HI: If anyone has had this problem, please get back with us. Daughter needs this scooter as soon as possible. We have a 750 Schwinn electirc scooter, and now cannot get to run. Battery charger showing full charge, but problem arrises when we turn it on. When i turn switch to run possition, the controoler is usually green, then changes to orange, then to red and then shuts off. I possible think may be a simple problem, and dont want to take to a nearest, ( 50 miles) shop. If anyone has any possible ideas on this, and can walk me through this, i would love to fix myself. Starting to think it possibble could be a fuse. it will run for a few sec when light is first turned on. thanks, JIM
call or text me at 412-780-5998 ( Pittsburgh, Pa.)
If things work for a few seconds, it is unlikely to be a fuse.
Maybe the motor has shorted out, draws too much current from the controller, and the controller is overloaded and quits?
Cheers, Gary
XM-5000Li, wired for cell voltage measuring and logging.
Seems like when i turni t on, it starts green, then orange, then red, then no light at all. Anyone else had this problem?
Jim 412-780-5998
lippyscollectables [at] juno.com
The three colored lights on the throttle indicate relative voltage from the pack. How quickly does it go from green to orange? Have you tried twisting the throttle when you have the green light? Does the motor start to turn?
You may have dead or uncharged batteries. Just because the charger has a LED lit, doesn't guarantee a fully charged battery pack. If you can measure each battery with a voltmeter it could be helpful. I'd also check EVERY electrical connection you possibly can.
If you have a regular 12V automotive-type charger that puts out no more than about 4 Amps, you could charge each battery separately to see if it makes a difference. Original batteries don't last long in Currie products. I killed a 36V pack in my Stealth in just a few months and was very careful about recharging after every time I ran it. The stock series-charger just hastens the process.
If the batteries prove to be okay, you may have a problem with the throttle or controller, or the motor.
But, I strongly suspect it is time for new batteries.
How do you like the gearbox drive? Did you ever get the sprockets aligned on your 500?
Yes, the only way to know for sure is to process of elimination. It could be battery, charger, controller or motor. My bet is on a bad battery or batteries. I would start by putting the scooter on a block and twisting the throttle. If the motor runs and sounds normal under this no load condition it is probably fine and it is time to check the batteries and charger as described above. Each battery tested separately and fully charged should read something over 12 volts on a voltmeter. 12v or under means a dead battery. If the motor is good and the batteries and charger are good then suspect the controller.
wow, thanks for your interest. No, i have not got old scooter running. I am no idiot, but cannot figure out why the sprockets do no line up. That is the main reason that i purchased my new scooter. And yes, i love new scooter with direct drive. I did take it apart, and disconnected a few electrical things, and got her 750 scooter running good again. If u could call me sometime, i could explain a few things. You can text me or call cell at 412-780-5998. Thanks again for your interest and help. the controller would come on, go right through colors, and then shut down. JIM
The problem now seems to be intermittant. Some days it will stay green after a charge, and other days it will go with lights blin=king then shutting off. when on green, throttle does turn wheel, with no problem. Have talked about getting a new controller. JIM
One easy thing to check if you have not done it, check the 40amp fuse.
"I did take it apart, and disconnected a few electrical things, and got her 750 scooter running good again."
What exactly did you disconnect? And then you re-connected them, right?
If the fuse was blown, everything would be dead. You'd have no lights at all. But there may be a loose connection (even between the fuse and the fuse holder - check it) that sometimes makes good and sometimes not. Have you checked ALL connections from the battery terminals (they may be soldered, so make sure they are not loose) all the way thru to the motor? Doesn't seem that the controller would give you intermittent results unless it had a loose connection internally. I suppose it could also be a bad switch? Have you tried flipping it on and off when you are having the problem?
Did you ever check the voltage of your batteries (individually) before AND after charge? Do you know if your charger is working properly every time? I think I would do a few more simple tests before I bought another controller.
