Clutch working backwards after planetary gear assembly swap.

[bram]

Ok, I replaced the gear assembly of my 10 year rear hub motor, from the eWind Classic eBike.
Unfortunately, the motor is unbranded, and has HLGE2 printed on it.

Now the clutch works reversed... so if I apply throttle the motor spins fast, but the wheel does nothing.

I naively thought I would fix the spin direction, and used the controller wires to reverse motor direction.

To my astonishment, it can then indeed spin the wheel (plus pedals), but it does so in the wrong direction!

This leads me to believe that the motor was spinning in the correct direction, initially, but the clutch somehow works backwards?

I did notice that the replacement clutch had thicker gears (same diameter, same tooth count.)
I did not swap axis direction, and did not swap clutch orientation. I am pretty sure I put everything in, how it was supposed to go in.

My question: Do gear assemblies come in different setups w.r.t. clutch direction? See below: LEFT the new one with thick gears, RIGHT the original with thinner gears.

NOTE: I think my eBike is an odd one out, as all the youtube videos show motor cable at the side of the sprockets. My motor cable is at the side of the brake disk.

 

[Chalo]

You, or whoever installed the clutch, put it in backwards.

 

[bram]

You, or whoever installed the clutch, put it in backwards.

Thanks, but the clutches (original and replacement) are actually different: the plate is reversed between them.

I cannot reverse it and mount the gears on the other side though, because it has a raised surface on one side.

Unfortunately, all the clutches on aliexpress, amazon are all reversed to what my hub motor has

I have a freak hub motor that is mirrored that needs a special clutch, it turns out. Ugh... I guess I have to replace the whole motor and probably wheel as well, if I don't want to lace it.

 

[Nixunen]

Yes, there is both ways working clutches so you need to be sure to order right one. Example bafang G062 clutch work different direction than bafang G060 motor clutch. How do i know. I made same mistake

 

[amberwolf]

Another factor about which way the clutch faces is how the planet gears line up with the ring gear on the hub casing.

If your ring gear is mounted more towards the center of the hub casing, the planets need to be there, too, *or* if the ring gear is not machined as part of the casing, you may be able to move it more toward the edge of the casing to line up with the planets when the clutch is flipped the other way.

If there is no way to flip the whole assembly to have it line up right, you could see if the clutch itself can have the "pins" for the planets pushed out and then pressed back in from the other side. Then you can flip the whole assembly, and have it spin right.

If it cant' be done that way because of a design limitation of the axle or of the clutch itself, or the housing of the casing...then there's no simple answer I can give to fixing it without close examination of the available parts (and possibly not then).

 

[TuomasK]

Ok, I replaced the gear assembly of my 10 year rear hub motor, from the eWind Classic eBike.
Unfortunately, the motor is unbranded, and has HLGE2 printed on it.

Now the clutch works reversed... so if I apply throttle the motor spins fast, but the wheel does nothing.

I naively thought I would fix the spin direction, and used the controller wires to reverse motor direction.

To my astonishment, it can then indeed spin the wheel (plus pedals), but it does so in the wrong direction!

This leads me to believe that the motor was spinning in the correct direction, initially, but the clutch somehow works backwards?

I did notice that the replacement clutch had thicker gears (same diameter, same tooth count.)
I did not swap axis direction, and did not swap clutch orientation. I am pretty sure I put everything in, how it was supposed to go in.

My question: Do gear assemblies come in different setups w.r.t. clutch direction? See below: LEFT the new one with thick gears, RIGHT the original with thinner gears.

NOTE: I think my eBike is an odd one out, as all the youtube videos show motor cable at the side of the sprockets. My motor cable is at the side of the brake disk.

View attachment 336982View attachment 336980

Yes. There are clutches that turn different way. You can weld the locking Ring to The clutch body if you like. Practically without any added resistance.

 

[bram]

I put the new nylon gears on my old (mirrored) clutch. I did have to sand them a little, as the new gears were thicker.

The horrible noise remains, so it was not the gears nor the gear bearings. Maybe the main axle bearing or the clutch.

I think I need to replace the whole motor instead.