Help –Decoy partly starts but won't turn off?

[SteveSSS]

I’ve just turned my Decoy on, I got the Shimano Steps logo up on the display but that’s as far as it goes. I tried to turn it off and it won’t.

I removed the battery, which obviously turned it off but when I replaced it, it came back on with the Shimano steps logo stuck on again.

I plugged the charger in, and got some brighter illumination on the start button, removed the charger and it turned off. I then pressed the start button and I was back to the same Shimano Steps logo on the display and won’t turn off unless you plug and then unplug the charger.

I’ve ridden it on two rides so far both a bit wet but nothing untoward, there was a little damp on the battery inside and I’ve run a hair dryer over it.

I’m meant to be away for a full 3days riding from tomorrow and I’ve been on hold with YT for 45 mins so far.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[jbetker]

This happened to me once. I needed to remove the battery for a long time (~1 minute in my case) to get the system to fully power down. I think there are a lot of capacitors in the motors keeping power flowing through the electronics even when the battery is removed.

You might also try to hook up to it with the etube app. If there is a firmware problem that'd let you know.

 

[Mikerb]

The above sounds right but it also sounds like you have a short circuit probably on the battery connections. Clean and dry the battery connections..both sides...and as above leave the battery out until the display clears. The circuit cannot remain live for long with no power source. The reason for the frozen display is that the system found a fault when it was booting up and therefore would not complete that boot up. So clear the most likely fault, let the system drain of any residual power in the capacitors and you should be good to go.

 

[Liftman]

I had this happen at the weekend, it through up a E020 fault first then went onto the logo screen and stuck there, regardless if i unplugged the battery and re plugged it in.
Looking at the fault codes it states bad connection between the battery and controller, so figured out that as there was some water in the battery compartment the battery connectors may be a bit damp so dryed them out but it made no difference.
I then thought that on car battery connections they smother them in grease/vasoline so did the same and smothered the battery terminals in vasoline and plugged the battery back in and hey presto all working again.

 

[Camstyn]

I had this happen the last 2 times I washed the bike.

The first time I plugged it in and recharged the battery and after unplugging it, all was well.

This time after unplugging it still hangs on the startup screen, even 2 days later. Figured it was moisture from washing the bike upside down and it would go away with evaporation. Nope.

Pulled the battery and everything’s bone dry and looks fine visually. I greased the connections and reinstalled and the problem is still there.

 

[Liftman]

Have you used grease or vasolene, don't use grease unless it's specific electrical grease.

I used vasolene and absolutely caked both the battery side of the connections and the bike side.

Mine also happened after washing and it didn't look particular wet inside the frame, I blew everything out with my compressor and the issue was still there, it wasn't until I smothered the connections in vasolene till it started working again.

 

[Camstyn]

I used white lithium engine assembly grease. No bueno?

 

[R120]

Also check the connections into the display, controller etc - these are easier than you think to accidentally pull out a bit if they get caught on something.

Check the battery alignment as well - I know the YT has a proprietary battery system, but on a lot of Shimano bike is the battery retention system isn't tight enough, it can cause the battery to cut in and out of contact

 

[Mikerb]

I used white lithium engine assembly grease. No bueno?

Suggest you now use some isopropyl alcohol to get that grease off and then use a proper electrical contact cleaner.

 

[jbetker]

I'm a little bit confused by some of the speculation going on in this thread. When it comes to digital electrical connectors, the wires are either connected or they are not. This is to say that the battery is either connected to the bike or it is not, grease will not change that. Grease only makes it easier to seat the connectors and prevents water ingress and corrosion.

If your bike is flagging errors while you are riding or when you hit big bumps, it is like the battery retention system or faulty connectors causing your problems. If it fails to start up, it is possible that corrosion is preventing the connectors from coming together and closing a circuit. I would venture that in bikes as new as ours, it is more likely that there is a software bug or a defective part inside of the battery or the motor.

If you have to mess with the connectors, it would be prudent to take a careful look at those connectors first and try to find evidence of corrosion, then do some cleaning - rather than just slopping grease all over it and praying.

