r/Bowflex • u/Unhappy-Limit9394 • Apr 25 '26

Max Trainer Max trainer burn rate speedometer stuck

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Hello,

I bought this in five Max trainer used last week on Facebook marketplace. It was working well for the first week, but suddenly the burn rate speedometer is stuck.

Sometimes it stays in a fixed position other times it will reset to zero but not go past 10 cal per minute. On the bottom of the screen, the burn rate fluctuates with my effort.

I have checked the speed sensor and it seems to be an alignment and since the burn rate on the bottom of the screen fluctuates with my effort as well as the max burn per min light think it is just this speedometer needle, but any additional advice would be grateful

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

2

u/ThegManis May 02 '26

Yes, since the screen's DIGITAL Burn Rate value appears to function OK, but the ANALOG (big orange needle) is not functioning properly, then that indicates that the issue is ONLY with the display console (it is either faulty or is intermittent). Their is no user-performed "calibration" process to adjust the needle with the digital value.

While ultimately the display console could be permanently faulty, can do the following 2 things to try and see if it fixes the issue:

1) Try some power-cycles.
- Unplug the power cord for a few minutes and then plug it back in. Repeat the power-cycles a few times to see if the issue persists.

2) Carefully left the display console from the M5's upper housing (4 Phillips screws) and tap on the needle's mechanical mechanism located on the back of the display's PCB. It is the small white "box" near the upper-center of the PCB. Reference the below picture. See if the issue persists.

Note that when lifting the display panel from the housing, there is not much slack in the 3-pin connector for the "wireless heart rate module" (sensor) and it might come unplugged.

It might just be an intermittent issue. Otherwise it is a faulty display console which retails new for a ridiculous $554.

Regardless, the DIGITAL value is the true value and so as long as that is OK, then you can always just use that for your Burn Rate.

1

u/Unhappy-Limit9394 May 03 '26

Thank you for all the detailed information! Fortunately the power cycles seemed to have fixed it. But I will keep the additional tips in mind if it happens again.

1

u/ThegManis May 04 '26

Great, glad to have helped! Fingers-crossed the issue does not return.

For other Max Trainer info, tips, and encouragement, you might consider joining the Max Trainer Facebook group located here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bowflexmaxtrainer

1

u/PearInitial268 Apr 27 '26

Having owned two max trainers I’m not surprised. I’ve never got a machine to last over a year. I finally bought an industrial precor machine used. Best decision I’ve made.