Harlow
HI: scooter was running for a while, now started again. I disconnect battery from controoller, and it will seem to run for a while. then will eventually stop. I think battery is fully charged, and i did end up getting a new controller, but have not installed it yet. Seems like it was ok. I did check fuse, and it was goood. Seems like a very intermittent problem. If any one could give me a call with any suggestions, i would greaty appreciate, or can text me at 412-780-5998. I am going to try checking out the batt, but i honest do not think this is th eproblem. I do have the controller, whick i will eventually install. thanks, JIM
If batteries are the problem, where cani get the best batteries and also at best price? This is the 750 Dirct Drive Currie Scooter! thanks, JIM
You say
Do you have a volt meter? If you measure the voltage a) when it comes off the charger, b) when it poops out.. that will tell you a lot.
By "eventually stop" does the power poop out gradually? Quickly? Or does it simply shut off? Does it turn back on after it shuts off?
- David Herron, The Long Tail Pipe, davidherron.com, 7gen.com, What is Reiki
the scooter goes to red and shuts off at one time. I waited a while, and turned on swithch on again, and light now was green again.
When the light is green, how far can you ride?
If you're going to play with electric vehicles, you really need to get a Digital MultiMeter. It doesn't need to have the accuracy of a Fluke, anything is better than guessing. You can get a good-enough one at Harbor Freight for $8 or less.
It would be helpful if you could take some real measurements during those conditions of red-light, green-light. So far, we don't have enough information to help you make a decent diagnosis.
Since you have a new controller, why not just install it and see if it fixes your problem? If it doesn't, you'll have a spare controller, but still have an existing problem with the batteries, throttle, or wiring.
i really appreciate your help. just been so busy! I will eventually put the other controller in, but if i should need new batteries, can u let me know what i should buy, and whereis best price? This scooter is only about 6 months old, and have had another before this 500 schwinn that she had for two years, and never had a problem. iknonw there are different types of batteries to buy. thanks a gain, JIM if possbile, could text me at 412-780-5998 and i could also send pics. thanks
HI again! i bought the multi tester at Harbor freight, and now what should i do? where do i go about testing batteries? do i have to disconnect? or where do i connect tester? thanks, JIM
It will have come with a pair of test leads, red and black. Plug those into the holes on the multimeter.
At the end of the test leads are some metal prods.
To measure voltage first twist the dial on the front of the meter to the voltage range. It's likely there are a few voltage ranges it will measure such as 0-10v, 0-20v, 0-200v, ... set the meter to cover the range you're likely to see. This is a 24v battery pack so it's likely you'll see voltage up to 30v and therefore choose the voltage range that includes 30v. Then it's simply a matter of touching the red and black leads to places in the battery pack.
Each battery has a + and - connector, so touch one lead to the + and the other lead to the -.
In the pack the two batteries will be wired in series.. touch one lead to the positive-most end of the battery pack, touch the other lead to the negative-most end of the battery pack.
On the controller you'll see a pair of wires going to the battery pack .. another pair of wires going to the motor .. if you can, touch one lead to each of the motor wires and then twist the throttle.
Another thing a meter can do is measure whether a wire is broken or the resistance in a wire. You do that by twisting the dial to the ohm settings. The leads work differently when in ohm-testing mode. You touch one lead to one end of a wire, touch the other to the other end, then it tells you the amount of resistance between those leads. If it's a wire and the wire is not broken then it will read 0 ohms. You can test a switch using the ohm mode, touch the leads to different positions on the switch then flip the switch and watch how it changes.
You can test skin resistance by touching the leads to your skin. IIRC lie detectors use this as a basic principle.
Good luck exploring.
- David Herron, The Long Tail Pipe, davidherron.com, 7gen.com, What is Reiki
ok, as i said, i bought the voltmeter. i disconnected batteries, to the on off switch! there i tested the batteries at where the disconnect it self is. I put the red lead, in to where red wire was connected, and then black to black. i also put the mu;ltimeter where it was to read for a battery. when i turned it on, it was reading around 66-67? The batteries are two, Evdwring valve regulated lead acid Batteries, CB 12V 15 aH/ 20 HR, and measure about 6" long, 4" wide, and about 3 3/4 " tall. As i said, there are two of these. Does this seem to be the right reading? at this time, scooter is back running again, ( but actually have not ridden very far). thanks so much again, JIM
412-780-5998
66 volts is obviously not correct. Double-check your connections. The leads that plug into your DMM should be in the bottom two ports. The top (red) one is for testing Amps (DC) and is good only to 10A and must be connected in series. You want to put the red lead into the DMM in the middle port (red) and the black should be in the bottom port. Set the rotating dial to 200 DCV and try it again. You should see something around 24-28 volts if you are measuring both batteries in series. You can also touch the DMM leads to the terminals on just one battery. You will need to rotate the dial to the 20 DCV setting to measure one battery.
