I have a NordicTrack E5.5 elliptical I just bought used. The…

Question

I have a NordicTrack E5.5 elliptical I just bought used. The resistance control
is not working properly. I am trying to determine what the proper setup should
look like, as I am suspicious that the previous owner had it apart and put the
mechanism back together wrong.... I want to make sure everything is put together
and adjusted properly first, before I go sink a hundred bucks into a new
resistance control motor.

Can anyone please provide some diagrams or at least describe in detail the
proper default setup, nominal distance between magnet and the flywheel at lowest
resistance level, and the shortest distance between the magnets and the flywheel
when it is properly set up/working, and resistance is set to maximum? I assume
it should have a fair range of motion but right now I see maybe about 1/8" total
travel, and the control motor does a lot of back and forth type movement rather
than really moving the magnets closer to or farther away from the flywheel.

Is there some place I can go to find an actual repair/maintenance manual??

Thanks!

J.T. · Accepted Answer

J.T. :

WWW.fitness repair parts.com for an exploded diagram. If the resistance motor is
going back and forth, it or the console is bad.

J.T. :

If you change the resistance on the console, and it shows the change and acts
normally, the motor is bad.

J.T. :

If the console doesnt change then its most defective

Customer:

Console changes from 1 to 20. Resistance motor tries to move but goes back and
forth, sometimes moving, sometimes not...

Customer:

I still worry that it is just not set up correctly.

Customer:

The parts diagram does help, as it shows the correct installation.

Customer:

What it does NOT show is, what should the gap be set to when the motor is in the
"minimum resistance" setting? I.e. what is the starting gap supposed to be,
between the magnets and the flywheel? -Also, what should the smallest gap be,
when resistance is at its maximum setting?? I need to know this to check the
current setup with proper baseline settings, and will also need to know this
information if I end up having to replace the resistance motor as you have
suggested.

J.T. :

Every machine is different. At the hardest setting it should be about an 1/8th
inch away from the magnet.

J.T. :

The motor should not go back and forth at any time. From setting 1 to 20 it
should not even make a full rotation.

J.T. :

1 should be far away and 20 should be the closest. roughly If it starts at 12
oclock at level 1, level 20 should be around 9/10 oclock if that makes sense

J.T. :

Did the machine work when you bought it?

Customer:

No, it didnt work right when I got it. I got the machine for $60 because it has
this resistance issue. The guy had it in pieces and showed me the problem - he
was just looking to be rid of it. Right now I am using it by simply manually
adjusting the resistance so that it is as close to the flywheel as I can get it.
That works for me since I tend to like higher resistance. ... But want to fix it
right once I know for sure what the correction is.

Customer:

So the motor should rotate roughly 1/4 turn between highest and lowest
resistance? Right now it starts around 8/9 o'clock at the lowest setting, and
tries to go clockwise from there towards the highest setting. It does manage to
get to roughly 10 o'clock at level 20, which puts the magnets within roughly
3/16" at that point with the way I have the rod tweaked in so tightly. If the
motor made it all the way up to 12 o'clock at the highest setting, it would hit
the magnets to the flywheel with as tight as I have it now... But if I could
adjust it properly I think that would work very well.

Customer:

Sounds like you are convinced that it is definitely the motor. Are you 100% sure
that the motor should not ever be doing any back and forth/hunting/etc? It does
that when I change the resistance settings even when it is not connected to
anything.

J.T. :

Your saying it does go far at level 1 and close at 20? Then it seems like that's
correct. But it not go back and forth . Honestly these are very Cheap
machines...you can get a new one of those for a few hundred dollars. I would
just stick to adjusting it yourself until something else breaks and then junk
it...

J.T. :

Since the other guy had it apart it's hard to say if he broke something else

J.T. :

Could have damaged the wire harness causing issues as well

Customer:

what I'm saying is, at level 1 it is a *little* farther away than it is at level
20... but that's because I've ratcheted it up really close on level 1... Gap at
level 1 is like 1/4". Gap at level 20 (like I said above) is about 3/16".

Customer:

The control motor does try to move, and does ultimately move just a little. just
does a whole lot of hunting back and forth in general and doesn't tend to get
very far along the way.

Customer:

I used the machine this morning and can tell that it does make a slight
difference... Level 1 does have less resistance than 10 or 20.... But anywhere
in between and its hard to say if there is any discernible difference.

Customer:

Good point about harness... Guess I could buzz that out. -Are there any
grounding points that would be important electrically? other places I should
check? The whole control panel seems to work well, the rotation sensor is fine,
heart rate monitor is maybe a little flaky but they always are.

Customer:

I already found several loose bolts/screws/nuts here and there, been tightening
things as I find them loose.. Probably doesn't help that my fat butt is 270#
XXXXX this machine is rated to 250... but I'm already loosing fast. Just hoping
it holds up for at least 6 months for me. -Is there anything else I should
check/secure/etc on this machine to ensure I don't inadvertently break something
due to previous owner's poor assembly skills? I get quite a few squeaks/groans
out of it during use.

J.T. :

Ok it sounds just like a bad motor. It should move a few degrees on every
increase in resistance. It should not go back and forth.

J.T. :

As for the wire harness, the only real way to check it is to pull it through the
machine from the console and look for any rub or pinch marks. Also check for
continuity with a volt meter.

J.T. :

As far as loose parts.. just make sure all the moving parts are secure, you dont
want something letting go while in motion. But by being over the weight limit
you are taking a chance. Like i said those are very low end machines. They are
not meant to last.

J.T. :

If your looking for a good machine you need to be spending in the thousands, not
hundreds. Unless you can find something used. For your weight i would look for
these brands. ... Life fitness, Precor, Octane, True fitness. Anything you get
from the mall or any box stores or sears ... anything like that is all the same
junk made by the same company... Nordic track, pro form, healthrider, golds gym
etc... all the same exact machines with different name brand stickers on them.
They are all made by icon health and fitness.

Customer:

Yep I'm aware that this is a low end machine, but I'm on a very tight budget so
60 bucks was where I needed to be... Once my evil ex is no longer stealing
alimony from me, I'll be in a position to get a nice used precor or similar. For
now I'm hoping this will get me by.

Customer:

Thanks for the help.

I have a NordicTrack E5.5 elliptical I just bought used. The…

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