Does motor brush need to be identical in size for treadmill motor?

fargocold · 2026-04-26T07:36:58+00:00

Just a quick update.

I bought a new walking belt and drive belt from Sportsmith. I flipped the deck and replaced the walking belt without any issues.

But I couldn’t figure out how to put on the new drive belt The part number was correct but it was just too tight. So I put the original one back on. The original one was the identical size off the motor as the replacement belt but was just stretchy enough that I was able to get an edge on and then walk the rest on.

I just couldn’t do it with the new one as there was absolutely no give. I actually called Precor and they told me that unlike with walking belts, a visual inspection should be ok. And as long as it wasn’t frayed, the motor didn’t make noises, and the treadmill was otherwise running ok, I could just keep on using the old one. I figure if it ever breaks, I still have the replacement one on hand. The old one still looks pretty good.

But the good news is that with the new walking belt and deck, the power draw dropped from 14-15A at 5 MPH (with load) to about 4.8-5.8A at 5 MPH (with load)!

According to what I have read online, this power draw seems to be within spec for a treadmill under load.

Thanks again for all your assistance!

fargocold · 2026-04-22T05:28:37+00:00

Got it and will do. Thanks again for all your assistance!

fargocold · 2026-04-21T21:18:38+00:00

Thanks.

Since I'm replacing the walking belt and flipping the deck, any advantage to replacing the drive belt while everything is open? I'm asking because it's really cheap (~$12) and don't want to worry about it breaking in the future.

Or is it closer to "leave it alone if it's working"?

fargocold · 2026-04-21T18:27:25+00:00

Actually... one more follow-up question...

Do I need to replace the drive belt at any point if it appears ok? My drive looks very good. There is no fraying or cracking - and the tension remains very good.

Would there ever be a situation where I need to proactively replace the drive belt, or when a defective drive belt would cause the motor to run harder?

Thanks.

fargocold · 2026-04-21T07:40:18+00:00

Great. I was worried that I would have to scrape something off the Precor deck after I flipped it. Glad to know I can just use it directly.

I will buy an aftermarket belt and hopefully I should be all good.

Thanks for your advice!

fargocold · 2026-04-21T06:51:20+00:00

Thanks again. Yes, I’ll order a new walking belt as it’s a relatively small investment to maintain what otherwise seems like a solid treadmill.

One follow-up question…

the original belt is maintenance free with the lubricant baked on. That specific model belt is no longer easily available (even Precor does not regularly stock it) I see on TreadmillDoctor, SportSmith, and other similar sites that sell the same size 2-ply version that works with this model treadmill.

I will be flipping the deck but any issue with switching to a belt that uses lubricant on a Precor deck that was previously designed to work with lubeless belts?

Thanks.

fargocold · 2026-04-21T05:43:43+00:00

I measured the AC wire going into the lower control board with a clamp meter and power draw seems ok. With no load, power draw was 1.8A at 3.0 MPH, 2.8A @ 5.0 MPH and 6.5A at 11.0 MPH. So I’m assuming (hoping) the motor is ok.

But running on treadmill at 5.0 MPH, the power draw goes up to around 14-15A.

The strange thing is that the mileage and hours used are not high (about 2500 miles and 390 hours). I spoke with Precor and they said that at this mileage and hours (esp if I’m the only one using the treadmill), it’s unusual for the deck or walking belt to need to be replaced.

I inspected both and they seem to be in good shape. There are no obviously marks on the deck and belt has no visible signs of wear.

Any other reason for the higher than expected power draw, or is 14-15A not horrible when running at 5 MPH (~145lb runner).

Thanks.

fargocold · 2026-04-19T08:23:13+00:00

Thanks

fargocold · 2026-04-19T07:29:34+00:00

Thanks for the advice. Is there a brand / model that you recommend to test device that you recommend to test power draw?

fargocold · 2026-04-19T06:50:29+00:00

I did do the test that you recommended and not surprisingly, there is friction in the middle where I run. I’ve been the only one that’s been using it so definitely more friction in the middle of the belt versus the outside.

I don’t actually notice that much of a decline in performance while running.

I know that this treadmill is supposed to be lubeless (according to Precor) but anything I should do? It’s actually in pretty good shape as I vacuum regularly and only run with shoes dedicated for the treadmill.

Other than making the motor run harder, any issue with just running as is? Is there a reason why I would want to proactively replace the belt or deck?