 

[KenX]

"Most" greases are insulators.........

 

[Mikerb]

Don't be confused!! Whilst you can get a special Silver conductive grease, most greases..and specifically including Lithium grease are dialectric. So coating the contacts in Lithium grease effectively prevents any conductivity between connections!! That is why I suggested using IPA to get rid of it and then use a proper electrical cleaner which not only displaces water but also ensures the contacts are free of contaminants or corrosion.

 

[Ozone08]

Was this resolved?

 

[Camstyn]

Was this resolved?

i removed the battery, went out for dinner with the wife, came home and put it back on, and it’s fixed, lol.

I did notice that I’ve only got the foam under one side of the motor between the motor and skid plate, not sure how the other half could have escaped. Does everyone else have foam covering the whole underside and both sides and is it 2 pieces?

 

[SteveSSS]

Was this resolved?

Hi, I was the OP on this thread.
Not much of an update at present as it taken 13 days just to get the Decoy shipped back to YT.
I originally took it to a Shimano Steps Service centre 50 miles away in an attempt to get it sorted for a weekend away. They hooked it up to diagnostics and it showed the display, motor and junction box all running different versions of firmware. It couldn’t be updated as the battery was cutting out and then finally it disconnected and wouldn’t restart.
Since then it’s been very frustrating working with YT trying to get it back to them due to poor communication from there end. The bike shop was going to ship it back to save me a drive and my original box got trashed during the original delivering of the bike and they had some spare. I got a Parcel Force returns label but then YT advised the shop to take it to DHL, which took days to get sorted, as there was a lag of a day or so between messages.
I’ve also found that not all UK Post Offices will take large parcels so again took time to locate one locally.
The two times I’ve rode the bike it was great fun but so far all the bad stuff I heard about YT European customer services has come true, in my case and I regret buying the Decoy.
Once it’s back, I’ll update with regards to the faults that where found.

 

[Borist]

The same problem happened to me. Turn the bike on, logo shows up and that was that. No way to turn the bike off. Took the battery off for a while, reconnected it, still the same. Repeated battery removal, no change. I'm thinking, CRAP, I may have to take the bike to a service center. Then I disconnected all cables from the display briefly. Viola. All good.

 

[roQer]

Happened to me just today after washing my Decoy. Tried pretty much everything to get the bike running, taking out the battery, disconnecting the cables from display, spraying WD40 on the contacts and drying them very gently with a heat gun at 80*C. Battery loads OK. As soon as I start the bike it gets stuck at Shimano Steps screen. Turning off doesn’t work either. The screen turns off after the battery is fully charged. When I try to access the unit via E-tube, the app says can’t connect due to a battery error.
I guess Shimano steps center will be the next step?

 

[Pabs]

I had this happen to me a few rides back. Been OK since, 4 or 5 rides in. Basically I tried to turn the bike on about 20 mins after washing which I never usually do and won't try again.

I got steps screen logo stuck on the display. Disconnect battery and re inserted many times still the same. Screen kept lighting up on battery connection without touching the power button. Disconnected display cables as mentioned, no good. I Had some old contact cleaner which, on reflection, has never made any electrical issue better & was most likely out of date (they have a shelf life) and still no bueno. Cleaned the connections as best I could with tissues and blowing it it my breath as I had no access to a compressor. Left it till the following day and fully charged the battery. I just held the battery up to the bottom tube to see what was what, the first time steps logo pops up without touching the button dropped the battery out and the reconnected it again this time I had a blank screen. With a slight flicker of hope and a premature smile on my face I hit the power button. The bike booted through the steps screen and for a second I could see the normal display screen only to be replaced with the 020 fault code, which again pointed to the battery connection.

