Wilderness Energy BL-36 power problems

On my Wilderness WE BL-36 I have a solid red power light and a constant blinking green light on the controller when the battery 36V battery pack is connected. The battery pack is fully charged with a volmeter reading of about 37.1 volts on the SAE two prong flat connector.The batteries might be damaged because they got very hot and warped the plastic the last time they were charged?

This solid red and blinking green on the controller continues when the throttle is both plugged or unplugged in.
When the throttle is plugged in I get a solid yellow (low ) and solid red (power) but no green (full ) indicator readings on the throttle indicator lights. When the throttle is unplugged the controller remains in the solid red and blinking green mode and the throttle obviously shows no indicator lights at all.

Typically in the past when I plug the bike battery pack to the controller matching battery plug a spark occurs.
This spark is common as I have read and apparently due to rapid capacitor charging in the controller.
But now there is no sparking and just those blinking green and solid red indicator lights on the controller when connected to the battery. And the solid red and yellow on the throttle when connected but still no green.

My intuition seems to think their is a throttle problem either internally or with the fragile plug connectors.
Thinking that the circuit from the throttle to the controller is not being completed and hence a continuous flasshing green and solid red mode on the controller. With the throttle disconnected this is the same result on the controller with a blinking green and a solid red. Leads me to believe that the circuit is not being completed.

I'm not sure why I am no longer getting that spark when the battery pack and controller are connected?

Maybe this has to do with the circuit not being complete also? ....dont know

Or might the batteries be too damaged by overheating and this is causing this problem?

Your thoughts are appreciated....Thanks...Bud

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dogman's picture

To WVAIL, My first guess would be that your batteries are toast, but it's not impossible to have two problems at once, and have another problem too. Fully charged the sla's should have at least 40-42v

On the other subject, the Bd36 can fit in 3 3/4 inches but it will be tight. Generally a mountain bike with a steel non suspension fork will work fine. 700 c wheel bikes may be narrower in the fork so some of those might have problems. With suspension forks, of course do not use alloy ones with a front hub since they can crack at the dropout easy and then you leave teeth on the pavement. The steel suspension forks found on bottom level mountain and comfort bikes with 26" wheels will work, but you have to squash the bottoms of the tubes slightly to get the clearance. The bottom 4" of fork on the cheap steel suspension forks have no moving parts there, just a steel rod so you can actually just put the fork in a vise and press in till there is enough room for the motor.

A BL 36 motor is about 1/4 inch narrower and fits a bit easier with more clearance. The axle is huge, but has flat sides on it so it fits in dropouts that are a normal width. Occasionally some exess paint may need to be filed off to fit the axle into the dropout. It's important to find a bike with a good fitting dropout for a front hub motor. For this reason the cups for quick release hubs can cause problems with the fit, also leading to teeth on the pavement. In general the best fit is found on less expensive bikes with front wheels that bolt on, and have big heavy steel forks. The more expensive bikes use less metal to be light, and are less suitable for the forces of front hub motors. A nicer bike can still have a heavier mountain bike fork put on it to fit a motor.

Be the pack leader.
36 volt sla schwinn beach cruiser
36 volt lifepo4 mongoose mtb
24 volt sla + nicad EV Global

At 37 volts, the battery, even if damaged, should be enough to "turn on" the controller, right?

Is the controller saying that it has voltage (from somewhere?) for operating its logic electronics (blinking LED), but is not "seeing" the Battery Pack voltage?

Is there a blown fuse, maybe inside the contoller that would explain the lack of a spark?

Cheers, Gary
XM-5000Li, wired for cell voltage measuring and logging.

Purchased new batteries from "Jupiter Batteries" in Texas. I highly reccomend them they are a pleasure to deal with and they actually answer their phones to talk with you. Their prices were the best I could find after an extensive internet search and comparison. I also compared the battery spec sheets to some of the more expensive models available by the competition. Never knew there were so many battery companies out there.

Go to............ http://jupiterbatteries.com/

Your battery is bad/not fully charged! Fully charged, a god 36 volt battery will be near 42 volts. check each battery section right after charge. 12 volt batteries should be close to 14 volts immediately after full charge, and if less than 13 volts each, something is wrong. any 12 volt lead-acid battery measuring 11 volts or less is dead or defective.-Bob

Robert M. Curry


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