Change Magic Pie Axle (Alan)

1. Start by removing the 9 Allen bolts that are holding the right hand side cover onto the motor ring.
2. Use a large wooden mallet (or big hammer) to hit the controller end of the axle until the right hand side cover comes unstuck from the motor ring.
3. Squirt some WD40 or similar around the centre of the broken axle and then try to carefully remove the right hand cover, which will hopefully come away complete with the bearing (be careful not loose any of the spacer shims that may be fitted between the bearing and the circlip).
4. If the bearing did not come away with the cover, it will need to be removed separately using a bearing puller or a couple of tyre levers or large screwdrivers etc. to access the circlip behind it.
5. Remove the circlip using a pair of external circlip pliers.
6. Remove the 9 Allen bolts holding the left hand side cover onto the motor ring.
7. Use a large wooden mallet (or big hammer) to hit the broken end of the axle until the left hand side cover comes unstuck from the motor ring.
8. Remove the left hand side cover (complete with brake disc/cooling fan assembly) from the controller housing on the stator. If it won’t come away easily, carefully drift it off from the opposite side using a piece of hard wooden dowel or an aluminium or brass drift to minimise damage to the cover as shown here on a Smart Pie:You will need to tap evenly all around the cover to prevent it from tilting and jamming.
9. Remove the wire clip holding the cable to the axle as described in this forum post.
10. Remove the 6 countersunk machine screws holding the controller in place.
11. Remove the controller and make a note of the Phase wire colours and positions before disconnecting them. (Take a picture or draw a rough diagram to avoid any confusion when the wires are refitted).
12. Disconnect the Phase wire, unplug the Hall Sensor connector and then remove the controller.
13. Place the base section of an axle stand onto some solid ground or a concrete block etc. and then place the wheel assembly on top of it so that the good end of the axle goes right through the centre tube. (View the attached image)
14. Keep the wheel nice and level and then drift the axle down through the axle stand by hitting the broken end of the axle with a big hammer until the axle drops out completely.
15. Make sure that you don’t lose the drive key that locates the axle into the stator housing as you will probably need this again if the replacement axle does not come with one already fitted.

If the axle is too tight to drift out, you may have to remove the stator assembly from the wheel in order to use a hydraulic press, check out this post for further information on removing the stator from the wheel. Fitting the new axle is basically a reversal of the above operations, but make sure that you thread the axle nut onto the end of the axle until the outer side of the nut is flush with the end of the axle before hitting it with a wooden mallet. If you are using a large hammer, use a piece of hardwood to prevent the hammer from damaging the end of the axle. If the stator has been removed from the wheel, it would be helpful to fit the right hand side cover first to allow the axle to keep the stator centred and help guide it into place.

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