Repair Some Bowflex Max Trainer Resistance Issues Without Replacing the Servo Motor M5 M5U M6 M7 M8

Screwdriver Set on Amazon - amzn.to/2Y4g2Be
Power Screwdriver on Amazon - amzn.to/2Y3igjB
Bowflex Max Trainer on Amazon - amzn.to/3oghDhS
This video tutorial walks through the process of repairing a Bowflex Max Trainer that is no longer adjusting the resistance. The servo motor adjustment cam is in the wrong position and is unable to make adjustments to the magnetic brake assembly. Although this process may repair your Bowflex Max Trainer, it is possible that the motor will need to be replaced. The adjusting the servo motor cam does allow my Bowflex Max Trainer to adjust the resistance but I have had to perform this repair a couple of times recently. I believe that the motor will need to be replaced.
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Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of Mark Jenkins, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. Mark Jenkins assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Mark Jenkins recommends safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Mark Jenkins, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Mark Jenkins.

[@nogripes]

Screwdriver Set on Amazon - amzn.to/2Y4g2Be Power Screwdriver on Amazon - amzn.to/2Y3igjB Bowflex Max Trainer on Amazon - amzn.to/3oghDhS

[@dlg521]

It's ironic but I used to be the Commercial Tech Support Supervisor at the Nautilus Headquarters back in 2008. I retired in 2010 so I called a tech "friend' of mine to see what might cause this problem. He said the only thing it could be was the servo motor. They were hard to find there for a while so a suffered through using it at the wrong resistance. THEN, all of a sudden the servo motors are easy to get so I bought one. I did a quick search on how to replace the servo motor and found your fix......which OF COURSE WORKED!! Now, I have a Max 7 that works great and a new servo motor that can't be returned. Bought it on EBAY as a none returnable item, Bottom line is, great video and a super easy fix. Much appreciated.....I think ;)

[@DaCycleDawg]

I had no idea when I bought my M8 that I needed to be a mechanic to use it. I've had it apart many times for different issues, even replaced the console (warranty), but the resistance not working at all was a new one to me. Thanks for the video, went straight in and fixed it.

[@nogripes]

I know, I am disappointed with my Bowflex. I will be posting a video on replacing this part soon. Mine no longer adjusts at all!

[@rdhawk777]

I have an M8 and the screen says all the buttons are stuck...does anyone else have this problem?

[@northerndrone2592]

Did you end up replacing it?

[@DaCycleDawg]

@@northerndrone2592 Yes

[@kertbert1]

Saved my day. It was stuck on one and I wanted 16. Did just as you said and voila it works perfectly now. Thanks!

[@crystalwhitmorewhitmore3239]

Thank you you helped us fix our tension. Mine was stuck at level 16

[@michaelmeadows2554]

Exactly the fix for our broken resistance function! thanks for clear, simple steps

Incredibly helpful video! The "cam" mechanism that pulls the cable on my machine had rotated out of position so far that it was pulling from the other side of the arc, causing the resistance to work inversely. The higher the resistance, the further the magnet was pulled AWAY from the rotor, as opposed to onto more of the rotor.

[@karlweller3934]

Thanks for this. The cable anchor kept slipping. I finally replaced it. Inside the case of the blue box are a bunch of small plastic gears. mine were stripped in a spot. I was able to reposition the triangle so that the dead spot was not in the range of motion. I eventually replaced the motor unit with one from ebay. Thanks Again!!!

[@darrylbolin6855]

This was my EXACT problem and this excellent video helped me fix it. BTW, the machine symptom was that the pedals were almost impossible to use. The display said I was on level 1 but it felt like level 16, way too much resistance! Now level 1 feels like level 1 should feel!

[@tj7855]

Thank you! I emailed Bowflex asking to just return it (they didn’t respond). But this worked perfectly!

[@donaldrugama7812]

Thank you so much! i was able to fix my max trainer thanks to you. Before this resistance was insane strong. Now I can hop on and get a good workout in the AMs.

