2015 gem motor problems

So I finally got this car running. Everything works. However, there’s barely any speed and I can hear the motor sizzling and see sparks in the back of the motor. So I’m hoping it’s just brushes. Any ideas.

Yep, It sounds like you are thinking in the right direction.
Brushes are stuck.
Depending on why and what motor it is will determine what it will take to get them unstuck.
Do you know how long it has been sitting?

There is a slight chance that the comms are just oxidized and need a cleaning. Rolling it around with minimal load might do this. Jack up the front end and run it in place for a while.

You could try to pull off the inspection band and have a look. Hit the motor with a good blast of air and give the brush springs a lift and release it with a little snap. Maybe see if you can give the brush itself a little wiggle.

If they are really stuck the motor will probably need a full tear down and service. Depending on where you are, you can possibly find a local shop or send it to @Old_Houseboater.

I did manage to get the brushes out. They were all severely corroded and stuck I cleaned them and replaced. Now the motor does not sizzle and spark but when I move there is only one speed, slow. Also there is a 10 Second delay from pressing pedal to momentum. This car is beginning to wear on me. I do have a friend locally who owns a motor shop.

Hey- don’t give up yet. You are almost there.

  • Did you have any codes on your display?
  • Was there a turtle on the display?
  • Did you have it in Low/Turf mode?

Good job on getting the brushes unstuck. When you were in there did you get a peek at the comms? Those are the copper bars that the brushes rub on. If they aren’t very clean then this may cause the motor to run slow. It is difficult to clean without pulling the motor and pulling it apart. Sometimes just running it may work. I recommend jacking up the front end and running it in place for a bit. No load is best.

Also, make sure you removed all the brush springs from their “service” position and they are properly pushing on the back of the brush. Make sure the brush is still free. Depending on how well you cleaned out the corrosion(it’s not an easy thing to do) a brush may still be bound up and not touching the comms. If one of the 4 brushes is sticking then you are only using 1/2 of the motor.

If you did a full clean on the motor and the car is still slow, Put a meter on the Bat Pos, and Bat Neg terminals on your controller and get a reading of what your power levels are when running.

Report back your findings

The comms are a little dirty. At one point t there was a turtle. And once in a while everything will just stop again, contactor won’t engage.