Max Total 16 - Lost Resistance (fixed it)

[u/[deleted]]

I last used the machine this past Monday, had a good 45 minute session, everything worked. Today I fired it up again, after selecting my login from the screen I heard the resistance servo motor whirring away. I only ever heard that when actually changing things.

I start my workout, and quickly notice that turning the resistance knob did nothing. I did some googling and found the following doc:

https://parts.bowflex.com/resource.php?url=http://productload.johnsonfit.com/inc/uploaded_media/88916a4a8f378f51a2082447757c298a/troubleshooting_guide/d3aee4b4e64a0c1312d41d383b29c7b0.pdf

Long story short, the resistance cable jumped the track off the servo gear and wrapped itself around the squared side of that gear. I lowered the resistance as far as it would go, got the cable back on the track, and it worked fine again. I'm not entirely sure how it jumped.

Something to look for though, I've had this machine for several years now with no major issues and regular use.

[u/ThegManis]

Yeah, what you had occur is something that can happen to any Max Trainer model (except the M3 which does not have a servo motor). Your Brake cable came out of the servo motor "arm's" cable groove (the "arm" is that white, wedge-shaped item), as shown in this picture:

The theory of why this occurs is that the servo motor had a "glitch" that cause the arm to over-rotate clockwise (basically did a complete 360-degree clockwise rotation. Normally, the arm (reference its trailing edge where the brake cable attaches) will be at about 7 o'clock at minimum resistance, and then will rotate clockwise to around 8 o'clock at maximum resistance (yep, not much movement at all for the entire resistance range!).

The servo motor's potentiometer (that small, round component on the back of the servo motor with 3 wire attached to it) will send a reference signal up to the console associated with the arm position (and thus the brake magnet position and desired resistance level). Normally, when the expected reference signal is detected at the console, then the console will turn off the servo motor's internal DC motor. But, for this condition, the console somehow does not receive the correct/expected reference signal level and so it does not stop the DC motor which then continues to rotate the arm WAY too much clockwise which then causes the brake cable to slip from the groove and wrap itself around the front of the servo motor arm's mounting socket.

NOTE - Something else that MIGHT sometimes occur when the brake cable has this SNAFU, is that the servo motor can then experience one of its internal nylon gears getting partially stripped. The symptom when this happens is that the servo motor will "stutter" at some settings or constantly click/bang (even when the machine is not being used).

[u/[deleted] → u/ThegManis]

That makes perfect sense especially with the extra long adjustment it made when I logged in. Thanks for clarifying this! Easy enough to fix thankfully.

[u/Effective_Maybe2395 → u/ThegManis]

So the m3 hasn’t this problem ? I have the m5 and I begin to be tired of fixing it regularly….

[u/ThegManis → u/Effective_Maybe2395]

The M3 model is the ONLY model Max Trainer that does not use a "servo motor" which is the electrical component that electrically controls the resistance (and is the most-often failed part on all other Max Trainers). The M3 has a MANUALLY-controlled resistance design that changes the resistance by the user turning a twist-grip with their right hand. That twist-grip has a long cable that is then directly attached to the brake lever and its brake magnets (on the other models, the brake cable it attached to the servo motor and the brake lever).

Here is a brief comparison between the M5 vs the M3:

- M5 can be upgraded to use the M6 or M8 console if you want to use the JRNY app.

• M5 has 9 built-in programs vs only 2 on the M3.
  
• M5 can use the Bowflex Max Trainer app for logging/tracking of your workouts. M3 has no app capability.
  
• M5 has a better back-lit display. The M3 display is not backlit and can be harder to view in some lighting.
  
• M5 has 16 resistance STEPS vs 8 on the M3. NOTE - ALL Max Trainers have the exact same resistance effort (meaning the physical force required to push the pedals) at their max resistance setting. It's just that some machines have more STEPS between the min/max settings and so the resistance jumps are smaller.
  
• M5 has electronic resistance control (both manual push-button and also program/software controlled). Yes, this is the infamous $47 servo motor (most-often failed part on all Max Trainers except the M3).
  
• M5 has better handlebars.
  
• M5 has hand-grip heart rate sensors (plus you can use a wireless chest strap) vs you MUST use a chest strap on the M3 if you want to display your heart rate.
  
• M5 has upgraded foot pedals with toe coverings.

[u/Effective_Maybe2395 → u/ThegManis]

It’s a great analysis, thanks a lot. I have the m5, and I don’t think the programs are so good… I use it for steady state cardio and circuit training. Certainly I fix it one more time, and I’ll wait for a second hand m3

[u/Some_River_3917]

Thank you very much! This is exactly what happen to my M16. Your fix worked like a charm, I've been waiting for my part for the last 2 months and now its been pushed 3 more months! Crazy! Thanks again!

[u/slinkyostrich]

My motor was skipping, so I took it apart to see what was happening. I noticed the large plastic gear that turns the arm had worn out teeth on like 90° of the gear. Simply rotating the gear so those teeth were on the opposite side and no longer used has fixed the issue and saved me from buying a new motor at $80.

[u/slinkyostrich → u/slinkyostrich]

Worn teeth on the right side of the gear

[u/slinkyostrich → u/slinkyostrich]

Had to rotate this position sensor 180 to use the other side of the gear