Vitus E-Mythique LT won't power on.

[ccrdave]

Yes, i'm probably going to jump straight to the controller and socket board. If I do get these - do I need the BESST tool or K1 flash or are they plug and play?

Yes you will need to calibrate motor i use K1

 

[ccrdave]

Well fitted new socket board and ribbon cable and..............ITS FIXED! Yay!!

 

[Zimmerframe]

Well fitted new socket board and ribbon cable and..............ITS FIXED! Yay!!

Congratulations !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well percevered !

Did you take any pictures ??? I guess this wants documenting as a work through procedure of things to try and change and in what order relating to the specific errors/diagnosis ... then adding into the faults bit in the tech docs thread.

 

[ccrdave]

Congratulations !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well percevered !

Did you take any pictures ??? I guess this wants documenting as a work through procedure of things to try and change and in what order relating to the specific errors/diagnosis ... then adding into the faults bit in the tech docs thread.

I didnt take any as its very easy
And fault finding with out any diagnostics is a bit like fixing my land rover, you fire the parts cannon at it until it works.
Im very happy to help anyone that needs it and if they live near enough to get to me im happy to do hands on helping

 

[mtbman]

Well fitted new socket board and ribbon cable and..............ITS FIXED! Yay!!

Fantastic news - well done! I'm just about to order controller board and socket board but never thought of the ribbon cable. must add that to the order. Enjoy riding it - now, the big question, are you thinking of anything to waterproof the electronics?

 

[Zimmerframe]

I think mudguards are a must. There is a thread - generally good advice on any EMTB.

E-Mythique Mud Guards (+the other Vitus and maybe most none fixed rear triangle bikes)

Depending where you are in the world, the moist season is nearing ... (or ending....) If you have a fixed rear triangle bike, mudguard options are normally fairly easy. You can mount on the seat stays, make sure it extends down to the chain stays, everything's moving in unison and your...

www.emtbforums.com

I'm still problem free 6 months on, so it's not a certainty that you will have moisture induced problems or other failures. Been out today in the rain again and no issues.

I guess checking all the connections are seated properly.

I have been more cautious/sensible/less of a knob with this bike and haven't submerged it.

In my case I've only washed it once and that was very lightly sprayed to loosen the concrete mud, normally I just brush it off, wait, brush, wait, brush, drink a beer (carefully so you don't scratch the crap out of it) then once in a while use a silicone furniture polish and microfibre cloths to actually clean it .... again, being really carefull not to scratch the crap out it !

I've also used the muc off e-bike dry wash a few times, but generally furniture polish seems to work just aswell.

I am fairly meticulous about drying it off after a ride. Either leaving it outside for a while but under cover after a battery leaf blower sesh if it's saturated, plus, it lives inside.

 

[ccrdave]

Fantastic news - well done! I'm just about to order controller board and socket board but never thought of the ribbon cable. must add that to the order. Enjoy riding it - now, the big question, are you thinking of anything to waterproof the electronics?

Yes but the only way water can get in the motor is the gasket that seals the two halfs, i fitted a new one, and around the plug sockets, i fitted a new socket board gasket and put a little smear of aquasure around the holes where the plug sockets stick through.
I think the display is a weak point when it comes to water, im working on that.
I think that ribbon cable is a weak point make sure you change it
Just been out on it, very nice ride motor is virtually silent

 

[Mikerb]

well done that man for the fix!
I am always fascinated with electrical problems on EMTBs but have no experience of Bafang so could not contribute. There are a few suggestions that are generic based on my telecoms fault finding years of experience and IT career knowledge.

When a bike is new or nearly new, and worked OK for one or 2 rides, any subsequent fault is more likely to be either a faulty component or damage done during the bike build.
A component because, ( assuming water is not involved) the only difference one or two rides could make is to expose a dodgy solder job on a controller, display or motor circuit board...due to the inevitable vibration from the trail.
Damage done during the bike build would most likely be a trapped cable that is now either broken ( high resistance disconnection inside the insulation) or a connector pin bent because of bad installation.

Note, if the fault(s) exist in a controller the fault codes are likely to be meaningless. Multiple fault codes could well suggest a faulty controller.

A maxim for fault finding is what happened to the bike in the time between it working and going faulty. If it was simply a uneventful ride then the a bove applies.............but other factors could be the bike getting wet, some work being done on the bike.

 

[Mikefiver]

Well fitted new socket board and ribbon cable and..............ITS FIXED! Yay!!

Brilliant, great news!
Did you spot anything on the old socket board or ribbon?
Cheers! Well done

 

[ccrdave]

Brilliant, great news!
Did you spot anything on the old socket board or ribbon?
Cheers! Well done

No couldnt see any fault but the ribbon cable felt a bit battered and less quality to the one i replaced it with

 

[SBJ]

Well fitted new socket board and ribbon cable and..............ITS FIXED! Yay!!

