Troubleshooting Guide > Fuse Or Circuit Breaker Keeps Blowing

Fuse Or Circuit Breaker Keeps Blowing Out

The Scooter May Have Been Overloaded

Most electric scooters, bikes, e-bikes, mopeds, dirt bikes, go-karts, ATVs, and other light electric vehicles are not designed for going up long or steep hills, stop and go driving, driving with a heavy load, or driving in sand, gravel, or soft dirt.

Overloading the electrical system by using the vehicle under conditions which it was not designed for can cause the fuse to burn-out, or the circuit breaker to trip. Excessive fuse burning or circuit breaker tripping caused by overloading may eventually cause damage to the speed controller or motor by overheating them. Rubbing brake pads or shoes, due to faulty brake components or improper brake cable tension adjustment, can also cause fuses to burn-out and circuit breakers to trip.

The Scooter May Have A Defective Electrical Component

Wiring short circuits and defective electrical components such as overheated motors and speed controllers can create an excessive power draw on the electrical system and cause fuses to burn-out and circuit breakers to trip.

Inspect By Sight, Touch, And Smell

Remove the footplate or wiring cover and look for any burned or melted wires, wire connectors, or electrical components. Also look for loose, disconnected, or damaged wires or wire connectors. Pull and push on all of the individual wires and wire connectors to make sure they are not loose or disconnected. Get your nose close to the speed controller and motor and smell them. Any components that look burned or melted, or that smell like burned plastic are almost always defective and should be replaced. Motors that smell burned should be replaced to prevent damage to the speed controller.

Inspect The Speed Controller

Look for burned or melted wires or wire connectors on the speed controller. If any wires are burned or melted then the speed controller is most likely defective.
Smell the speed controller for any burned plastic or oil smells. If the speed controller smells burned then it is defective.
If the speed controller has no burns, melts, or smells then it still may be defective. Test the other components of the electrical system and use the process of elimination to see if the speed controller is working properly or not.

Inspect The Motor

Look for burned or melted wires or wire connectors on the motor. Burned or melted wires or wire connectors indicate overheating of the motor which can cause the insulation to melt off the motors copper wire windings.

Smell the motor for any burned plastic smells. If the motor smells burned that indicates that its coils have been overheated. Motors with overheated coils should always be replaced to prevent damage to the speed controller.

If the insulation melts off the copper windings they will short circuit and cause the motor to not run or to run slowly. Short circuited motor windings can also burn-out the speed controller by demanding too much current which makes it work too hard and overheat.

If Fuse Started Blowing After Replacing The Battery Pack

If the fuse or circuit breaker began blowing immediately after replacing the battery pack or battery pack wiring harness then the battery pack wiring harness may not be correctly connected to the batteries. We have a Battery Pack Wiring page that shows how to correctly wire a battery pack wiring harness to a battery pack.