*** This is a must read for anyone experiencing thrown tread or wheel issues on a Dolphin Explorer E20 ***
So my Explorer E20 is just 1mth out of warranty and was throwing a right tread every other week, which became everyday. Upon close inspection, the wheel tension would not allow the tread to stay on. My first instinct was that the tread had "stretched" out. Ordered new tread, same problem and not a tread issue. I'd never stopped to inspect the wheel tolerance on the axles, and finally determined...I need new wheels. No problem, I'm off to Amazon.
Oh No! No wheels for E20 on Amazon, or hardly anywhere else except Europe. Contact InyoPools, where I bought the unit, who did not have wheels and redirected me to Maytronics. Contact Maytronics and they don't sell parts. WTF? "They're on your website", I replied to the kind CSR. Sorry, those are dropped shipped from a parts wholesaler. "Ok, put me in touch with them", I asked. "Sorry, can't do that" said the CSR, "but I can give you a complimentary warranty repair, since your unit is just one month out of warranty. You'll be responsible for the shipping to us." Well, that's something at least. (BTW, Shipping was estimated to be about $40-$45, since they REQUIRED you to send the power cable, power supply, and filters, which drove the weight/size up). The main reason I did not send it in, was they were estimating a 3-6 week turnaround due to current work orders at their Duluth, GA facility. That's a long time without a cleaner.
So I called back INYOPools to see if they could help, since I buy a lot of my DIY Pool gear from them. Real nice guy on the phone, was stumped. Said he would contact his warehouse guys to see if they could order and get back to me. That was a couple of days ago. That night I'm pinging European stores, begging them to send wheels in the USA to me...sorry...but then something caught my eye....The Part#. At the bottom of the page was an explanation of the difference in part number from OEM. I could not find an Explorer E20 schematic part# reference, but now I had the part# 9983111. Search on that # and a couple of wholesalers pop up. Great! PoolWeb.com has what I need, $44 including shipping and it arrived via FedEx in 2days. For reference, the part number for Front Wheel is 9983111x and Rear Wheel is 9983015x (where x is the color...1=white, 4=turquoise, etc....). They only had grey in color, but the white hub cap covers most of it so no problem...OK...onto the repair
So I'm not going to go step by step in removing the wheels, but effectively the procedure is...1) Remove the tread, 2) Using a flat head screwdriver press in the tabs on wheel hub cap, 3) remove the stainless screw holding wheel to the axle bushing.
Same for rear wheel, but be careful removing the screw tab cover, as they look like they can break easy...
Look at the WEAR...OMG! The old is on the left and new is on the right. A difference of almost 5mm in 2yrs. That's crazy. Which says they are built to fail.
I decided that I didn't know what original tolerance on the rear and axle bushings, so I ordered all new. Turned out to be a good idea, as the rear had worn down about 1.34mm (Left old, Right new)
The axle bushings hadn't worn a lot relative to size, as most of the wear was on the wheels themselves, but they developed rough scratch areas, that were going to rub the new wheels, so I replaced them also to have smooth on smooth surface. They were like $2 each, so no problem there. ***Also, take your time working the bushings off, as they tend to get seated in over time. Use a screwdriver and work side to side, prying just a little each time, working it up, until they pop off. Make sure you only pry where the housing is more solid around the base and not on the protruding wheel plastic. See pics below. Pry too hard and you'll break the plastic housing.
Controversy HERE...I put a light film of silicone paste on my axle bushings before putting my wheels on. It won't last, but it may give me a few more months...Maybe? You do as you feel led. DO NOT USE VASELINE or any Petroleum based lubricant EVER. Whomever came up with that idea was lazy and didn't understand chemistry.
Reverse the procedure to put the new axle bushing, wheels, screws, hub caps, treads back on, and you're good to go. I'd show a pic, but can only upload 10pics. Anyway, it runs great and I'm back on track for the summer season.
Maytronics really needs to up their customer support game...Here's the latest tally (search for my name to get these posts)...
1) Told me you couldn't automate the turning on/off the E20 with an automated outlet...Wrong! Yes you can
2) Told me you couldn't install a swivel cable on an E20 to prevent tangling of power cord...Wrong! 2 prong $140 cable works great
3) Told me couldn't order wheels to repair E20 from Maytronics and had to send in for repair...Kinda Wrong, but yes you can if you have the right part numbers that Maytronics will not provide to you, because they are a "manufacturer" and not a parts supplier. WTF?
BIG SHOUTOUT to PoolWeb.com for having parts in stock (though part#'s and cross reference info could be better ) and provided FAST shipping.
Hope this helps someone and allows you to save the 5+ fiasco days of research that I got subjected to. Good Luck and Happy Summer...
