I've just pulled out my C5 after about a month of no use, and on powering it up I got a "CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK..." from the relay.
So I turned it off quickly, took the control box off, swapped out some diodes (I found two had blown open circuit, D4 and D1), popped the cap off the relay and cleaned its contacts, put it back together and tried again...
"CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK..." Says the relay.
So I take the motor off and wire it directly to the battery. I get a rather alarming crack, slight smoke from one terminal and a bright flash.
Oh dear.
So I pop the motor apart and take a look inside...
The motor seems fine, even the brushes look ok, but as soon as I put it all back together it becomes hard to turn (and it's harder one way than the other). I don't really want to try it again, because I'd prefer not to blow myself up (Lead acid batteries can give off Hydrogen, which is *extremely* flammable)
So, short of replacing the motor, which is indeed a viable option, and would probably be the easiest fix, what can I do about this?
I've yet to dismantle the gearbox, but with the motor housing removed it moves freely in both directions, so I doubt that's broken...