[@nogripes]

Glad I could help!

[@frankiesaenz9808]

Thank u sir, u just helped me fix my broken bowflex. Really appreciate you!!

[@marcinek84]

Thank you very much Sir ! Took me like 30min to do it all ! All fixed now , thank you so much

[@nogripes]

You're welcome!

[@davidfritz3654]

Thanks so much for this!! I learned a lot about how the machine works and was able to fix it myself - truly a wonder!!

[@vincents3334]

Thanks. Fixed my machine thanks to your help. I guess the cable stretched like so many others.

[@kannaZ-cl1fz]

Thank you for the video! My M6 servo motor position was off the other direction causing the low resistance level to move the magnets off the brake disc entirely and the brake magnets keeps bouncing back (to look for some resistance I guess?). Now it's working properly. Thank you!

[@Sharopoyezd]

Fixed my M8. I found the easiest spot to adjust the tension was at the very bottom nut, below the red lever section. It takes a small hex wrench and probably a third hand, but I made due with two.

[@ericchung1736]

Worked for me, thank you! Was about to toss the machine because a 1 felt like a 15

[@jimmood1090]

Since you mentioned taking the servo apart... I've had issues with this servo off and on for years now, and today the gear-train developed a flat spot. The potentiometer that sends the position back to the main board seems to be what is failing. The potentiometer ranges between 2k and 2.75kOhms between the red and orange wire for resistance level 1 to 16, this is consistent, but the angle that produces that resistance is not. I tried cleaning out the potentiometer but no luck. I thought about trying to find a drop-in replacement for the one part, it is a 5k potentiometer with no limit stop, but ended up purchasing a whole new assembly. It would be much less expensive to just replace the potentiometer, but more work too. Thanks for the video.

[@Antonyg2100]

Having the same issue, thanks for sharing!!! Got mine fixed now. Thanks man!!! I was ready to just put it to the curb

[@hartgemini007]

Mine had the same issue, once cover removed 5 minute fix -thank you

[@aorta222]

THANK YOU SO MUCH ! Just fixed my M6. It was stuck on like a level 10 !

[@diacmn]

very clear and informative. following the guide, I quickly fixed m7 problem.

[@MervMosher]

Your fix worked perfectly! Hardest part was getting the cover off and then back on. Poor design by Bowflex, BUT great video. Thanks very much for posting.

[@bad2000ta]

Thanks for posting this! My wife was ready to throw it out! I'm like, just wait, I have KZbin and will fix it! How you showed to repair was perfect! Really appreciate it!

[@anna-marieleducdevries5969]

Omg never throw away your bowflex maxtrainer. I'm on my second motor now. I don't know where you're located, in Canada I paid $24 total which included the cost of shipping. Repairing your bowflex is so simple in the case that you ever need something stronger than KZbin

[@galacticwarlock2271]

This motor was a problem on day 1 and I have always managed to fix it thanks to the internet. I got the M6.

[@johnlewandowski8741]

Ty Mark I just fixed my m5 hope it lasts! Ty for the information!

[@jeffyanchuk4407]

Thanks for this. Our M6 resistance didn’t work right out of the box. I took cover off, cable was simply miss routed from factory. 😊

[@juliealley6580]

Thank you so much! fixed my bowflex too and starting to use it again.

[@Jooooeeyyy]

Thanks man!! same problem here with M9

[@maksimpliushchev7596]

Thank you, Mark! That’s great!

