Monday 14 November 2016

How to fix a squeaking/creaking treadmill

I’m John, I’m an engineer by trade and also an expert in fitness machines.
We have here a treadmill and I’m just going to show you a little test and a couple of little tips really useful for curing noises. So there are things that squeaks and creaks on your treadmill. I’m talking about the noise that you get when you’re running on the machine and every time your foot goes down you’ll get a sort of a creaking noise or an irritating squeak.
First, please check and see where it’s coming from. Just position yourself in the middle of the treadmill and bounce up and down a little bit. Quite often you’ll get the noise to occur, this machine hasn’t got a noise. This is a brand-new machine and it’s fine. The sort of noises that you get every time you do that and every time you bounce on it, it’s quite distinctive noise and really irritating if you’re using the machine a lot.
So things you can check are the arms. They are nice and tight, if not you can check the pivots at the front of the treadmill. You also have the incline mechanisms here. They’re quite easy to check, because you can get a kind of lubricant and just pop a little bit of lubricant on to those pivots. There’s one at the front and one at the back and you can do the same on that side as well. There’s another set there and also you can turn the machine. You can lift the back of the machine up. So when you lift in the back of the machine you will hear a click when the deck reaches upright position.
On this machine there’s actually a locking leave, so to release the locking lever just give it a push press down with your foot and it comes off the latch obviously.
Listen for it to be clicked in, because we’re going to work down there so we don’t want this falling on our heads.
And we can do all of these places with just a little bit of lube inside and out. [the video shows Jon lubricating some pivots and the gas struts]. The chances are that in amongst all of those little points all those pivots leave now lubricated the one that was making the noise will now be secured so that when you release the machine and pop it back down again you should find that when you bounce up and down and you don’t hear anything, that’s ideal!

13 comments:

  1. I have just bought a new treadmill everything works, but when I stand on it, it creaks like crazy?

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  2. My brand new treadmill is creaking not squeaking like mad when I stand on it what can I do to rectify this problem

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    1. Follow the advice in the video, lube the running belt and if you got it shipped to your home please also check that all is fine and the frame is aligned. Sometimes they get hit during the transport.

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  3. Hi, I have a fairly new Bowflex T116 and it creaks like crazy on the left side board. It doesn’t squeak it’s not bolts or lube issues it’s creaking like an old wooden floor board. It drives me crazy, like the plastic is creaking. Paid $1600 for this treadmill not even a year ago, the noise is a huge turn off. When I stand directly on the left side board I know that’s where the noise is coming from but I don’t know how to fix it since it’s not a lube problem.

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  4. Hi
    My treadmill squeaks but only when it is at zero incline. Any incline above zero and the squeak stops. I was wondering if you have any advice. Thanks Jacqueline

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    Replies
    1. Hello, try to lubricate the joints that move when you raise the slope and screw in all the screws of the frame

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    2. Thanks for your quick response. :) I will give that a try.
      Jacqueline

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  5. I have an proform 500 space saver treadmill and the back wheel track that the belt wraps around squeaks terribly when it is on. I have tried lubricating the belt but it doesn't help. What lubricant can I use on the back wheel.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, the only part where it needs lubrication is under the belt. Most likely it is the roller bearings that are noisy

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  6. I have a Confidence fitness Power Trac treadmill, it's only used lightly as I'm getting on a bit, it makes a loud creaking noise with footfall, I have tried lubricating the belt but its no better, it even creaks just by bouncing lightly on it without the belt running. On checking underneath some of the nuts and bolts each side, I think there are ten or twelve, had come loose and one the nut was completely off the bolt, I've put all that back together and I still have the creaking noise, I bought it as a used machine and I worry that its not been assembled correctly, I dont think its the belt could it be something in the base part under the belt?

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    Replies
    1. Hi, take out the screws, put some grease in the hole and put the screws back. Then it also lubricates the joints of the structure

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    2. Yessssss it worked! silence is golden! thank you so much for your advice, I took all the nuts and bolts out of one side, then I was able to prise the joints apart a little and deposit a little copper grease in there with a small brush, did the same the other side and the orrible noise is gone.

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    3. I am very happy that we have solved the problem. In case you come back, now you know how

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