PowerTap problem/suggestions

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

I've had a PT for several years now. Wireless Ant+ SL unit. Over the years, I have sent the unit back 3 times to Saris for repairs, all of which they have done for free beyond my wildest expectations and satisfaction. Every time has been the same problem: The unit dies after being caught in the rain. Every time they replaced all the internal electronics and re-sealed the hub everywhere you could, but the next time it is the same issue. The last time it happened, they gave me the option of either replacing the internal and re-sealing for free or buying a new hub at a reduced cost. I opted for the free option and to never ride in the rain again if I could help it. I live in South FL where it could be clear and sunny one minute and 30 min later there is torrential rain out of nowhere, which is what happened today. Forecast is useless. Needless to say, 10 min into the rain, I look down and my PT is dead. When I got home, I took the cap off and took out the battery tray to see if there was visible water (nothing beyond a drop or two. Dried them with a paper towel and left the hub open in front of a fan for a while hoping it will dry out anything there is.

Does anyone have any suggestion as to what to do with this freaking thing to soak up any water there may be inside the hub?? I suspect I am left now with one expensive and heavy hub/wheel if I cannot get it to work somehow. :noidea: :x :x :noidea:

fio
in the industry
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Location: Madison, WI

by fio

Hi,

I'm one of the PowerTap techs. Shoot me an email or give me a call tomorrow. I'll PM you my details.

Regards,
Michael

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Rick
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by Rick

I design things that need to be really well sealed for a living. The powertap is a pretty "marginal" design....more like "spash resistant" than waterproof. I put some heavy marine grease over all the likely entry points and that seems to help.

To the Powerap tech: If the designers at Powertap would just read the "Parker O-ring and Seal design handbook"....it really works. :)

TopQuark
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Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 12:03 am

by TopQuark

Rick wrote:To the Powerap tech: If the designers at Powertap would just read the "Parker O-ring and Seal design handbook"....it really works. :)


Is it any different in the G3 design?

Butcher
Shop Owner
Posts: 1924
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 4:58 am

by Butcher

I had my fair share of Power Tap issues [SL+] and the service dept. was top notch. Mine was with bearings. We had our discussions about them and they insisted their design was top notch. Needless to say, bearings should last longer than a couple hundred miles. They eventually replaced the entire hub. I have had little issues since then.

My biggest issue was the cost of getting the wheel to them for service and because of that, I would think twice about purchasing another Powertap product. I probably spent enough money to purchase two Powertaps with all the additional expenses I ran into for shipping and wheel building.

The wheel was sent back 4 times [one time overnight]. The hub was replaced once, so the wheel was disassembled to send it back. That hub lasted just over a year before the unit failed giving me faulty power numbers, which was my fifth time sending the wheel back.

As mentioned, the Service Dept was top notch, I just wish they were in Seattle where I would have delivered it to them. If it was not for their professionalism, I would be very upset.
Last edited by Butcher on Fri Sep 20, 2013 3:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

fio
in the industry
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Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:34 pm
Location: Madison, WI

by fio

Rick wrote:I design things that need to be really well sealed for a living. The powertap is a pretty "marginal" design....more like "spash resistant" than waterproof. I put some heavy marine grease over all the likely entry points and that seems to help.

To the Powerap tech: If the designers at Powertap would just read the "Parker O-ring and Seal design handbook"....it really works. :)


Our only model currently available is the G3, and it has a completely different design. It's sealed much differently than the old stuff.

Compare:

SL+:
Image

G3:
Image

Butcher wrote:I had my fair share of Power Tap issues [SL+] and the service dept. was top notch. Mine was with bearings. We had our discussions about them and they insisted their design was top notch. Needless to say, bearings should last longer than a couple hundred miles. They eventually replaced the entire hub. I have had little issues since then.

My biggest issue was the cost of getting the wheel to them for service and because of that, I would think twice about purchasing another Powertap product. I probably spent enough money to purchase two Powertaps with all the additional expenses I ran into for shipping and wheel building.


Yes, we have had issues with the bearings in the past. A couple hundred miles is not typical for our old bearings though. Currently we spec Enduro's Stainless Steel bearings rated at Abec 5 and they are indeed much, much better than the old ones.

As for the shipping, it really shouldn't cost that much. I've seen some people go overboard with the insurance on the wheels (not saying you did), but typically when I've shipped wheels on my own accord it hasn't broken the bank. Also, just for reference, we don't require disassembling the wheel for service either. Sending the whole wheel is completely fine.

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Rick
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by Rick

TopQuark wrote:
Rick wrote:To the Powerap tech: If the designers at Powertap would just read the "Parker O-ring and Seal design handbook"....it really works. :)


Is it any different in the G3 design?

To be fair, I should have mentioned that have the SL+. I don't know about the G3.
Overall, I have really been very happy with my Powertap SL+. But I have replaced the Left side outermost bearing 3 times myself, when it really got noticeably rough. I suspect that it is just undersized, combined with inadequate sealing.
I have found moisture inside the electronics housing cap when it stopped working for a while, but it worked again when I dried it, cleaned everything, and reassembled.
I don't know the design changes of the G3.

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dgasmd
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Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

Well, I guess I have no idea how this post took the wrong turn. I didn't intend for this thread to be a complaining session about the design features or shortcomings of a power tap. All I wanted to know was some suggestions on how to dry out my unit and get it to work again.

