Nordictrack T65z slows to a halt when stepped on only at high speeds (> level 5), speed<5 works OK

rikrdo89

Hi, my Nordictrack T65z treadmill has been working well for the past year, but recently I went to use if after a month or so of inactivity, and noticed that whenever I use speeds 1-4 (out of 10), the machine works fine, but as soon as I increase the speed (5 and higher), it will slow down and stop, like it cannot push the belt with me on it. If I step off of the machine, it will resume moving; however, I am not noticing an increase in speed after level 5, like I don't visually see the walking belt moving faster at level 5 or at the maximum level of 10.

I keep the treadmill in the basement, without regular maintenance unfortunately. I did some diagnostics the running bell seems well tight (able to lift it up a couple of inches), the drive bell and the rollers seems to working ok, without any slipping and the drive belt seems to have good tension, and all these mechanical components stopped moving when I step on the treadmill at speed >5. I lubricated the walking belt and the walking board surface with silicone but it did not help, I also attempted loosening or tightening the belt but it did not help.

What could be the issue? Is this a motor issue (maybe the brushes?) since it seems to be struggling with load? Could this be a electrical issue and the motor not getting enough voltage at speeds > 5?

Any help will be very much appreciated. Thank you.

admin-it

hey! Regular maintenance is key to keeping your treadmill happy for a long time!

1st Few things to look at when you’re running belt stops.
When the running belt stops does the Drive Motor also stop?
If yes then it could be a weak Drive Motor or bad Motor Controller.

2nd When the running belt stops does the Drive Motor continue to run and also does the drive belt continue to run?
If the Drive motor still runs and Drive Belt does not then you will need to tighten down the Drive Belt or replace the Drive Belt.

3rd When the running belt stops and Drive Motor & Drive Belt continues to spin does the entire front roller rotate?
If the entire front roller continues to spin then you will need to adjusted running belt.
If just the pulley on the front roller continues to spin, then you will need to replace the entire front roller.

This should help you trouble shoot exactly what is wrong with your treadmill!

rikrdo89

Thanks for your comment. Yes, when the running belt stops, all the mechanical components also stop (drive belt, roller, the drive motor), although there is a faint humming coming from the drive motor, but I cannot see anything moving at all. So this might indicate the motor is "weak" or a bad motor controller? since the motors correctly adjust the speed from levels 1-4, I doubt it is the controller that is failing...

jimbo97

Sounds more like a bad motor.Do you have the complete model number its located on a sticker down on the frame close to the floor when you fold unit up. Also you can look under the hood cover and there is a piece of paper inside a envelope that has the model number on the paper.