So my Explorer E20 is just 1mth out of warranty and was throwing a right tread every other week, which became everyday. Upon close inspection, the wheel tension would not allow the tread to stay on. My first instinct was that the tread had "stretched" out. Ordered new tread, same problem and not a tread issue. I'd never stopped to inspect the wheel tolerance on the axles, and finally determined...I need new wheels. No problem, I'm off to Amazon.
Oh No! No wheels for E20 on Amazon, or hardly anywhere else except Europe. Contact InyoPools, where I bought the unit, who did not have wheels and redirected me to Maytronics. Contact Maytronics and they don't sell parts. WTF? "They're on your website", I replied to the kind CSR. Sorry, those are dropped shipped from a parts wholesaler. "Ok, put me in touch with them", I asked. "Sorry, can't do that" said the CSR, "but I can give you a complimentary warranty repair, since your unit is just one month out of warranty. You'll be responsible for the shipping to us." Well, that's something at least. (BTW, Shipping was estimated to be about $40-$45, since they REQUIRED you to send the power cable, power supply, and filters, which drove the weight/size up). The main reason I did not send it in, was they were estimating a 3-6 week turnaround due to current work orders at their Duluth, GA facility. That's a long time without a cleaner.
So I called back INYOPools to see if they could help, since I buy a lot of my DIY Pool gear from them. Real nice guy on the phone, was stumped. Said he would contact his warehouse guys to see if they could order and get back to me. That was a couple of days ago. That night I'm pinging European stores, begging them to send wheels in the USA to me...sorry...but then something caught my eye....The Part#. At the bottom of the page was an explanation of the difference in part number from OEM. I could not find an Explorer E20 schematic part# reference, but now I had the part# 9983111. Search on that # and a couple of wholesalers pop up. Great! PoolWeb.com has what I need, $44 including shipping and it arrived via FedEx in 2days. For reference, the part number for Front Wheel is 9983111x and Rear Wheel is 9983015x (where x is the color...1=white, 4=turquoise, etc....). They only had grey in color, but the white hub cap covers most of it so no problem...OK...onto the repair
So I'm not going to go step by step in removing the wheels, but effectively the procedure is...1) Remove the tread, 2) Using a flat head screwdriver press in the tabs on wheel hub cap, 3) remove the stainless screw holding wheel to the axle bushing.
Same for rear wheel, but be careful removing the screw tab cover, as they look like they can break easy...
Look at the WEAR...OMG! The old is on the left and new is on the right. A difference of almost 5mm in 2yrs. That's crazy. Which says they are built to fail.
I decided that I didn't know what original tolerance on the rear and axle bushings, so I ordered all new. Turned out to be a good idea, as the rear had worn down about 1.34mm (Left old, Right new)
The axle bushings hadn't worn a lot relative to size, as most of the wear was on the wheels themselves, but they developed rough scratch areas, that were going to rub the new wheels, so I replaced them also to have smooth on smooth surface. They were like $2 each, so no problem there. ***Also, take your time working the bushings off, as they tend to get seated in over time. Use a screwdriver and work side to side, prying just a little each time, working it up, until they pop off. Make sure you only pry where the housing is more solid around the base and not on the protruding wheel plastic. See pics below. Pry too hard and you'll break the plastic housing.
Controversy HERE...I put a light film of silicone paste on my axle bushings before putting my wheels on. It won't last, but it may give me a few more months...Maybe? You do as you feel led. DO NOT USE VASELINE or any Petroleum based lubricant EVER. Whomever came up with that idea was lazy and didn't understand chemistry.
Reverse the procedure to put the new axle bushing, wheels, screws, hub caps, treads back on, and you're good to go. I'd show a pic, but can only upload 10pics. Anyway, it runs great and I'm back on track for the summer season.
Maytronics really needs to up their customer support game...Here's the latest tally (search for my name to get these posts)...
1) Told me you couldn't automate the turning on/off the E20 with an automated outlet...Wrong! Yes you can
2) Told me you couldn't install a swivel cable on an E20 to prevent tangling of power cord...Wrong! 2 prong $140 cable works great
3) Told me couldn't order wheels to repair E20 from Maytronics and had to send in for repair...Kinda Wrong, but yes you can if you have the right part numbers that Maytronics will not provide to you, because they are a "manufacturer" and not a parts supplier. WTF?
BIG SHOUTOUT to PoolWeb.com for having parts in stock (though part#'s and cross reference info could be better ) and provided FAST shipping.
Hope this helps someone and allows you to save the 5+ fiasco days of research that I got subjected to. Good Luck and Happy Summer...
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