Why Won’t My Scooter Start?

If you can’t get your scooter working again and you want to get a better one to replace your old model, here is a list of some of the most sought-after electric scooters for adults out there. However, before you start browsing through all the alternatives, make sure you have a good look at your scooter and see if there’s anything that you can do to restart it. Here are some things that can cause your scooter to stop working.

Common problems

No power

The first thing that you should do when you see that your scooter has no power although you charged it is making sure that you did it correctly. Sometimes we think we charge our stuff but then we find out there was actually no power going to them. If you’re sure you plugged it in well, check if there is an issue with the connection.

You should also look at the battery, the switch and throttle, the brake lever, and the controller, and make sure all the wires are still connected. What really drives the scooter is the controller box and if it fails you should take it to an expert and have it repaired or replaced.

The problem of having no power could also be caused by a faulty switch. This means that your scooter will still work but the indicator will look like it has no power.

Very limited power

Sometimes you may have enough power after you fully charged the batteries, but the scooter only runs for a short while and then stops. That is most often because of a faulty battery. If you know that your scooter has been going slower or can’t reach the distances that it could before, it’s best if you replace the battery.

Another cause of low mileage can be a defective charger. Every time you leave your scooter to charge check the light indicator and make sure it’s really charging. And if it’s not illuminating, it means the battery isn’t getting charged.

Although batteries are rechargeable, they can only do that a limited number of times, and their power will go down the more they are recharged. The capacity of a battery is continuously reduced. To see how much “life” the battery has left in it, you can use a battery tester.

However, testing a battery is sometimes dangerous due to the acid in it that can explode, so it’s best if you leave the testing to someone who knows what he/she is doing.

The scooter is on but it doesn’t move

The first thing to look at when this happens is the safety engine cut-off. It might be on. This feature is one that should help people cut the motor off when the brake is applied, but it sometimes makes us forget about it, or it stays active when we wouldn’t want it to.

Another problem that your scooter might have is that it misses a fuse. If you charged your scooter and the lights turn on but it still won’t move it means that a fuse is not working. You should thus replace it (some scooters come with some additional fuses).

Or the fuse holder could be busted. Make sure it’s in good shape and it doesn’t have any cracks or bad connections. Ensure that all the wiring is in place and that the fuses sit where they should. Most importantly, check if the 2 wires that you can see behind the fuse holder are connected to the back of the fuse assembly, the battery, and the control box.

Speaking of that, make sure the control box has all its connections still working. Sometimes the battery can be faulty too and cause this problem, so have a look at it as well.

The scooter is too slow

Again, one of the main things that make a scooter go too slow is the battery. Often times, you just need to charge the battery more. Check the scooter’s manual for details about its top speed and the maximum distance that it can reach. Depending on the weight of the person riding it, the scooter can go slower or faster. Remember that the performance of every battery diminishes as it gets older.

But the battery is not the only thing to blame. Sometimes the motor is at fault, and when that happens you can certainly know it because the scooter will smell and the motor will be burning out. Speaking of that, make sure to adjust the brakes too, as they sometimes stay in a semi-active position and that causes them to wear off.

That also makes the scooter go slow. You can test if the brakes are the issue by pushing the scooter while it’s off and feel whether the wheels spin freely or not.

The chain and chain sprockets are the next things to check. You might find that the chain is too loose or too tight. Be sure that enough tension is put on it, but not too much. After you do that check if the rear chain sprocket and the motor sprocket are aligned. You can loosen the back wheel axle a bit and adjust it so the sprockets become aligned.

Let’s not forget about the tires – you always have to keep them inflated, otherwise, they will slow you down. Sometimes when people put scooters together they put some tires backward. Fixing this is simple, fortunately.

Troubleshooting methods

There are a lot of reasons why a scooter won’t start or reasons why it’s going too slow. That’s why you need to check it thoroughly before throwing it away. Here are some things that you should do to help you identify the problem and maybe fix it.

Use all your senses

We have the tendency to inspect things using our sight only, but sometimes our hearing or smell help us greatly. When checking a faulty scooter remove the footplate and see if there are any melted wires or connections or anything like that. But also smell the area, make sure you don’t feel the smell of burnt stuff.

Touch everything and make sure things are not too hot, or if you feel that they’re too cold it may mean they aren’t working at all. Push and pull gently on the wires to make sure they’re still attached.

Charge the scooter again

Sometimes all that the poor scooter needs is a good sleep – a recharge that lasts for at least 8 hours. That is especially true if you haven’t used your scooter in a while and you’re now expecting it to perform like before. See if a recharge of 8 hours does anything good. But don’t forget to plug the scooter out, because if you charge it for more than 12 hours this can damage the battery pack.

Don’t forget that batteries are delicate and that’s why you should always keep them charged, but don’t overcharge them. Make sure the battery charger works well too.

Test the power switch

The switch can sometimes malfunction and to test it simply move it from off to on several times. Every time you move it from a position to another it should snap. If it doesn’t feel like that but rather loose, it may mean that it has been damaged and you need to replace it and the wiring that goes to it as well.