No waterproof seal on TCU to frame ……come on Spesh😡

[Baron]

After a ride and the obligatory wash I turn the bike upside down for an inspection…check for damage etc. On doing so I find water dripping out from the sides of the TCU. Once I take the TCU out of the frame it’s clear that everything in there is wet. Why isn’t there a better waterproof seal on the TCU to prevent water ingress, surely water inside the frame especially around electrical hardware is a bad thing . Ps, I never use a pressure washer.

 

[Baron]

You’re sure it’s entering at the TCU? On my bikes it enters at the brake/shift line grommets, seat post, headset, and any drainage holes the frame may have.

Yes it’s definitely coming in there as the back/bottom of the TCU is soaking

 

[Baron]

The inside edge of the TCU needs a soft rubber seal affixing to it so it seals to the frame once you tighten the single screw.

 

[Zimmerframe]

After a ride and the obligatory wash I turn the bike upside down for an inspection

There's various places water seems to enter the frame (even rear triangle sometimes) like the cable ports.

Good practice is to put the back brake on after a wash and lift the front to let things drain out and then do the same with the front brake and rock forwards (using your body as a bike stand).

Even on a gen1 Kenevo with no TCU it's always amazing how much water is in there after a wash or a torrential rain ride.

But yes, the TCU is a bit crap on sealing/waterproofing (allowing drying by evaporation ? ). There are various threads on improving this. I think @Mikerb has written some.

 

[Baron]

There's various places water seems to enter the frame (even rear triangle sometimes) like the cable ports.

Good practice is to put the back brake on after a wash and lift the front to let things drain out and then do the same with the front brake and rock forwards (using your body as a bike stand).

Even on a gen1 Kenevo with no TCU it's always amazing how much water is in there after a wash or a torrential rain ride.

But yes, the TCU is a bit crap on sealing/waterproofing (allowing drying by evaporation ? ). There are various threads on improving this. I think @Mikerb has written some.

I did a quick search before posting but nothing came up. I will look again
Is there a solution?

 

[Zimmerframe]

I can't remember which ones are good (too many threads to remember these days ?)

A quick search, should be some ideas in some of them ..

Damp on the TCU

Having had on TCU fail (I think due to water ingress) the replacement started playing up. I removed the TCU and found this was damp too. I've wrapped some tape around the lid but i've found that a condom slid over the connectors and the open end pulled over the TCU so that it forms a good seal...

www.emtbforums.com

Levo SL - Water in my TCU.... Levo SL, Mission Control message..

Got caught in a torrential downpour this afternoon with my new Levo SL. Once back, dried it off and went to charge up, checked Mission Control first and got a warning message to remove TCU and check cables etc clean and dry. Took it out and a bit wet, so have dried it all off and it’s in a warm...

www.emtbforums.com

2019 to 2021 Turbo Levo - 2021 Levo Battery Water Ingress & Battery/TCU Replacement after 150km!!

Hi all. So I've only done 150km on my shiny new 2021 Levo Comp since getting it a couple of weeks ago but just had the TCU and battery replaced yesterday under warranty due to 'water in battery error' and TCU/battery malfunction. TCU turning itself on and off and the battery LEDs flickering...

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Riding : How wet is too wet ?

For the last few months here, it's pretty much rained constantly. There's lots of flooding .. it's WET ! On top of that, it's been windy too, so there's lots of trees down. A lot of the decent downhill tracks are either blocked or washed out or are just torrents of water so you can't see where...

www.emtbforums.com

If you find the ultimate solution .... maybe write in that thread so it pops back up for a while (until we all forget again).

 

[Baron]

But that’s after you flipped the b*tch upside down! Wetness always goes there.

I used the “turning the bike upside down” description to highlight the problem. If I pull out the TCU even after a moderate downpour it’s still soaking wet.

 

[Baron]

I would be very interested to see how many other members find the inside of their TCU soaking wet after a normal wash.

 

[Mikerb]

To save you searching, my solution was to remove the TCU and wrap it with insulating tape being sure to also seal the area where the tail cables enter the back of it. I then also wrapped the the 2 connectors on those cable tails with amalgamating tape. Lastly I made a 1mm neoprene gasket to sit between the TCU and the frame.................alternatively you could use liquid gasket. If you use the liquid gasket, smear a very light amount of grease on the frame first. The liquid gasket will not then stick to the frame so removing the TCU in future is not made difficult. I never experienced any electrical problems with my Levo.
Not specifically related to the TCU but an additional step you could take to help waterproof you electrics is to push some grease into the area where the cables go back into the frame in the cross member behind the shock. That prevents water tracking down those cables to the main electrical connectors on the side of the motor.

 

[RebornRider]

To add to Mikerb' suggestions, make sure to use dielectric grease for the connectors.

What Is Dielectric Grease?

A look at dielectric grease and how it is used in automotive ignition spark plug wires, electrical harness connections, and other automotive wiring situations.

www.motortrend.com

 

[Bndit]

All electronic components are protected from water in normal use, also TCU. But you just shouldn't put the bike upside down when it's wet because the water is going wrong way

 

[Mcharza]

If you want to improve splash water protection, put duck tape on the TCU unit.
However, even that doesn't protect if you turn the bike upside down.

 

[Alexbn921]

It's impossible to seal a frame.

Impossible!

The TCU should be sealed and turning the bike upside down when there is water in it is always going to force water to the TCU area.

It's not a design defect.

Get some silicon calk if you want to make sure no moisture gets in to the TCU.

 

[greengenes]

The water doesn't come in the TCU area on my Levo. Mostly through the cable ports. I had the SL previously, and that was much worse for water ingress. I dont think its such a good idea to wrap the TCU in tape; in my experience it simply traps more moisture around the TCU.

 

[Binhill1]

After a ride and the obligatory wash I turn the bike upside down for an inspection…check for damage etc. On doing so I find water dripping out from the sides of the TCU. Once I take the TCU out of the frame it’s clear that everything in there is wet. Why isn’t there a better waterproof seal on the TCU to prevent water ingress, surely water inside the frame especially around electrical hardware is a bad thing . Ps, I never use a pressure washer.

I am always surprised at how much crap gets in through the cable holes at the front

 

[Straker]

If you’re going to tape up the TCU, clean and dry it 1st and use self amalgamating tape rather than insulation tape.

 

[Dago]

Simple. Get some bulk single back thin foam tape. Cut it to size.

 

[squeegee]

I have taped my TCU's with high grade electrical tape since suffering water ingress about a year ago. Shop had my bike for 5 weeks due to multiple misdiagnosis by them and/or Specialized, was TCU, duh! No issues from water since tape. Water can get into this area without a doubt, I never spray water even close to TCU anymore and just use a waterless cleaner for that area.

 

[Utah Rider]

The 22' aluminum frame has a huge hole right next to the rear shock mount. Ask me how I found out about this?

 

[Roger20]

The danger with tape is that unless the sealing is perfect there is a good chance that water could get sealed in. Self-amalgamating tape done properly should work but a bit of a nightmare if access is needed to the port for updating etc.

My preference is thick silicone grease - Molykcote 111 or similar Molykote 111C100 Silicone Grease Tube - 100g for sale online | eBay . A bit messy if you have to remove the TCU but has worked well over the last couple of years and I have had no TCU issues since I tried washing the bike upside down!

 

[Mikerb]

Well I used a good quality insulating tape and I warmed it first to activate the glue. You may at some stage need access to the USB port and insulating tape is easy to remove. I never had any electrical problems.