion.
Thank you @Gary and @James_C your suggestions were helpful.

What had happened was that my usual LBS (no ebikes there) had pulled out the dropper a bit further so that they could clamp on that bit. Then when they had finished their work elsewhere just shoved the dropper back to where it had been without pulling on the cable at the remote end. This kinked and jammed the cable, hence the problem.
New inner and outer cable sorted that out.

I should have remembered that when I went for a test ride on a Focus Jam2 in 2018, the dropper didn't work from the start. This was because a previous rider had done what the LBS had done to get the saddle higher for him. I came along and shoved the saddle back in and then the dropper wouldn't work. The technician pulled the whole lot out and the cable was pretty mangled in there from previous saddle height adjustments. But when he pulled on the remote end of the cable as he replaced the dropper, it worked well afterwards. (At least until the next taller or shorter rider).