The NordicTrack treadmill consists of two electric motors, the Running Motor and the Incline Motor.
Both motors are equally important for the complete function of a NordicTrack treadmill.
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The running motor output force to move the running belt, while the incline motor lifts the running deck up and down for incline function.
I will split this post to talk about problems with the running motor and incline motor separately.
To check the condition of the running and incline motor, first you would need to remove the motor hood.
NordicTrack Treadmill Motor Problem
NordicTrack Treadmill Running Motor
The image below shows the running motor of my NordicTrack Treadmill.
My NordicTrack treadmill is powered by a 2.75 HP motor manufactured by McMillan Electric, company.
Important: Please make sure the Safety Key is inserted securely, if it is loosened, the treadmill might keep stopping,
Fix the safety key issue or you can simply DIY a treadmill key by yourself.
If the motor similar to the motor above is not working, here are the fields that you should check.
Before that, I would like to show you a video of the condition inspection of my NordicTrack treadmill motor when it is speeding up and slowing down.
Read: NordicTrack Treadmill Speed Problems
It might help you to have a basic understanding on how the running motor drives the running belt.
- Power supply and connector
Make sure you plug in the electrical socket securely, turn on the power supply and turn on the Power/Reset button on the NordicTrack treadmill.
Besides, if you are using an electric extension like me, make sure the electric extension is working fine.
Another reason for power lost can be due to the blown fuse of the treadmill plug.
This should be the most basic step before checking a step further.
- Check the Wire Connection of the motor to the electronic board
There should be a few wires connected from the electric motor to the control board as shown in the image below.
Please make sure all these wires are connected securely and there is no loosen electric wire connection. (Remember to turn off the power supply before checking for safety)
Another important entry point for the power supply is through the power connectors as shown in the image below:
Ensure the wires are all securely connected.
- Motor Controller and Speed Sensor are not working
There is also a motor controller to control and regulate the motor’s speed and power.
When you increase the speed on the console, it will trigger the motor controller to output a regulated power to move the motor at the desired speed.
It normally get the speed readings via the speed sensor as shown in the image below.
If the motor controller or the speed sensor is faulty, the motor might not be able to start at all (running belt will not move) or will not respond to the accurate speeding.
- Motor Overheating
The treadmill motor has its own acceptable range of temperature to operate with.
Each model of electric motor has different specifications, please check what is the maximum temperature the treadmill can tolerate for your treadmill motor.
If you are using the treadmill for hours long, please give it a rest.
Just like human, the treadmill needs a rest too.
After turn off the power supply, you can use your bare hand to check if the motor temperature is something abnormal.
Or you can use a thermometer to check the temperature of the treadmill motor.
If the motor is overheated, it would not be able to operate normally.
In this case, what you can do is to let it cool down and retry again after a few hours.
- Motor’s fan is faulty
The treadmill motor normally comes with a fan to cool it down faster.
The motor fan not working is different from the common treadmill console fan issue.
As shown in the image below, here’s my treadmill motor fan.
It should start operating together with the motor when the motor is started.
If the motor fan is faulty, it would not be able to dissipate heat faster enough.
When the temperature of the motor fan increases to a certain level, some motors will trigger its safety features and stop the motor.
Besides, the dust might already accumulated and built up around the fan, making it very inefficient to cool down the motor.
You should regularly clean the dust or any dirt accumulated around the motor.
- Motor belt tension is too high
If the motor belt tension is too high, it will force the treadmill motor to operate at a high stress level.
Over time, the motor might not be able to withstand that level of tension and slowly degrade.
The performance of the motor and the condition of carbon brushes inside the motor would be getting worst.
Please make sure the belt is adjusted to an optimum tension level, neither too tight nor too loose.
If the belt is loosen, it might create belt problem like slowing down when you step on it
- Voltage fluctuations and inadequate power supply
My Nordictrack treadmill is equipped with a voltage stabilizer as shown in the image below:
The voltage stabilizer can prevent the voltage fluctuations from the power source and protect all electrical components including the running motor and the treadmill motor.
If you are experiencing unstable voltage fluctuations, I would highly suggest you to buy a voltage stabilizer for your treadmill.
Or else you might feel the treadmill to run and slow down suddenly, making a slipping experience.
It would be a great help to your treadmill motors and fix the console flickering issue.
If you are currently using the voltage stabilizer for your treadmill, please check whether it outputs enough voltage to your treadmill.
There should be a digital display on the voltage stabilizer showing how much voltage it is currently providing.
In normal case, it should be within the range of 110V – 120V, or 220V to 240V depend on how much voltage the treadmill needs.
Sometimes a faulty voltage stabilizer might not be able to output enough voltage and power to the treadmill motors.
NordicTrack Treadmill Incline Motor
The video below shows how the incline/decline motor of my NordicTrack treadmill works.
It is actually a simple mechanism to lift the running deck upwards and downwards.
- The incline motor overheated
Just the running motor, the incline motor which is responsible for lifting the running deck up and down might be overheated if it is operating continuously.
The image below shows what the incline motor looks like.
You may use your hand or a thermometer to check if the incline motor is overheated.
If the incline motor temperature is too high, please turn off the treadmill and let it cool down.
Retry the incline function after a few hours.
The incline motor might not be able to operate if its temperature exceeds certain limit.
Or it could make noise when incline or decline is performed.
Besides, the treadmill might stuck in upright position and unable to decline normally.
Here’s the image showing that my treadmill’s incline motor could be problematic if its temperature is more than 70 degrees celsius.
- Electric wire connection of the incline motor
As usual, the electric incline motor needs proper wire connection for it to operate normally.
Kindly check if all the wires connected from the incline motor to the electronic board are secured and not loosened.
- Check the electronic controller board
There is a red LED to indicate whether to electronic board is being powered up.
In normal case, when the motor is running, it will keep blinking.
If the red LED is dimmed, the electronic board might be faulty and it won’t be able to control the motors.
- Too much weight on the deck
If you fail to incline the running deck, one of the reasons that will cause this is the treadmill has reached its weight limit.
You may check the Weight Limit of your NordicTrack treadmill model here.
Or are you hearing weird noises when performing incline and decline as shown in my video below?
Please check the treadmill user manual to find out how much weight the treadmill can support.
Or are there two persons standing on the running deck at the same time?
The treadmill is designed with a single person running on it, so please avoid more than one person standing on the treadmill’s deck.
- Recalibrate incline function
Sometimes the incline motor is not faulty, just you need to recalibrate the incline motor for it to function normally.
If you are not sure how to calibrate the incline motor, kindly Google or Search on YouTube using the keyword combinations as below:
“How to calibrate Nordictrack Treadmill” + “Model Number”
Conclusion
I have listed the most possible reasons to troubleshoot if the Nordictrack motor is not working.
If all these methods are not working in your case, I would suggest you to contact NordicTrack support, or possible consider for motor replacement.
Their technician would be able to help you to fix the NordicTrack treadmill motor issues.
