Wahoo Silent Kickr/Kickr Core Faults

[theboxers]

Well so far so good. Everything is back together. I have test ridden up to about 25mph with no vibration 🤞.

I'll be keeping an eye on it to see if they start shaking again.

Back to riding on the 2018.

 

[CXRAndy]

Congratulations Boxer's on getting it apart, and running good again.

Yes the brown dust is the fretting corrosion of the bearing eating the shaft.

Are both bearings tight to fit into the frame? Is there much damage to the shaft? Did you apply loctite to the pulley again?

 

[theboxers]

Congratulations Boxer's on getting it apart, and running good again.

Thanks. It's a bit of a job without the correct tools.

Yes the brown dust is the fretting corrosion of the bearing eating the shaft.

Oh crap.

Are both bearings tight to fit into the frame? Is there much damage to the shaft? Did you apply loctite to the pulley again?

Neither bearing would fit by hand when at room temp. I stuck both in the freezer for 30 minutes and they went in with little resistance. I left the installation tool in place for half an hour to make sure they didn't move whilst they came back up to temp.

The shaft didn't feel pitted or have a step at the end by the flywheel. It was discoloured though. Hopefully it's not badly damaged.

I applied loctite to the key but not the pulley. It was quite tight to put on so I left it.

Hoping that what I've done is enough to fix the problem permanently. If not I'll try another set of bearings if/when these fail. Now I have done it once next time should only take 30 minutes or so.

 

[CXRAndy]

I noticed that the shaft didn't look too bad apart from the rust discoloration. Hopefully given the amount of time before bearing issue, it is just bearings. Did you reduce belt tension?

 

[theboxers]

I noticed that the shaft didn't look too bad apart from the rust discoloration. Hopefully given the amount of time before bearing issue, it is just bearings. Did you reduce belt tension?

No. Should I?

I marked the bolt position so I can back it off some. What I did notice is the tensioning screw is bent.

 

[CXRAndy]

No. Should I?

I marked the bolt position so I can back it off some. What I did notice is the tensioning screw is bent.

Its whether the tension Wahoo had set at the factory is too high. I remember the belt on mine was like a taut guitar string, the bearing noise was less with a slacker belt

. Maybe a little experiment by relaxing the tension to the point where the belt just slips then dial in a little bit to stop slipping.

There is probably no harm in trying. Something must be wrong, else why are these bearings failing.

Now you know how to dismantle and bearings are cheap If the slacker belt tension doesn't help extend bearing life you can return tension to original

 

[theboxers]

Its whether the tension Wahoo had set at the factory is too high. I remember the belt on mine was like a taut guitar string, the bearing noise was less with a slacker belt

. Maybe a little experiment by relaxing the tension to the point where the belt just slips then dial in a little bit to stop slipping.

There is probably no harm in trying. Something must be wrong, else why are these bearings failing.

Now you know how to dismantle and bearings are cheap If the slacker belt tension doesn't help extend bearing life you can return tension to original

I'll give it some adjustment tomorrow and go from there. Thanks for the help

 

[theboxers]

@CXRAndy I've slackened the belt and it's not slipping. Seems no different performance wise.

Quick question. Would some locktite on the shaft at the flywheel end help reduce the fretting corrosion/looseness? Or is locking the inner bearing surface to the shaft bad idea?

 

[CXRAndy]

There is a wavy washer (or should be) at the flywheel end. That is to apply a little preload to the bearings and keeps the Black/white chequer away from the sensor.

I bonded the shaft to inner race on the pulley end and let the other end float. It also easier to do without getting loctite in the wrong place.

My reasoning was there will be a little expansion in the shaft,(hehe) and locking it at both ends might cause issues.

I still think its flywheel imbalance that slowly eats the bearings/shaft.

I was going to try a tighter tolerance specification on the bearing internals, but never got round to it. Also angular thrust bearings in a matched pair, but they were £100 a pair

I would look on Google for a dynamic flywheel balance company, hopefully locally who could have a look to see if the flywheel is out of true. Assuming it goes faulty again.

Here is a company on the M4 corridor
https://bassetdownbalancing.com/

Another near Norwich

https://www.banderandall.co.uk/

And Another, Yorkshire

https://www.dynamicenginebalancing.co.uk/

Yet again Birmingham

https://andrewsprecision.co.uk/armatures-rotors/

Id be quite interested in their findings assuming it doesn't cost an arm to find out

 

[theboxers]

There was a wavy washer on the shaft, to er,

I look at the other suggestions but they may prove too expensive

I think a little lead tape on the inside of the flywheel may prove the better option if I can get the setup right

 

[Heckler]

My Bkool packed up on Monday after being unreliable since purchase and I was looking at a Wahoo. Has anyone bought one recently, are the QC problems now resolved or should I look elsewhere?

 

[CXRAndy]

My Bkool packed up on Monday after being unreliable since purchase and I was looking at a Wahoo. Has anyone bought one recently, are the QC problems now resolved or should I look elsewhere?

There is supposed to be a Kckr version 5 (2020). I assume they have improved the quality control.

I would say, Wahoo has been absolutely top drawer for warranty issues. If you do get a problem you will be sorted.

The other model I would suggest is the Tacx Neo or Neo 2. There is also a Neo 2T with further improvements- except they reduced the size of the main flywheel bearings, which has been reported to fail early in its life. Serviceable but just an annoyance it fails

Good luck tracking down a Neo/2

For reference https://tacxfaqx.com/knowledge-base/bearings-for-all-models-of-neo/

 

[theboxers]

My Bkool packed up on Monday after being unreliable since purchase and I was looking at a Wahoo. Has anyone bought one recently, are the QC problems now resolved or should I look elsewhere?

I've not seen the reports of issues for the Kickr v5 that plagued the kickr18.

A kickr17 I have, with more mileage, has shown none of the symptoms of the 18. Not as quiet as an 18 but more reliable and you can use it with a climb should you wish.

If buying a 2nd hand kickr go for the 17 it's not that much louder.

 

[Heckler]

Pretty much every brand of smart trainer* seems to be out of stock in most places, time of year and lockdown have probably fueled that. Looks like I'm dusting off the dumb trainer for a while.

* Apart from the Tacx Neo 2T, but I can't stretch to that....

 

[theboxers]

Pretty much every brand of smart trainer* seems to be out of stock in most places, time of year and lockdown have probably fueled that. Looks like I'm dusting off the dumb trainer for a while.

* Apart from the Tacx Neo 2T, but I can't stretch to that....

Hens teeth and rocking horse poo come to mind