Treadmill broken. Need facts.

Factual Questions
1

The title sums it up. My treadmill is broken; specifically, the belt isn’t turning at a consistent speed. The belt does not seem to be misaligned. There was no lead-in or warning. The manual identifies no user-cleanable or repairable parts. It is 7 years old.

  1. Anything I might want to try repairing/cleaning on my own, and if so, what and how?

  2. I’m willing to throw a certain amount of money at it. How do I find a treadmill repair shop? Will they come to the house? How much should I pay (ish)?

  3. How likely is it, in your vast treadmill repair experiencce, that I will wind up having to replace the treadmill?

thanks.

2

Does your treadmill require “waxing” (either actual wax or silicone lube) of the deck?

Check the deck (usually involves removing the tread). Look for dirt, roughness, etc.

Check the motor and pulley. Clean out any dirt, make sure there’s nothing like grease or was on the belt and wheels, etc.

3

I recently went through this. The description, “belt isn’t turning at a consistent speed” is not descriptive enough to allow me to diagnose your exact problem.

While on and turning, does the belt change speed by itself? (possibly a motor problem) Or does it slip only when you stomp down hard on the belt? (possibly a roller or belt problem, depending on the squeal you hear)

If it turns out you need servicing, try calling the place you bought it from. I got mine from Sears, and they were able to fix it.

If you’re interested, here’s what happened.

I’m fairly handy, so I tried to fix it myself. I opened up the casing with a screwdriver. No obvious problems, lights appeared fine, motor running smoothly, no undue belt wear. Read through manual. Tried adjusting screws.

One screw changes front roller angle. Accidentally messed up the phillips screw head while turning it, so I bought a replacement flat-head screw from local store for a buck. No big deal.

The two rear screws change belt tightness. I used the allen wrench to tighten this, but the belt still kept slipping. At that point, I had to call in the pros.

Turned out my front roller was cheaply manufactured. Most of the bar is solid metal, but the interface to the belt is a plastic disc (like a gear made from plastic). This disc is glued to the metal bar. With some force, it’s possible to turn this disc by hand while holding the bar still. This is not good and is the source of the slippage.

Had to buy another crappy part plastic - part metal roller as this is the only kind made by the manufacturer. Once the roller was replaced, the service technician readjusted the screws and now it runs fine. I was out $250, which is hefty but still cheaper than replacing the treadmill.

4

Thanks to both of you for your ideas. The gentleman from the sports store came out to look at it ands thought it wasn’t the motor. He sold me a primative little belt lubricating kit (he didn’t charge me for the service call). I ran a rag between belt and deck to get any dust out, then used silicone lubricant on a foam wand on the deck. I’m waiting for it to dry now, but he seemed pretty confident in his diagnosis. He did say that if it wasn’t lubrication, then the motor was probably wearing down, though it didn’t sound like it to him. Since the treadmill has never been lubricated, and since the behavior was similar to the sewing machine when it needed lubrication, I’ve got my fingers crossed.

5

…And yet, no. So I have moved on to a new treadmill. This is the end of my narrative.