About a year after getting the battery cells of my electric bicycle changed in winter 2024, it starts turning off when I drive over uneven terrain.

I thought it was a fitting issue, because the rubber seal had got loose... Nope. One connector is basically falling to pieces.

Battery is a TranzX PST BL15. Bicycle is from 2018.

Please don't tell me this is the end of the road (ಥ﹏ಥ)

@bikewrench
#biking #repairability #rightToRepair #fællesHjerne

Closeup of an e-bike battery's connectors. One of then is... not great, the metal breaking and degraded.

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[–] 10 points 3 days ago (3 children)

This should be a simple repair is you're a DIY kind of person. If you're not experienced with electronics, specifically Li-ion batteries and the corollary precautions, get yourself all learne up first.

I suggest looking at iFixit, they may even have a guide for TranzX batteries. Your next resource would be Grin Technologies (https://ebikes.ca/).

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  • [–] [S] 4 points 2 days ago (2 children)

    @JayleneSlide I am a DIY kind of person, but have never dabbled in soldering or electronics.

    I checked iFixit as soon as the issue started but couldn't find anything helpful. German is rusty (nonexistent) though.

    I'll have a look at Grin Technologies. Thanks!

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  • [–] 2 points 2 days ago (1 child)

    Okay, since you're a DIYer, check out some tool battery teardown videos. Those are basically the same as bicycle batteries but on a smaller scale. If anything, bike batteries will generally be easier to work on because they tend to be screwed together rather than glued. Safety with high current will the key factor you want to learn, e.g. use non-conductive tools as appropriate. Regarding that damaged clip, my first instinct is that it should be a simple replacement. Should be a matter of soldering in a replacement connector and securing it in the slot. Make sure the battery receiver is in good shape, i.e. if the mount on the bike is damaged, this will just happen again.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 2 days ago

    @JayleneSlide Time to get some education! Thanks for the tips.

    I looked at the controller's pins and they seem fine, but I'll clean them just in case.

    I honestly think the shop that changed the cells did a shoddy job and I'm now paying the price. I found out three of the pins to close the battery are completely broken, so hopefully this doesn't mean the inside got corrosion too.

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  • Odd corrosion for what I assume is copper? Could be that it got splashed with something acidic, but if I were a guessing guy it's from a loose/improper grounding connection to the terminal. Loose grounding increases resistance and will start to cause aggressive pitting on the terminal.

    Depending on the battery company, a loose grounding wire may be covered under warranty. A battery meant for transportation should be expected to hold up to vibrations and activity that normally knocks wiring around.

    If not replacing a terminal should be pretty easy even if you have to make one yourself, but make sure to look up a diagram of the battery and make sure you wired it correctly.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 days ago

    maybe there is a loose connection? You could take it apart and look with a multimeter if everything is connected at the battery cells? I am german and there is actually a forum: pedelecforum.de where a bunch of people have a problem but i did not found something related to yours. Maybe you can specify your problem more then I can search once more, but first i would take a look if there is a loose connection.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 days ago

    this is just my local shop example part: https://ebikes.ca/ebike-parts/battery-stuff/battery-accessories/con-dt-5pin.html

    you will probably want to find whatever shop it most convenient for you, and get the piece with the same number of contacts.

    you might also be able to bridge unused pins on the battery and battery receiver. I wired mine which is 6 pin to be 3 + and 3 - to not have this failure from just one pin damage. Most I have disassembled the extra pins are not connected and it just uses the outer two as single + and -.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 days ago (1 child)

    It could be corrosion, but none of the nearby contacts are affected. If the battery got splashed, odds are the other contacts may have also gotten some. But they all look ok. Given how extreme it is, I'd consider arcing, which could involve bad grounding or shorting somewhere. It's hard to see if the plastic around it has been damaged or not. If yes, then it's definitely some sort of spark.

    Replacing the contact should be fairly easy if you can get the part. But you might want to go upstream and check the individual cells and contacts. Many of these batteries are clusters of 18650 cells. Easy to swap out. If there is any sign of damage to the internal battery contacts, then you might want to replace the contacts AND the cells.

    Simple soldering ($20 soldering pen and material) and a wire brush. $30 multimeter to check for continuity and voltage/current levels.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

    @fubarx It is very odd. The shop that changed the battery cells told me the pins needed some cleaning "particularly one side", and they cleaned them themselves. Then weird connection and acceleration issues started happening, but on their website they warn this can occur sometimes.

    Anyway. Sorry for the rant. The plastic is perfectly fine and so is the controller the connector fits in (or at least, I believe it is with the training I have). Haven't fully opened it, though.

    Have been wanting to learn soldering for months so I believe I now have the best excuse possible.

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  • [–] 0 points 2 days ago (2 children)

    My buddy had to replace the contacts on his battery and ebike this past spring after he absolutely ruined his contacts with snow and gunk. He was able to make due initially with dielectric grease and a contact cleaning but eventually he jiggled too hard on a bump and sparked the contacts. Let me ask if he repaired his battery or replaced it. He had a stock Aventon Level 2 battery from 202...1?

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  • [–] [S] 0 points 2 days ago (1 child)

    @assaultpotato Thanks for your reply!

    I haven't cycled with snow that much because I got a front wheel engine and it's got too much power to control in those conditions. But I have definitely dealt with gunk! It is just so strange that it is only *that* connector. It may be a "feck you in particular" kind of situation.

    After fitting the rubber seal, the battery works again, but seeing the state of that connector, I'm worried the shaking will cause more damage.

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  • So in his case he ended up replacing the battery because he couldn't source a replacement part he needed, but he's still got the old battery in case he can get his hands on replacement contacts. Sounds like he wouldn't recommend the grease approach, it did buy him some time but also caused a worse problem later via the arcing. He also said he did maintenance on the battery lock/latch to get it to jiggle less.

    Sorry for not having more specifics!

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