Do you have the link for where to buy the parts? Mine has failed again and like you have tried every other electrical part.

 

[ccrdave]

Do you have the link for where to buy the parts? Mine has failed again and like you have tried every other electrical part.

Just go on aliexpress all the parts are on there, i dont know of any other source

 

[Mikefiver]

Well that didn’t go well. Split the motor carefully. A few drops of water fell out! Got the 2 halfs apart - water everywhere, on the controller, on the gears, even in the electric motor itself. I can see how to gets in from the trail of corrosion on the aluminium cover. As skismith said earlier it gets past the main seal on right hand drive side. The seal is very thin and there is a cavity all the way round which collects water at the bottom and seeps into the motor onto the main drive cog which then flings it everywhere. It looks to me like that seal is the wrong way round? Every other seal I’ve seen has the cavity on the inside.
Drying everything out at the moment on a radiator. I will put it back together and see if it works. If not then a new motor will be required as the electric motor is suspect as well as the circuit boards.
As skismith says keep that seal coated in grease! It’s the larger diameter one behind the chainring.
Let you know how it goes!

 

[ccrdave]

Well that didn’t go well. Split the motor carefully. A few drops of water fell out! Got the 2 halfs apart - water everywhere, on the controller, on the gears, even in the electric motor itself. I can see how to gets in from the trail of corrosion on the aluminium cover. As skismith said earlier it gets past the main seal on right hand drive side. The seal is very thin and there is a cavity all the way round which collects water at the bottom and seeps into the motor onto the main drive cog which then flings it everywhere. It looks to me like that seal is the wrong way round? Every other seal I’ve seen has the cavity on the inside.
Drying everything out at the moment on a radiator. I will put it back together and see if it works. If not then a new motor will be required as the electric motor is suspect as well as the circuit boards.
As skismith says keep that seal coated in grease! It’s the larger diameter one behind the chainring.
Let you know how it goes!

Wow thats not good.
In am just trying to work out if its possible to put another seal either in front or behind the first one. Infront would be best as it would be easy to maintain. Failing that replace the original seal with something much beefier a car crankshaft seal for instance

 

[skismith]

I’ve tried a large nylon washer between the original seal & the chain ring to keep the extra grease in & water n muck out . But I’ve only done 400 miles testing it so hopefully this is helping .
My motor had suffered some water ingress and the main bearing needs changing , I’ve cleaned it out repacked with grease , fitted a new controller & it’s working well .

 

[Brian VT USA]

There must be a grease famine in Asia? Even when I buy top-quality bearings from Japan there is very little grease in them. I have always pulled the seals and repacked them before installing them (usually into one of my moto. wheels or swingarm).
I guess we should assume everything from Asia will need more grease before putting it into service?

 

[Mikefiver]

I’ve tried a large nylon washer between the original seal & the chain ring to keep the extra grease in & water n muck out . But I’ve only done 400 miles testing it so hopefully this is helping .
My motor had suffered some water ingress and the main bearing needs changing , I’ve cleaned it out repacked with grease , fitted a new controller & it’s working well .

That bearing in mine had water in it as well. Slight corrosion but I cleaned it and repacked it also. Needs changed. I’ve been checking out seal orientation and it seems that in this type of application it allows the grease to purge outwards.

 

[skismith]

That bearing in mine had water in it as well. Slight corrosion but I cleaned it and repacked it also. Needs changed. I’ve been checking out seal orientation and it seems that in this type of application it allows the grease to purge outwards.

Yes that makes sense, I believe the key is to keep it well greased so before winter riding repack the the grease & then again in the spring . The uk is wet.

 

[ccrdave]

Yes that makes sense, I believe the key is to keep it well greased so before winter riding repack the the grease & then again in the spring . The uk is wet.

So how much grease do you think should be inside? Mine had a small amount on the gear cogs and thats about it. I would have thought too much grease inside is gonna get flung about every where

 

[Mikefiver]

So how much grease do you think should be inside? Mine had a small amount on the gear cogs and thats about it. I would have thought too much grease inside is gonna get flung about every where

The most important place would between the right hand crank bearing and where it goes inside of the side cover. Mine had none, just aluminium corrosion.
I would apply grease sparingly on the moving parts as the controller is a bit exposed. Also there is large hole through to the actual motor.
Anyone know what the original grease is? Looks like Molyslip.

 

[ccrdave]

The most important place would between the right hand crank bearing and where it goes inside of the side cover. Mine had none, just aluminium corrosion.
I would apply grease sparingly on the moving parts as the controller is a bit exposed. Also there is large hole through to the actual motor.
Anyone know what the original grease is? Looks like Molyslip.

