Did the drive motor of your treadmill just stop? The treadmill turns on and the console lights up. It indicates that you are moving perhaps, but you are just standing there. . .
WAIT! . . . It’s probably not the motor!
Chances are that the motor controller, also known as the “motor control board” or even the “lower board” is not sending power to the drive motor and needs to be replaced.
If it will make you feel better you can test the drive motor by using a DC battery. First unplug the treadmill from the wall. Then follow the two typically black and red wires from the drive motor to the to motor control board. Unplug them and then connect them to a DC battery. The typically red wire goes to the plus (+) side and the black wire goes to the minus (-) side. (if you reverse them the treadbelt will run backwards). If the belt now moves with no issues then the motor is fine.
The primary reason that the lower board fails is due to lack of treadbelt and deck maintenance. Treadbelts and decks do wear out and typically need to be replaced every 3-5 years on well used treadmills.
Worn out treadbelts and decks create more friction making the drive motor work harder to move the user. This means the motor needs to pull more amps through the lower board. A high amp draw eventually causes the lower board to fail and will no longer send power to the drive motor.
The fix is to replace the walking belt, the motor control board, and perhaps the deck if it is worn as well.
Aside from the treadbelt replacement, motor control board replacement is probably the more common repair and treadmill issue.