Like I said in the original post, I have been more than happy and satisfied with their customer service and the repairs they have provided in the past. They have gone well beyond my expectations of the warranty even after a time when it was no longer covered.

What I need some suggestions on is how to dry out the unit internally so that the components I cannot see by taking the cap off get dried.

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showdown
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by showdown

I've gone through 5 PT hubs over the many years... almost all of them failed at some point due to water infiltration.

I commute and ride every day even in winter and even in snow sleet rain etc... I do abuse my PT's more than most and up until recently they've all failed.

Last winter a PT hub failed and again I sent it into Saris and given my well-documented history they opted to replace my hub for free. I should mention that no other company I've ever dealt with has been so cooperative and responsive with regards to warranty and other equipment issues. I cannot express how great they are. I received a new hub- not a G3 but the last version of the old hub but with all the electronics in the cap. To this day, having rode in brutal conditions all winter and spring the hub is working great... no problems. The new designs are radically better.

If you do get stuck in the rain- get out as quickly as you can and remove the battery holster with battery as soon as possible. If the internals get wet you run the risk of shorting the electronics and then the hub is shot. If you can get the battery holster out and keep the electricity away from the delicate internals you have a pretty good chance of making it through A-Ok. It's a bummer but consider riding with the hub removing tool if you think it's likely to rain...

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MattSoutherden
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Location: London

by MattSoutherden

Odd - I've got 2 PTs, and SL+ and an Elite. Both of them have been through severe soakings, especially the Elite which is ridden day in day out on my commuter bike through all weathers. I've been through more lights than I care to remember, but never had a problem with the PTs - touch wood!
Snacking on carrot sticks - Where did it all go so wrong?
-
Finsbury Park CC

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

Sorry I never updated the thread. Turns out that after removing the battery pack and letting dry in front of a fan for day did the trick. Came back to life the next day. Saris was again more than I expected in terms of offerings to fix/replace, but I thought it was unnecessary in the end as it works again.

Now I'm having 2 different/new problems altogether LOL......

Point 1
-Turns out there is a "calibrate function button" on the Garmin 705. It does give you a number, so I don't know what that means. It does say successful calibration though. Should the number still be between 500 and 524? Mine was like 420 I think. I guess the big question is, what do I do with it if it is indeed out of calibration?

Point 2
I think the bearings in the hub are not only dead, but I think they died several times over. The grinding noise coming out of them is unreal. Every time the wheel turns around, there is a grinding noise in addition to a noise that sounds like balls dropping back at every turn. I've always read a lot about how these bearing don't last long and such, but I never have had issues with them in the past. Part of it may be due to Saris replacing them every time the hub has been going back for internal repairs/replacement. In any case, how do I replace them and where do I get them? Links to a source would be fantastic.

Thanks again!!

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Rick
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Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:30 pm

by Rick

There is a youtube video on replacing powertap bearings. It is very easy.
In fact, usually only the outer non-drive-side bearing goes bad. It is smaller and more exposed. I have replaced that one 3 times now, while the others remain smooth.

(Mine is the SL+)

Copied and reposted from a prior thread on the subject:J
ust for the record: I replaced the both hub body bearings in my SL+
It was quite easy.

The Outer Non-drive-side bearing is a 6802. It was the only one that was really "bad". I knocked it out and pressed in a new one using the technique shown in the youtube video. It was a little harder to knock out than shown in the video. I had to hit it pretty hard before it moved at all, but then it popped right out.

I also replaced the drive-side bearing. It is a 6902. Just turn the axle around and knock it out the same way you knock out the non-drive side. When it came time to press the new bearing in, I had to futz around quite a bit with the axle, freehub, and a few different sizes of sockets to get the right combination of diameters and lengths to pull the bearing into place, using a similar technique as was used on the non-drive side (and was shown in the video). I don't think I can describe exactly how I ended up doing it because it was all trial and error (mostly error).
In both cases, I used the old bearing as the "pressing mandrel" to press against the new bearing when driving it into place.

In the end, it all went together quite easily though.

I didn't replace the bearings in the freehub, because they still feel very smooth. I did buy the two more 6902 bearings just in case I need to in the future.

I got all the bearings from neuvation cycling. I have some of their hubs, and the bearings on those have remained glassy smooth for years, so I figured they carry good bearings. The 6802 actually came in an "enduro bearings" box.

Afterwards, the powertap works fine, calibrates the same, and the wheel spins with glassy perfection.

Butcher
Shop Owner
Posts: 1924
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 4:58 am

by Butcher

I too have a 705 and shortly after the calibration was out of range, I was generating a bunch of power. Matter of fact, I could generate power even while coasting.

I suggest to send it back to Saris so they can do it all over again. Don't waste your time/money on bearings because they may give you issues about repairing it.

Either way, Saris knows how to give great customer service, but maybe because they have a lot of practice with it.

eric
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by eric

I've had an old SL (12mm axle) which was upgraded to ANT+. It's been built six times- for many years I used it all the time. The last couple years since I got a Quark it's been on the rain bike. I've sent it in to Saris twice and replaced bearings myself a few times. I even bent an axle! But it's never had problems in the rain. I think it's because I grease the O-rings on the electronics cover.

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

Thanks again for all the suggestions and comments. It's going to have to go back to saris for the calibration, so they'll do it all in one sitting. I will get some marine grease to use in the o-ring, so maybe that will help some in the future.

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