It should also be noted I was not able to make a bluetooth connection to the bike using the e tube app but was able to with steps unlocker, all while the screen was stuck on the steps logo. From the Stunlocker app I could retrieve many fault codes that are not on the usual list and I still don't know what they mean! Crucially though I was able to check battery health which said it was at 10% health and 2058 cycles! another clue it was the battery connector as I have checked my battery many times and only seen 100% health and 0 cycles (always storage charge after ride, top before next ride, batt stored indoors). I do have some screens somewhere will try and upload later

With slight progress made I didn't want to give up, so turned the bike upside down in my garden on a sunny day battery removed on the floor with the terminals facing up to the sun. I used white vinegar with a cotton swab to clean the connections on the bike, pulled some cotton off the swab before using to fit in the terminal gaps. For the battery this wouldn't work, so I used a glasses wipe with alcohol in it, threading it finely through each groove on the battery. Left them both in the sunshine for 2 hours for good measure and boom! Back in business

I've tried to be as detailed as poss so hopefully you guys can get through this situation without having to ship or hit up a shimano centre, which would have been my next port of call

 

[roQer]

Thanks for your detailed report. Very helpful. Will try to manually clean the contacts with some propanol next.

 

[Mikerb]

I had this happen to me a few rides back. Been OK since, 4 or 5 rides in. Basically I tried to turn the bike on about 20 mins after washing which I never usually do and won't try again.

I got steps screen logo stuck on the display. Disconnect battery and re inserted many times still the same. Screen kept lighting up on battery connection without touching the power button. Disconnected display cables as mentioned, no good. I Had some old contact cleaner which, on reflection, has never made any electrical issue better & was most likely out of date (they have a shelf life) and still no bueno. Cleaned the connections as best I could with tissues and blowing it it my breath as I had no access to a compressor. Left it till the following day and fully charged the battery. I just held the battery up to the bottom tube to see what was what, the first time steps logo pops up without touching the button dropped the battery out and the reconnected it again this time I had a blank screen. With a slight flicker of hope and a premature smile on my face I hit the power button. The bike booted through the steps screen and for a second I could see the normal display screen only to be replaced with the 020 fault code, which again pointed to the battery connection.

It should also be noted I was not able to make a bluetooth connection to the bike using the e tube app but was able to with steps unlocker, all while the screen was stuck on the steps logo. From the Stunlocker app I could retrieve many fault codes that are not on the usual list and I still don't know what they mean! Crucially though I was able to check battery health which said it was at 10% health and 2078 cycles! another clue it was the battery connector as I have checked my battery many times and only seen 100% health and 0 cycles (always storage charge after ride, top before next ride, batt stored indoors). I do have some screens somewhere will try and upload later

With slight progress made I didn't want to give up, so turned the bike upside down in my garden on a sunny day battery removed on the floor with the terminals facing up to the sun. I used white vinegar with a cotton swab to clean the connections on the bike, pulled some cotton off the swab before using to fit in the terminal gaps. For the battery this wouldn't work, so I used a glasses wipe with alcohol in it, threading it finely through each groove on the battery. Left them both in the sunshine for 2 hours for good measure and boom! Back in business

I've tried to be as detailed as poss so hopefully you guys can get through this situation without having to ship or hit up a shimano centre, which would have been my next port of call

I would guess from your description that the battery terminals got wet when washing the bike. A lot of domestic water supplies have calcium carbonate in them...ie "hard water" .That can leave limescale deposits on the terminals. Drying with heat natural or otherwise would harden those deposits. White vinegar is acetic acid which will remove the deposit but likely leave an oily deposit. Alcohol or contact cleaner...which is essentially but not solely isopropyl alcohol....will remove that oily film. So it could be that both of your contact cleaning attempts worked cooperatively! Occasional cleaning of contacts with a good quality contact cleaner not only removes oxidation deposits but acts to prevent contamination of the contacts. Well done!

 

[Pabs]

Yeah, I was pretty certain the problem was water on the battery connection. You can't really inspect the battery terminals fully due to the case design, but the bike terminals appeared nice and shiny with no signs of corrosion, just maybe a slight dusty covering which may well have been the residue of hard water. Wurth make a few products that I will try and get hold of, A oxidation protection spray which I imagine does the job of the white vinegar, A contact spray wash and also something called Kontakt SL which is a protective laquer.