[@jssaffrin]

Thank you. This is exactly what needed to be fixed

[@willdotk]

I stripped a working servo unit down this weekend as working on a Max M7 with a duff console and couldn't get it to power up on the bench with the servo unit disconnected so needed to figure it out. It seems the servo unit contains nylon gears, a 3v DC motor and a 5K pot thats it. The only way i can see the unit goes out of sync is if the nylon gears get stripped or the 5K pot goes out of spec or probably more unlikely a fault in the console itself. What i saw on this one was a cable tie on the servo case holding the wire into the servo unit right next to the arm that holds the cable. On mine the tie grip was protruding so the cable arm would be obstructed if it moved from position 6 to position 7 as marked on the case (Position 7 is least resistance and position 6 seems to be still no resistance so i dont think the arm is supposed to go further than position 6 to 7 but it could happen depending) and if the motor is strong enough i can see this cable tie obstruction stripping the nylon gears easily. I twisted the cable tie round so it no longer protruded out in the way of the cable arm but it had no caused the problem on this machine to my knowledge though it may if the system went out of calibration for whatever reason.

[@danieloceans9652]

Thank you very sir for making this video 🙏

[@toddmarks581]

So helpful thank you very much saved my machine, I’m going to give u a follow videos look awesome. Very helpful to everyday life. Costly replacements when just watch your videos for fixes.

[@randyrudeen5652]

Excellent video! This worked for us!

[@jamiewhite5025]

Great video, thanks so much! Would it possible to show us how to adjust the arm by tightening/loosening the tension with jam nuts?

[@andreapalacioperfetti7111]

I was going to ask the same please!

[@annwinkle6168]

I have a Bowflex M5 and after using it there is a continual clunking noise. I have opened up the right side and the tensioner and the magnets continue to move even though the rotor has stopped. I had it on the lowest setting but the magnets are still on the rotor. Do you know what the issue may be? I have to unplug it from the outlet to get it to stop.

[@tobytheboston6754]

Stop using mine a while ago after spending $2000 thank you for the great video I'm handy I'm handy I am a mechanic but I'm also very lazy sometimes you just need things laid out for you

[@Kevergy5]

Super helpful I was able to fix the resistance on my Max Trainer thank you!!

[@linandy1]

thank you😀

[@happyseany]

Hi..I just received my M16 1 month ago..arrived with Resistance Know "off" (and could not be popped back on)..they sent me entire new "Static Handlebar" assembly with Resistance Knob factory attached...and we have NO resistance adjustment at all! Even though we're under complete warranty - Im gonna try your fix first and avoid the always painful route of calling Bowflex and going thru the rigmarole!...Ill report my results...Thanks!

[@MrKellso]

Thanks for the tip. Resistance is again working on my M7, at least for the moment. I'm assuming, since it got messed up in the first place, it might be inclined to do so again.

[@pmull0011]

Just did the same myself. Curious what’s causing it. I bought mine used and thinking maybe I jacked it up during the ride but if I need to do this once a month I’m leaving the guard unscrewed lol

[@pickejm]

Thank you

[@nogripes]

You're welcome!

[@MrJab1995]

Helpful video but sometimes the servo is demagnetized and requires replacement even if you try to adjust the tensioner, it will still have the same issue.

[@henriktoft8602]

I just bought an M8 yesterday. They told they almost didn't use it and in console it said 4h... Still it had the servo problem. I ripped it out to see what the issue was and found that the server it self worked fine, but the positioning was the problem. on the back og the servo there is a potentiometer that wasn't that good. I opened the box into the gears so I could manually give the meter some motion. When all put together it had helped, but not 100%. When I raise or lover the resistance, the numbers sometimes flicker and when it does that, I can see that the servo didn't move. So it gives some offset that way. It's working for now and I may also just buy a new servo, but if someone with more knowlege in electronic parts could look into it, it should be possible to just replace the potentiometer. Im just a normal electrician my selv, so a little insecure there..

[@3yobc]

Thank you for the tips. Got mine fixed now!

[@Light.Language.Blessings]

Thank you! That worked!

[@murph1980]

Excellent video, Mark! Thanks for the info! New subscriber!

[@deliciouspeanut6572]

Thanks dude super helpful

[@kkelisgamehouse614]

Hell yea thanks bro save me a huge ton of money and headache

[@WinningWithNumbers300Wins]

V useful! Thank you!