I am going to use dialectic waterproof grease and pack it on the outside. I like skismiths idea with the plastic washer

 

[skismith]

So how much grease do you think should be inside? Mine had a small amount on the gear cogs and thats about it. I would have thought too much grease inside is gonna get flung about every where

I think that it’s not that much , but it needs to be in the main bearing & around the outer seal to keep the water out .Hopefully the rotation of the shaft will purge some grease outwardly thus sealing the motor .

 

[Brian VT USA]

I've been considering dousing everything inside with this:

 

[ccrdave]

I've been considering dousing everything inside with this:

Yes me too some sort of conformacoat

 

[skismith]

Yes me too some sort of conformacoat

 

[skismith]

When I fit a new controller is use a spray lacquer on the pcb ( eBay) they are already coated but more is better. Be careful not to contaminate the connectors on the pcb

 

[willsendall77]

Hi everyone I have a brand new E mythique, 2 rides in….last one was pretty muddy…. Now it’s dead.
Absolutely gutted that something costing that much, a mountain bike surely designed to take puddles etc, is now broken and it’s looking like I need a degree in electronics to fix it. Along with buying costly parts etc from China.

Are those of us in the same position basically powerless in terms of any kind of warranty?

Seems there a huge design flaws with this machine: it seems like it should never have been sold. Obviously little or no testing was carried out by Vitus.

Totally gutted.

What’s the best course of action? Feel like skipping it tbh So many threads of unhappy customers with the same issues of an e-bike that won’t turn on! It’s a total basket case, kicking myself for not sticking to my gut and getting a bike with a Bosch or Shimano drive system

 

[Jimmylowblow]

Hi everyone I have a brand new E mythique, 2 rides in….last one was pretty muddy…. Now it’s dead.
Absolutely gutted that something costing that much, a mountain bike surely designed to take puddles etc, is now broken and it’s looking like I need a degree in electronics to fix it. Along with buying costly parts etc from China.

Are those of us in the same position basically powerless in terms of any kind of warranty?

Seems there a huge design flaws with this machine: it seems like it should never have been sold. Obviously little or no testing was carried out by Vitus.

Totally gutted.

What’s the best course of action? Feel like skipping it tbh So many threads of unhappy customers with the same issues of an e-bike that won’t turn on! It’s a total basket case, kicking myself for not sticking to my gut and getting a bike with a Bosch or Shimano drive system

Sorry to hear this.
, as its a great bike. I rode mine in some bad conditions and only had a few small issues. Other motors have issues like this, main benefit is they can be replaced under warranty easy.

Seen you posted this on the fb site too. Have you had a go at checking the battery and the display yet? The display and the buttons aren't very waterproof. I've had my screen coveres since day one but the buttons on mine had an issue. I'll fixed a 2nd motor that we got hold of and tbh it wasn't that hard.

100% try checking the battery for sleep mode and the display/buttons 1st.

 

[willsendall77]

Sorry to hear this.
, as its a great bike. I rode mine in some bad conditions and only had a few small issues. Other motors have issues like this, main benefit is they can be replaced under warranty easy.

Seen you posted this on the fb site too. Have you had a go at checking the battery and the display yet? The display and the buttons aren't very waterproof. I've had my screen coveres since day one but the buttons on mine had an issue. I'll fixed a 2nd motor that we got hold of and tbh it wasn't that hard.

100% try checking the battery for sleep mode and the display/buttons 1st.

Hi mate
Tbh I’ve only just got the issue. Definitely not battery sleep mode, tried all that to no avail. Could possibly be the display or buttons, I think more likely water ingress into the motor housing from a very muddy ride and washing with a hose.
I just can’t believe how susceptible to water ingress the bike is. For something that retails at nearly 4k it’s incredible poor engineering.
I’ll strip down later and begin my investigation.
Do you have a link for the new display and buttons your purchased at all?
Many thanks
Will

 

[mtbman]

So, I have an update. I got a new FC2.0 Controller board, Power socket board and ribbon cable fitted to my motor. Zero sign of water ingress when I cracked the motor open. I coated all electronics and connectors in CorrosionX (dielectric coating) and reassembled. After a K1 flash (thanks @Dado) to recalibrate it powered on and worked 100%.

Took it for a ride on the street and after 5 mins the assistance from the motor stopped. display still works fine, buttons work and I can change modes, etc but the motor assistance is zero. It does feel like a software issue as it either reached a speed or when I changed modes it stopped the assistance?

I have:

1. Startup Angle=1 (Is this ignored as FC2.0?)
2. Max Current Map=25,40,65,85,100
3. RPM Map=100,100,100,100,100
4. Support level Map=120,140,140,230,340
5. Map Acceleration=6,6,7,8,8
6. D StartUp Angle=8 (- is the 'D' necessary?)

Any ideas @Dado?