Motor phase wires insulation falling off

[bikefan1]

Hi.

I noticed that insulation of the wires to the motor has cracks in it and is falling off (pictures attached). Why is that happening is it because of heat, the motor has always been very cool and cable as well.

Has anyone had the same problem? Should I replace it with thicker wire? Though there is not much space.
Maybe I should order from the manufacturer a replacement cable (conhis motor).

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[dogman dan]

It could be sun damage to the plastic. Put some heat shrink over the damaged insulation, then some more shrink or tape to keep sun off the colored wires.

If you just stripped that, then it's good ol china quality on the yellow. It should be very stiff, but not completely stiff so it cracks. If it's like that the whole length, then look hard at the quality of the other strands insulation. If any other color cracks, then you get shorts.

I doubt it's heat causing it, even if you can feel the wires get very warm. More likely where you are, cold is the culprit. Surely its a bit chilly there right now.

Cold and plastic can be interesting. I once climbed a very tall mountain, and got out a PVC plastic poncho, to make enough shelter to roll a joint to smoke on top. When I opened up the poncho, it shattered into pieces the size of a postage stamp and blew away.

 

[nutnspecial]

I noticed the same, but inside my motor housing- so it doesn't necessarilly have to be uv. It was worse where they had bends in it, and I mostly attributed it to heat since I run the mid bht motor hard. I just taped them since in the motor it's a bigger 'to-do' to properly reinsulate.
When doing my winter teardown/maintanence I plan to see how they faired. Even though my phases are likely undersized (@~12 ga for 200-300 ph a), I'd only worry about better insulation and not the sizing.

 

[izeman]

could be heat as well. or just cheap wire insulation the lost all the softener.

 

[bikefan1]

It could be sun damage to the plastic. Put some heat shrink over the damaged insulation, then some more shrink or tape to keep sun off the colored wires.

If you just stripped that, then it's good ol china quality on the yellow. It should be very stiff, but not completely stiff so it cracks. If it's like that the whole length, then look hard at the quality of the other strands insulation. If any other color cracks, then you get shorts.

I doubt it's heat causing it, even if you can feel the wires get very warm. More likely where you are, cold is the culprit. Surely its a bit chilly there right now.

Cold and plastic can be interesting. I once climbed a very tall mountain, and got out a PVC plastic poncho, to make enough shelter to roll a joint to smoke on top. When I opened up the poncho, it shattered into pieces the size of a postage stamp and blew away.

First I thought it was just the stripped part of the yellow/blue wire that was cracking but then I stripped some more of the cable shield and then it seems to be under there too. It can be a nasty surprise if it starts shorting inside the cable.

Cold definitely makes it more stiff but to the point that is will crack like that i don't know the bike is stored in dry storage and semi heated (does not go below 0°C).

I'm thinking of ordering from conhis-motor new cable. I have contacted them and they have a replacement which also is thicker cable 2.0 mm2 (1.5 mm2 is the current cable) which fits inside the axle they say. Since I'm using 50A Kelly controller.

 

[miro13car]

another example of China technology.
It remainds me of my job years back when we refurbished China brand paper cutters, one of the first thing - non-rated China crap wires had to be replaced.
Imagine el. wire with nothing printed on it ???
certainly you cannot beat the price of that wire for 1 foot.

 

[dogman dan]

Maybe look for some better quality Teflon insulated wire. you have some china cheap stuff now.

 

[skeetab5780]

Wires look big enough, id just slide heat shrink over each phase after peeling the black cable jacket part back a bit, do two tubes of shrink if its the thin stuff without weather sealing

 

[bikefan1]

Yeah they are definitely cheap.
My concern is if they are cracked also inside the cable shielding. I'm gonna peel back more of the cable and see how the insulation is holding up on the phase wires. The cable is too long anyway.

 

[skeetab5780]

Yeah they are definitely cheap.
My concern is if they are cracked also inside the cable shielding. I'm gonna peel back more of the cable and see how the insulation is holding up on the phase wires. The cable is too long anyway.

check it, its more likely that the insulation is fine under the black sheathing/cable portion. The exposed wiring could be cracked for numerous reasons