[@leodanryan966]

Well Mark, I thought I'd drop by and give you a thumbs up 👍 😉, I don't think that machine was made for a gentleman of my stature. I weigh 374 lbs. I have a talking scale and it just says: one at a time please, keep your social distancing! Get off! get off!

[@richardguest2502]

The issue I came across tonight with my m6 was that it is stuck on level 3. The machine screen will show the resistance has increased but the white part does not rotate any further.

[@monsieurjean-luc713]

Currently going this exact same issue. Haven’t looked into yet, but will use this video for a guide. Has the problem happened again? (Anyone) Just worried about it being a bigger issue than what it is. Thank you for sharing a solution for it!!

[@bayoak]

All the time and more than I care for. It's such a buzz kill for it to require adjusting literally every other ride. I'm at that point where I'd like to scrap it and try something from a different company.

[@monsieurjean-luc713]

@@bayoak geez I was really hoping that wouldn’t be the case. Crazy, since the damn machine was a a chunk of change….

[@gewickG]

Did you ever have to replace the Servi motor? Did you make a video? Can you share it if so? I'm curious if the new ones rest in a 'no resistance' state. That would be a better design IMHO since most people may leave it in the 0 or 1 state thereby always putting tension on the spring.

[@OutYourBackDoor]

Hi! This seems close to the problem I am having. Maybe someone can help. I have a Bowflex HVT magnetic pulleys trainer. Looks likely to be a similar mechanism. But the resistance has become weird as I change the setting. Months ago it was working great. I stopped using for a month. Restarted. Now it goes normally from 1 to 7 with very low maybe the same resistance, level 1. Then gets a lot harder at 8. It gets harder and harder 9 through 12 then it stays the same to 15. Then at 16 it gets easier. Whew! I am wondering if I am supposed to do anything to maintain the magnet thing. Your info seems great for adjusting the hi/lo points. I suppose I should take the back off and have someone pull on the cables while I change the setting and look at it. Well, thanks!

[@DrAlexCullison]

Thank you for this.

[@amauris881]

Great video!!!!

[@Bnt5419]

Perfect!!!

[@fernandomaestro8365]

Hi... M8 BOWFLEX It's showing on the Update Required screen... I don't know how to solve it.

[@ivanvillarreal2202]

Thanks Mark great video.. I have fixed mine twice and still finds its way out of place. Do you know what the permanent fix for this? Thanks

[@bayoak]

I've adjusted mine dozens of time, pretty disappointing that at less than 3 years old it started failing so consistently. Finally called tech support but my call was dropped and I can't get them back on the line to finish trying to diagnose the problem and order parts.

[@VonHenry70]

I have the same issue - mine wont stay fixed more than 2 minutes, then right back to it. I'm going to try replacing the servo once...but it almost feels more like the computer is glitching...we'll see.

[@VonHenry70]

@@bayoak Pft - Try 3 minutes Sir. Never has worked. I can 'fix it' after 10 mins of the servo spinning to find "Lvl 1" then it'll work a minute or 2 exactly as it should...then the readout lvl will stick at 1 again (even if the dots are clearly at, say, 7 or so. 🤦‍♂. So dissapointing.

[@johnjinx3425]

Mine just makes a clicking noise . The bottom magnetic peice below flywheel keeps going up and down a little making the clicking noise

[@djmjr77]

Looks like you could probably use a gear selector from a bicycle to replace that servo motor on the cheap and have a manual tension adjustment, litterally looks like the same kind of setup..

[@tomunderwood4283]

That's what I am going to try next. However, I see the calories are related to the resistance number on the screen, so manually changing the tension with a bicycle shifter will not change the burn rate relative to the RPM. But one could manually adjust both (on screen resistance number and the bicycle shifter) if burn rate is important.

[@manderimel3568]

What would cause a clicking noise coming from the Motor housing?

[@bosshoss4474]

Your plastic gear inside servo is stripped and will get worse over time till it fails completely. The fix for this is to replace gear with brass one if you can find the right size!

