Treadmill motor hood/cover won't come off. Trying to look @ the drive belt + fix slipping problem
I own a Nordictrack C2300 (Model Number 306010) and I've started to do a lot of high speed running and noticed that the treadmills just feels 'off' when doing my sprints (10-12mph speed). I couldn't confidently run because I felt like something was impeding my running strides. I bought a treadmill mat to put below, thinking that perhaps the machine was shaking around too much on my floor - although aside from providing long term protection, that didn't do much to help with the issue.
I then did some research and came across the phenomenon known as "slipping". I think that's what might be happening, since something is definitely causing my running strides/steps to feel awkward at times and not allowing me to run/sprint smoothly. I saw a Treadmill Doctor YouTube video mentioning that the cause for 'slipping' could be a few things. I noticed the man mention a new drive belt would be needed if there was any black dust in that area. Well, before opening the hood, I remember seeing black dust coming from the motor area of the treadmill occasionally, which at the time I thought was leftover dirt from when the machine was moved between houses.
Anyway, to remove the hood, I unscrewed all the proper screws as directed by the owner's manual... however when I try to lift the hood, the right side of the plastic hood feels stuck in place. I'm hesitant to put too much force when lifting it, since I worry about potentially snapping a piece of plastic that might be important in putting it back afterwards. However, for now, the hood lifts enough on the left side, which allows me to see that the drive belt has some black dust next to it. I suppose this confirms my need for a new drive belt, yes? I took a picture of the drive belt and its dust, which I'll link in this post. I'll also attach a video I took when trying to remove the motor hood/cover.
Video trying to remove hood: https://streamable.com/ge4tx
Picture I took of the drive belt/black dust on the leftt: https://imgur.com/a/TNrYT
Also, I also read/heard that the drive belt being loose is another cause for slipping. This seems to be a part of the problem too. I haven't been able to tighten a little just yet (need the proper hex key), although it does seem to lift above the running board more than it should.
It's also worth mentioning that the board/belt was recently lubricated with the exact lubricant Nordictrack recommends. So I don't believe that a lack of lubrication could be the cause for the slipping problem.
I'm not sure how to judge the overall condition of the running belt itself. If I were to guess, it looks to be in decent condition. I can attach a picture of that here too: https://imgur.com/a/TNrYT
I then did some research and came across the phenomenon known as "slipping". I think that's what might be happening, since something is definitely causing my running strides/steps to feel awkward at times and not allowing me to run/sprint smoothly. I saw a Treadmill Doctor YouTube video mentioning that the cause for 'slipping' could be a few things. I noticed the man mention a new drive belt would be needed if there was any black dust in that area. Well, before opening the hood, I remember seeing black dust coming from the motor area of the treadmill occasionally, which at the time I thought was leftover dirt from when the machine was moved between houses.
Anyway, to remove the hood, I unscrewed all the proper screws as directed by the owner's manual... however when I try to lift the hood, the right side of the plastic hood feels stuck in place. I'm hesitant to put too much force when lifting it, since I worry about potentially snapping a piece of plastic that might be important in putting it back afterwards. However, for now, the hood lifts enough on the left side, which allows me to see that the drive belt has some black dust next to it. I suppose this confirms my need for a new drive belt, yes? I took a picture of the drive belt and its dust, which I'll link in this post. I'll also attach a video I took when trying to remove the motor hood/cover.
Video trying to remove hood: https://streamable.com/ge4tx
Picture I took of the drive belt/black dust on the leftt: https://imgur.com/a/TNrYT
Also, I also read/heard that the drive belt being loose is another cause for slipping. This seems to be a part of the problem too. I haven't been able to tighten a little just yet (need the proper hex key), although it does seem to lift above the running board more than it should.
It's also worth mentioning that the board/belt was recently lubricated with the exact lubricant Nordictrack recommends. So I don't believe that a lack of lubrication could be the cause for the slipping problem.
I'm not sure how to judge the overall condition of the running belt itself. If I were to guess, it looks to be in decent condition. I can attach a picture of that here too: https://imgur.com/a/TNrYT
Comments
I just took a look at your 2nd attachment/document with regards to slipping and I'll be sure to follow that test once I finally get the hood removed. Thank you. As mentioned, I'm a little hesitant with the amount of force I want to apply since I don't want to snap a piece of plastic in the process of removing the hood.
I was considering giving your customer service a phone call today/Monday, although being a holiday today, I figured it may be closed. If you don't mind, I was hoping to call tomorrow/Tuesday.
Thanks again.
I went through the troubleshooting guide you attached and when I put the speed to 2.5 MPH, I didn't really notice much in terms of the drive motor or drive belt stopping. As previously mentioned, the drive belt does seem a bit frayed and there is some black dust as shown in a picture I took. Should it be replaced? Could that simple fix really solve my issue of an an unsmooth, sometimes jerky running experience when going at very fast speeds? (10-12mph)... I checked the running belt again and it didn't seem as loose as I initially thought. I can raise it by 2" 1/4 inches which I've read is normal.
for some reason I cannot attach the manual here - send me an email and I will get it to you if you do not have!
elizabeth.waterman@treadmilldoctor.com