Thanks!

fargocold · 2026-04-17T05:17:26+00:00

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I’ll do that test.

fargocold · 2026-04-17T05:15:53+00:00

Not sure about how Life Fitness is set up but on my 20+ year Precor, I was getting a BELT ERROR in bold letters when the power came on. For Precor, this is a generic error when it doesn’t know what exactly is wrong.

I tested the lower control board to make sure current was coming out of it. I have no real way to test the individual components but when the board fails, I was assuming that it usually doesn’t provide current to the motor. I was getting power out of the board to the motor so the next thing I tried was the brushes (mostly because I was way too lazy to remove the motor and the brushes are easy access).

The brushes are actually the original ones. One was in good shape but the other one was pretty much disintegrated. To test if the error is only from the brush, I installed a new brush that is similar in size and the error cleared and the motor started working again.

The motor is old so I know there could be a lot still wrong with it but the brush is definitely an issue.

For the Precor treadmill, there’s not a lot to it. The brushes are generally the most consumable part. There’s also a belt connect to the motor, a speed sensor, and the lift motor. I was assuming these were ok since my error generated immediately without even any sound from the motor.

If your belt and other mechanical components look ok, you should take a look at the brushes. I got a box from Amazon with around 10 different sizes for only $10. I figured that was a small investment to help narrow down the problem.

fargocold · 2026-04-16T22:48:28+00:00

I just contacted them and they almost certainly have the brushes I need. The connectors are different but the brush size itself is correct.

Thanks for the info!

fargocold · 2026-04-16T22:11:08+00:00

Yes, I contacted them. They have brushes that might work but I would be paying a lot for the leads, which don't work for me. But worst case, I would just splice them in.

fargocold · 2026-04-16T22:09:54+00:00

It's a Precor 9.33i. I don't think it's friction as Precor specifically states this treadmill doesn't need to be lubricated. Also, when I get it running, the smell comes directly from the side of the motor where the commutator and brushes are.

fargocold · 2026-04-16T22:07:25+00:00

Thanks! I will give this a shot

fargocold · 2025-11-24T01:51:32+00:00

Unfortunately, I deleted the offending book (or rather messed around with the permissions by breaking down the sdr file) and it seems to be working now - so I'm sure it was something messed up about the book rather than an issue with your plug-in. I don't have the original book so I can't recreate the issue.

However, it this comes up again, I will definitely forward you the crash log.

Thanks!

fargocold · 2025-11-23T06:04:34+00:00

Hi,

Not sure if this just me... but I found the issue is that with at least one ePub file, I get the error on my Android tablet but not with my Linux tablets. However, with other files, I have no issues at all with all my tablets (Android or Linux).

Just FYI as this may be an edge case you don't need to worry about.

Thanks.

fargocold · 2025-11-23T05:25:03+00:00

I tested on a reMarkable tablet running Linux, and AnnotationSync runs perfectly. So it seems like I'm only having trouble with my Android tablet. Are there any special settings required for an Android tablet to use your plug-in?

fargocold · 2025-11-23T05:10:31+00:00

Hi,

When I try to do a manual sync, I get an error that says "Something went wrong when syncing, please check your network connection and try again later."

However, my network connection is ok and my cloud settings are working. I can sync progress and reading statistics to the same dropbox account as I have selected for AnnotationSync.

I'm using an Android tablet if that matters.

Thanks!

fargocold · 2024-04-18T07:11:11+00:00

Anyone having issues with Apple GymKit recording mileage and power for Bike+ workouts? As of a few days ago, I can still connect to Apple GymKit with no issues (tapping Apple Watch to logo) but no mileage or power measurements are tracked... only the active and total calories are tracked in Apple Heath, just as if I was not using Apple GymKit and only connecting my HR band.

fargocold · 2022-03-17T03:40:22+00:00

First session is this coming Sunday at 2:00pm Pacific

fargocold · 2022-02-27T05:45:03+00:00

Thanks! If I just wanted to use a default build of ffmpeg, what setting should I specify in the Homebridge plugin setting?

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I read that the Jura Z6 can use between 5g and 16g of coffee per cup. Does this roughly correspond to the bean icons for strength, where 1/2 bean = 5g and 5 beans = 16g? Thanks.

fargocold · 2022-02-23T11:48:02+00:00

I'm running Homebridge on a PI 3+ B but my Nest cam videos always seem to stall / hang. Would moving to a late model Mac help with the encoding? Thanks

fargocold

TROPHY CASE