[@northerndrone2592]

Do you have a part number?

[@ericcavanaugh9998]

I lost the screw for the white plastic tab to the servo motor. What size / length screw to buy a replacement?

[@cindyvanburen3456]

Would this work to lessen the resistance? Even one is too hard for us

[@JAMZBYRANDI]

Does it matter if the white part (pie piece) is not on the correct number (the blue numbers)?? Mine was too loose (red arm too far down) when I put the white piece on the correct number (pulled tight). So I just rotated the white piece clockwise, which pulled the red arm up… but now it’s like on number 6 or something like that from the right hand edge of the white piece. Is that ok??

[@petecollins4492]

Very nice. You are very dudeish!

[@chimricholds1910]

Well after super, carefully taking off the faceplate, the back wire snapped. So there goes my weekend. Does anyone know if this is fixable?

[@existinthenow7443]

How can I pay you?

[@mspussycat2u]

Great video. Now I'm able to to use my max trainer! Instructions were so easy to follow. Thanks so much!

[@wilrodman]

Thank you so much for the tutorial 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. I just fixed my BFM6 Elliptical with your instructions. God bless you 🙏🏻

[@WilmotKeyQuest]

Great video! Was able to fix my issue in minutes thanks to this clear tutorial. Had the exact same issue as yours here, and this fix is working perfectly so far.

[@Bloozguy]

Had mine since 2014...love the machine but the quality sucks for a 2 grand item. My case is electronics. Started with 1 button at a time, now just the welcome screen lights up and no button works. I still use it, but no resistance, I just wear a weighted vest and that works. Plus the mechanical RPM needle still moves, so I follow that roughly. One day I'll take it apart, probably something stupid, dunno. Bad solder joint? who knows, but Bowflex cheaped out on this, very disappointing.

[@diwu8465]

thank you! my M5 is working perfectly again!

[@amandaramos6922]

It worked! Thank you!! 🙏🏼

[@johngentile9092]

Thanks for this vid! I can now reset my resistance levels.

[@futbol1972]

They are selling me a max bowflex max m5 for $500 that won't let change speeds? Is it an easy fix?

[@nogripes]

It depends on what is wrong. I have an extra M5 console if you determine it to be the issue.

[@futbol1972]

@@nogripes I just found out an m7 in great condition for $300 its like 2 hours away from me

[@Lunademi3l]

Great video! Thank you

[@bayoak]

I've got a 3 year old M5 that has to be adjusted just about every other ride. I was working with customer support to try to diagnose the problem and my call was dropped after about 45 min. They had my number but didn't have the courtesy to call me back. I went through chat support to try to order the new parts I was told I needed and they said that could only be done via phone. I've been on the line for 2+ hours over several days and cannot get a tech to finalize my order. Likely, things are hectic due to the holidays but at this point, I'm thinking of just scrapping the whole thing and buying a new machine from a different company along with an extended warranty. I saw a folding Elliptical machine that looks pretty good.

[@KevMc64Ware]

brilliant - thanks helped a lot - shame the manufacturer designed this so when the machine is at rest or minimum resistance the spring and cable is at its highest stress point

[@curtisbrooks6342]

Thank Mark!!! Your fix worked perfectly!!! Save me the cost of an M5

[@noworries272]

Thank you for your videos!!

[@edhayes2102]

Thank you for showing how to fix this. My Max Trainer had the issue within 30 days of getting it. The company Bowflex (Nautilus) uses “Go Configure” is evidently not interested in getting paid to fix it, because they refuse to call me to set up an appointment for me. So this worked like a champ.

[@JS-jt7rx]

Thank you so much for sharing! I had this issue and was quoted $150 per hour to have it diagnosed and fixed. Your video really helped me understand how my bow flex M7 works and I was able to fix the issue myself. Without your video, I wouldn’t have even known where to begin to fix it! Excellent video! 👏🏽👏🏽🙏🏽🤙🏽🦾