OK: Took the batteries to store, and had both checked out! Both batteries were good the man said. I also replaced the controller. Finding out, the controller was not the problem also. Talked to woman from Super Kids, and we did some trouble shooting. Now it seems like the problem is around the fuse? It seems like when i jiggle wires, the green light will come back on, and scooter running again. Have pulled fuse out numerous times, but have not replaced. Fuse did not really look bad. Next move is to replace fuse, along with fuse holder if i can get it. Just was wondering if i could do away with fuse all together, and just connect wires without a fuse? please get backwith me with any suggestions. thanks, JIM
cell 412-780-5998
It's never a good idea to eliminate the fuse. Try putting in a new fuse, and if you have the same problem, it's likely a bad connection within the existing fuse holder. You can get a replacement fuse holder at many online scooter parts stores.
i finally decided that i would go get a fuse and try it as last resort. It originally did not look bad to me, but after looking closer, i did see a crack in the plastic, along with one side of fuse a little bit foggy. I bought a few extra also at .50 cents a piece. The man at auto parts even said he thought the fuse may be bad. I replaced the fuse, and so far so good. Rode it today for a while, and nothing happend. Scooter ran fine. I was under the impression, that if the fuse would be bad, the scooter would not of run at all. I know now, should of changed the fuse before doing anything else! ( I also have a new wiring harness coming that will be sent while scooter is still under the warranty! Now that is a new controller, new wiring harness, new voltage tester, and also the new fuses). Want to thank you e-doggie especially, and also everyone else that donated any info to me. I would really love to help someone also down the road trouble shoot any similar problems. Kinda gettin good at this, and starting to feel like a mechanic on a lower scale! thanks everyone, JIM
"I was under the impression, that if the fuse would be bad, the scooter would not of run at all."
That's true if the fuse was blown (melted in half from excessive amperage/heat), which should be easily visible.
Glad that you now seem to have a working scooter and the beginning of your "spares" inventory.
Thanks for sharing your results. Good lesson for us all about blade fuses!
I just bought a brand new sealed in the box scooter that sat in a guys garage for a few years schwinn s500 scooter but found the batteries were stone cold dead and will not take a charge. So I used my old batteries from my old 500s scooter.
As soon as I get the scooter rolling down the road it just cuts out and as soon as I turn it of and on again it takes off fast and than dies again.
The charger says the batteries are charged? The reason I got this scooter is my last one was doing the same thing.
I also had a razor 300 scooter that did the same thing. I changed out the controller,fuse,brake switch and even the motor. Finally I tossed the thing in the trash. Now I am on my second Schwinn with the same problem.
Any Ideas? I am going to buy new batteries tomorrow.
Chargers will sometime show green if the battery will not accept a charge. With Lion batteries, we refer to it as sleep mode. Let it sit on the charger (showing green) for a few hours and see if they wake up. Even though yours is SLA and there is no battery management system, I have had occasional luck doing the same with your kind of pack. Simple voltage tests will NOT indicate how your batteries will perform in use, make sure the battery shop tests each 12v battery at 3 times the rating for the deep cycle batteries used on your scooter. Have your local shop test em and then buy em from them if needed. Sometimes you have one or two perfectly good units in your string-especially if it is a fairly new pack. By the time you pay for shipping you will probably find that the local store is actually cheaper and you helped keep your neighbor in business. If you want to do it yourself, buy a cheap $60 carbon pile load tester from Harbor Freight or similar and test your starting type batteries as well. If you're near Detroit, come in to my shop and we'll test 'em for free. Hope this helps,
JTH/Amp Brothers Electric Cycles/MI
New batteries solved the problem. Thanks for the help!