Dorf Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 Hi everyone, A few days ago, I tried to go through a thunderstorm on my INMOTION V10F. The rain was very heavy and it hailed a lot. After 15min of riding, my EUC emitted bips then tilted back for 5secs then stopped running. I haven't been able to start it again by now. I tried powering it up and it just doesn't work anymore. I don't really know what I should do, what would you guys advise ? Should I try to open it up and see if there's any damage to the battery ? Should I try to plug it ? Should I send it back to INMOTION (although I don't think they'd accept it) ? Thanks 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Scottie888 Posted May 12, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted May 12, 2021 Hi there, sorry to hear about your unfortunate misadventure. Yes I'd open it up if it were me. Then go to town with a multimeter checking continuity on switches, wires & connections. Check the mobo for any type of burning, browning & any general discoloration. Pull the battery pack & do a detailed inspection for water ingress & other damage. Besides wiping & cleaning moisture & dirt, ensure you destatic yourself before touching/removing the mobo & other electronics. Hint: Before pulling any wires, take as many pics as you wish, tag corresponding connectors/connections & documenting as much as possible. Trust me, it'll be a big help when it comes time to reassemble & hopefully eliminate 'o shit' moments. Personally, I've no experience with IM wheels so hopefully others much more knowledgeable than me will chime in to assist you. O & welcome to the forum. PS: if you've no experience doing elec diagnosis, YT can be a wonderful resource & teaching tool. Also if you're really afraid of getting your hands dirty, a wheel is actually a very simple device & it would not surprise me that an elec repair shop can do a lot as well. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post supercurio Posted May 12, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted May 12, 2021 Hello @Dorf! Some of the symptoms you describe are consistent with water in the power button. The tiltback after a few seconds being turned on specifically is a safety mechanism to indicate that the power button keeps being pressed, which is not a normal condition. You could try to wait until the power button dried up, possibly helping it gently with locally applied heat. I would give it a few days before starting to open up the wheel for more diagnosis. The reason being it's easy to crack the outer shells when prying them off (I did with one). Once the wheel opened up however it's pretty easy to work with. Some of the issues can be fixed by simply unplugging the battery and plugging it back. Rain, even heavy or hail are unlikely to damage the V10F. You would have to be unlucky with misaligned seals, or putting the wheel on its side when still soaked. I'd remain optimistic. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..... Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 Sorry couldnt resist! Put is somewhere safe, put a fan on it and run a dehumidifier if its wet where you live. No harm in letting it dry out for a day. You could also lay it in the sun for small periods of time, just to help dry it. Definitely not a bad idea before having to open a wheel for the first time. If you're not handy with tools and plastics, perhaps find someone who is. Euc's arent complex, and people who are good at fixing stuff, may find it less than daunting. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorf Posted May 12, 2021 Author Share Posted May 12, 2021 Thanks for your help guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriull Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 10 hours ago, Dorf said: don't really know what I should do, what would you guys advise ? One should definitely ensure that the battery is in good condition - which means more or less that there was _no_ water ingress. 10 hours ago, Scottie888 said: if you've no experience doing elec diagnosis Then one should not mess with the battery but let it repair or replace it! (Sorry for the disruptive and unfair quoting, @Scottie888) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorf Posted May 13, 2021 Author Share Posted May 13, 2021 UPDATE : After a few days of drying, my wheel is starting again. I'll still keep it inside for a few days before trying it again with caution. As @supercuriosaid, it was probably just a problem about the power button. Thank you very much for your help guys ! See you on the road. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Please be really really careful with potential water damage to the batteries. Store your wheel where the damage would be limited if it went up in flames suddenly, which can happen days or months later. Extremely rare, but it did happen. 99.99% likely it was just the power button. But there's no guarantee. Personally, in such a case, I'd consider renting a dehumidifier and drying the wheel in bone dry air for a few days. Why not If only for peace of mind. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercurio Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 4 hours ago, Dorf said: UPDATE : After a few days of drying, my wheel is starting again. I'll still keep it inside for a few days before trying it again with caution. As @supercuriosaid, it was probably just a problem about the power button. Thank you very much for your help guys ! See you on the road. Happy to hear the good news. @meepmeepmayer's advices are wise tho, if you can implement some of his suggestions. By the way when water got in my V10F power button, the wheel turned on randomly, and then titled tilted itself back which lead to some unpredictable movement fortunately caught before the wheel would spin around indoor, around furniture. After that I left the wheel on its side to prevent this. (I knew there was no water left to go to the wrong places at the time) It might also happen you your wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantraguy Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 It's probably worth opening up and having a very good look at the battery packs. I'd remove the heat shrink and check for any rust on the cell tabs or ends of any cells. If any of the cell tabs rust through and lose contact, you could have some expensive problems on your hands (even besides the risk of fire etc.). Just be careful and don't touch any terminals with anything metal, to be safe. Replacement heat-shrink is really cheap and easy to install; it's worth having a really close look inside. Trust me, you do not want any problems with battery cells. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camenbert Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 You can always blow compress air at the gas-station on switches with one of these, then flood with WD40. Switches have hard time drying by them-self, moisture might corrode the contacts so better remove it quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camenbert Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 (edited) 8 hours ago, Mantraguy said: I'd remove the heat shrink and check for any rust on the cell tabs or ends of any cells. Exactly not. On a 2020 MCM5 battery pack, you can see a lot of white silicone paste where the cable exit the heat shrink, to waterproof the pack. Removing the waterproofing for what? There is no warranty someone will rebuilt the waterproof protection as good as done in the factory. At best it's not an advise for everyone, long term it's most-likely worst than a visual check. And this is GOTWAY!! I imagine Inmotion even more careful about it. Edited May 15, 2021 by Camenbert 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercurio Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 2 hours ago, Camenbert said: Exactly not. Same opinion as @Camenbert: since the context, symptoms and outcome are consistent with water getting in the power button, opening the pack is an unnecessary, costly and possibly destructive process. It's like if you had elevated heart rate for a few days because of a cold, and a few days after recovering a doctor was suggest to open your chest to check if everything looks normal inside your heart That might be wise if the pack was submerged under water and showed signs of leakage, but not in this scenario. Good point on pushing the water out quickly @Camenbert, I wish I thought of that when it happened to me. Everything works well a few months later tho fortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantraguy Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 5 hours ago, Camenbert said: Exactly not. On a 2020 MCM5 battery pack, you can see a lot of white silicone paste where the cable exit the heat shrink, to waterproof the pack. Removing the waterproofing for what? There is no warranty someone will rebuilt the waterproof protection as good as done in the factory. At best it's not an advise for everyone, long term it's most-likely worst than a visual check. And this is GOTWAY!! I imagine Inmotion even more careful about it. That's reasonable then - my battery packs had no sealant of any kind, so any moisture that made it past the heat shrink would be stuck there, corroding the terminals. It sounds like you have much better battery waterproofing than I did! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camenbert Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 1 hour ago, Mantraguy said: It sounds like you have much better battery waterproofing than I did! I did nothing about waterproofing, this is how the wheel come in 2020. But I agree that moisture problems should be a good enough reason to take a look inside. At least it will dry faster that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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