How to Test Wheelchair Motors

Wheelchair motors are just electric motors, the only difference being that they are mounted in a wheelchair. To test them, you just have to go through the normal electric motor testing process, though you will at first have to test the wheelchair controls. Sometimes the motor is not at fault, but the controls that run it could be failing. It just takes a few simple actions to check if the motor in your wheelchair is functioning properly.

Things You'll Need

• Philips head screwdriver
• Wheelchair battery
• Jumper cables

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Instructions

• 1

  Ensure that the battery is fresh by inserting a new battery. It will be located under the chair, held in place by attachment straps or behind a plastic panel. The panel can be removed by unscrewing the Philips screw that keeps it in place and the sliding the battery out. If it is attached via straps, then you will need to undo them to gain access to the battery. Slide in a fresh battery and reattach the panel or straps.

• 2

  Push the joystick forward and see if the wheelchair moves forward. Its movement should be smooth and capable of moving a grown man. If the movement is jerky or weak, then the motor may be dying.

• 3

  Flip the wheelchair over, and take the battery out to ensure the circuit is no longer live. Unscrew the cover plate over each motor with a Philips screwdriver. The motors themselves will slide out of their housings by hand, pulling toward the middle of the wheelchair.

• 4

  Place a jumper cable on each post of a spare wheelchair battery. Then clamp the opposite ends of the jumper cable on a separate power post on the motor. This will supply a live current and cause the motor to rotate if it is working. If the motor works when out of the chair but not in it, then one of the connecting wires in the wheelchair is broken. If the motor does not turn, then it is broken.