Here is the E-tube response to the E020 error

And what I got from STunlocker

That is three different sets of errors from the switch, display and motor, you can see one of them is the 020

 

[Mikerb]

You only need contact cleaner and only need to use that very occasionally. Other than that just keep the connection dry and clean. A lot of the anti corrosion products are designed for plug connections that are rarely if ever unplugged.

 

[ziscwg]

An I the only one who thinks we should NOT wash our Decoys with running water (like a hose)?
I scrape off what I can with a plastic putty knife, let the rest dry, then use a stiff bristle brush, then a moist wipe.

 

[Mikerb]

I do not use running waternust a brush and damp cloth or for the worst bike states a bucket and sponge. A hose is ok I guess on a fine spray and with little pressure. Regardless how wet a ride...ground conditions or rain very little pressure is applied. Washing with a hose pushes dirt beyond seals so is countrr productive. It also risks causing water ingress into the frame ànd motor casings and possible condensation inside the frame.

 

[Fatbap]

I had the issues of bike would not turn on after a wash happened on 2 occasions so I removed the battery an dried it all out, left the battery off for a while an it all worked but I was not gonna be happy doin this every time I wash it, so with a clean bike I removed battery used dielectric grease on battery terminals an used acf50 on all the wiring screen contacts switch’s. I did not like the gap between the battery an frame so I used 3mm 3m self adhesive closed cell foam an made a gasket to fit around the battery. I can say I ain’t had any issues with it turning on since, I clean it after every ride (with a hose pipe) live in the Rhondda vallys South Wales it’s very wet an muddy an I can not just leave a bike filthy

 

[Pabs]

I had the issues of bike would not turn on after a wash happened on 2 occasions so I removed the battery an dried it all out, left the battery off for a while an it all worked but I was not gonna be happy doin this every time I wash it, so with a clean bike I removed battery used dielectric grease on battery terminals an used acf50 on all the wiring screen contacts switch’s. I did not like the gap between the battery an frame so I used 3mm 3m self adhesive closed cell foam an made a gasket to fit around the battery. I can say I ain’t had any issues with it turning on since, I clean it after every ride (with a hose pipe) live in the Rhondda vallys South Wales it’s very wet an muddy an I can not just leave a bike filthy

Sounds interesting, do you have any pictures of your gasket?

I Grabbed a screen shot after today's ride to show all is back to normal

 

[Fatbap]

I had the issues of bike would not turn on after a wash happened on 2 occasions so I removed the battery an dried it all out, left the battery off for a while an it all worked but I was not gonna be happy doin this every time I wash it, so with a clean bike I removed battery used dielectric grease on battery terminals an used acf50 on all the wiring screen contacts switch’s. I did not like the gap between the battery an frame so I used 3mm 3m self adhesive closed cell foam an made a gasket to fit around the battery. I can say I ain’t had any issues with it turning on since, I clean it after every ride (with a hose pipe) live in the Rhondda vallys South Wales it’s very wet an muddy an I can not just leave a bike filthy

Sounds interesting, do you have any pictures of your gasket?

I Grabbed a screen shot after today's ride to show all is back to normal
View attachment 29063

Glad it’s all going ok now. I will take a pic tomorrow

 

[Borist]

Have the same issue again. This time nothing seems to work. Display stays stuck in logo. Everything cleaned, dried, reassembled few times. Annoying. Time to get in touch with YT

 

[roQer]

My bike still stucks in „Shimano steps“ screen. Put the battery of a friend in and everything is working fine so it’s definitely the battery.
Contacted YT and they told me to send in the whole bike. Kinda stupid because the bike is working just fine and sending the battery only should be enough. But whatever, I guess they have the policy to deal with the whole bike if something is broken within the motor/electric.

 

[Borist]

Yeah, I also believe it is the battery that is the problem. I'm waiting for YT to respond. The good thing is that I can drive up to their dealer with the bike if needed.