Last updated: April 29, 2021If you have ever had a wheelchair and later transitioned to a mobility scooter, you understand how important it is to have constant access to your mobility scooter. It gives you so much freedom to move from one place to the other. Same thing if you have an old adult, you can imagine the level of freedom their scooter affords them. Therefore, having constant access to it is very important. Whether your mobility scooter is for indoor or outdoor purpose, it is important you learn the trick of how to start a mobility scooter without a key if you lost it.
If you have ever lost the key to your mobility scooter Trusted Source Mobility scooter - Wikipedia GA mobility scooter is an electric vehicle and mobility aid equivalent or auxiliary to a wheelchair but configured like a motorscooter. When motorized they are commonly referred to as a power-operated vehicle/scooter or electric scooter as well. Non-motorized mobility scooters are less common, but are intended for the estimated 60% of wheelchair users who have at least some use of their legs. en.wikipedia.org , then you understand that it is not a bad idea to have another means of starting your scooter asides from using a key. It would not be a good scenario to get stranded when you lost your scooter key. This is why we have come up with ways to help you start your mobility scooter even if you lost the key.
If it happens you lose your keys, there are safe ways to start your mobility scooter without damaging it. The best way to go about solving any problem relating to loss of key is to contact your manufacturer and order a new one. But because it may take days for your key to arrive, you might want to explore better options. However, the 2 Wire Ignition Key Switch Lock, Keenso Motorcycle Ignition Starter Switch Universal for Scooter has proven fast and effective.
Imagine a situation where you are about to go out for a short ride, and you could not find your mobility scooter. It would be sad to cancel your plans because you could not find the key. This is why we have put together some safe ways to start your mobility scooter without using a key.
Apart from getting a replacement key, two ways by which you can start your mobility scooter is by using a screwdriver or starting it by hot wiring. These two ways can seem daunting especially if you have never done something like that before, but by following this article step-by-step, you will be able to do them easily.
Hot wiring is an old method of starting vehicles, cars, and other machines that require ignition or battery to start. If you have ever hot-wired a car, then doing the same for a mobility scooter would not be an issue. But if this is your first time, you can get to learn how to hot-wire too.
Before we continue, you should understand how a key starts the mobility scooter. What the key does is that it opens up the flow of electricity from the battery to the motor to initiate its turning. Once this happens, for normal vehicles, the fuel takes over and keeps the motor running.
For the mobility scooter, the key starts the flow of the electricity and passes the electrons via an energy control panel where you can control the speed at which your scooter is moving. So basically what the key does is that it makes or breaks the connection to the source of electricity. Once you understand that, the concept of hot wiring will be easier for you to grasp.
So, if you do not have a key to make the connection with your battery, you can improvise by using the hot-wire approach.
To start the hot-wiring process, there are few tools you need, and they include the following:
There is a number of steps to carry out the hot-wire process, and they include the following:
This is the step where you find the wiring system. Before this step, you can use the screwdriver to try and start your mobility scooter. Many will start with the use of a screwdriver, while others will not. Therefore, if yours does not start with one, you should continue with this process.
First, make sure your glove is on. After this, start looking for the wiring system. For most scooters, the wiring system is always beneath the control panel, that is, the place where you have the speed gauges, ignition, and dials. All these pieces are held together by screws, therefore with the use of your screwdriver, you can easily remove the screws. One of the best screwdrivers in the market is the Klein Tools 32500 Multi-Bit Screwdriver.
Once you remove the screw, the panel will come out easily, and the wiring system will be visible for you to manipulate. The wiring system is often made up of three different colored wires bundled together. You need to be cautious at this point so that you can carefully identify the wire to work with.
The red and black wires are live wires, that is, electricity runs through them. Though they seem to be dangerous wires, they are the ones you will be working with. If your mobility scooter has different wire colors, all you need is to test the different colors and see the ones that will initiate the ignition.
Once you have identified the wires to work with, the next step is to uncap them. The uncapping must be carefully done. What you are doing here is removing the plastic piece surrounding the wire to make it naked. You should do this using the rubber-handle pliers. These rubber tools are to keep you safe during the uncapping process.
Step 3Now that you have your live wires uncapped, the next step is to insert them into the ignition socket. This is a process you have to do carefully to avoid any fatal occurrence. You will insert the uncapped wires one after the other into the ignition socket (keyhole). The keyhole has two opposite sides. One on one end and the second on the opposite side. The moment you do this, you should hear the click sound of the engine. If you hear any different noise or no noise at all, you are definitely using the wrong wires.
This is the final and easiest part. Once you hear that humming sound, it means electricity is passing through the ignition. Therefore, to start it, turn the wire you have inserted inside the keyhole, and your mobility scooter is ready to start.
First, if you depend so much on your mobility scooter, you should consider getting a replacement even before it gets lost. This is because losing your key can cause unwanted anxiety, and you can easily avoid it by preparing for the “bad” day. The possibility of losing the key to your mobility scooter is also one of the factors that should determine the manufacturer that you patronize.
Some companies that do not have effective customer service talk less about replacing your key fast. Anyways, to get a replacement key, you will need the following information:
Hot-wiring and other ways to start your mobility scooter are not conventional but for emergency purposes. Therefore you should not try it just for fun. Moreover, if you feel you cannot still hot-wire after this article, it is advisable to seek the help of an expert rather than cause more damage to your mobility scooter.
The best way to resolve issues surrounding the loss of key is to order another one. This might be longer but remains the safest. Also, it might be a bit weird starting your mobility scooter by hot-wire method in public. Therefore aside from emergency cases, you should just order a new key from your manufacturer.
