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Indoor Rower Troubleshooting

Symptom	Possible Cause	Remedy
Scraping noise from inside of front end beam.	Shock cord or chain may be routed incorrectly or worn. Shock cord or chain may have jumped off pulley.	See Return Mechanism Schematic PDF for proper routing of the shock cord and chain. Concept Concept2 is replacement parts are needed.
Creaking noise from the footplate area.	Two mating surfaces of monorail and front end are working against each other.	Separate the monorail from the front end. Apply a light coat of thick lubricant (Vaseline or Chapstick) to front facing and bottom rear facing aluminum hooks located at front of monorail. Reassemble and row.
Seat sticks on monorail.	Cause #1 Monorail may not be clean.	Remedy #1 Clean monorail. Wipe monorail with a cloth or non-abrasive scouring pad after use. You can use soap and water or any glass cleaner. Do not use mineral acids, bleach or coarse abrasives.
	Cause #2 Bottom rollers are too tight.	Remedy #2 Adjust with a 9/16" or 14mm wrench.
Seat is bumpy as it rolls.	Dirt on seat rollers or monorail, or worn out seat rollers.	Clean rollers and monorail. Replace top seat rollers if worn out (Concept2 part number 1724). See the Seat Roller Replacement PDF.
Chain skips on sprocket during the drive or runs roughly during the recovery.	Cause #1 Stiff links in chain.	Remedy #1 Clean and lubricate the chain. If it continues to skip, the machine should not be rowed and you should contact Concept2 immediately.
	Cause #2 Worn out sprocket.	Remedy #2 Replace sprocket with PN 1112 from Concept2.
Handle does not retract all the way to the chain guard and hangs loose.	Shock cord is too loose due to normal stretching or cold temperatures.	Adjust shock cord tension. See the Shock Cord Adjustment PDF. Replace shock cord if it is frayed through outer cover or if it is losing its elasticity. Order Concept2 part number PN 1731. If the shock cord is cold, allow it to warm up.
Seat hits the end of the track while rowing. NOTE: it is possible that you will hit the end of the monorail while just sitting, but not while actually rowing. We recommend that you try a test row before making adjustments.	Long legs!	If you hit the end of the monorail while rowing with the seat rollers in the standard position, you can extend the travel distance of the seat by 1 inch. Use two 9/16" or 14mm wrenches to loosen the bolt holding the rear top seat roller in the seat carriage (see drawing). Remove the roller and hardware from hole A. Note the order of hardware. Place the roller and hardware in hole B in the same order in which you removed it. Tighten the nut. If this doesn't extend the seat far enough for you, please contact us to purchase an extended length monorail Concept2 part number PN 1749.
The seat wobbles from side to side on the monorail.	After extended use, the fit of the seat on the monorail may become loose due to wear on the rollers.	You may move the bottom rollers to a tighter hole toward the front of the seat (C) as shown in the seat drawing above by following one of the following steps. The top roller must be removed and the seat slid up to front of monorail and off. Use two 9/16" or 14mm wrenches to do this. Use a 9'16" wrench and an allen wrench to loosen and tighten the bottom rollers. OR The top of the rear leg must be removed from the monorail using a 7/16" wrench and an allen wrench. The seat can then be slid off the rear of the monorail. Use a 9/16" wrench and an allen wrench to loosen and tighten the bottom rollers. Please refer to the following PDFs: Seat Roller Replacement PDF Rear Leg Assembly PDF.
Monitor display fails to come on when you start to row.	Cause #1 If you just changed the batteries, they may be in upside down.	Remedy #1 A: Try reversing the orientation of the batteries. See the Battery Removal and Replacement PDF. B: If you have not just changed the batteries, try pressing the ON/OFF button. If there is still no life in the display, you could try new batteries. If this doesn't help, contact Concept2. If the ON/OFF button does activate the display (with zeroes), there may be a problem with the monitor pickup.
	Cause #2 Performance Monitor pickup wire may not be securely plugged in on back of monitor.	Remedy #2 Make sure the plug is inserted completely.
Faded or incomplete segments on the PM2 display.	Poor connection between LCD and circuit board.	Perform this self-test: hold down the READY/OK button, then press the DISPLAY button. This self-test will cycle the monitor through all the segments. Press ON/OFF to end the test.
Entire monitor screen (not just Heart Rate display) goes blank when the Heart Rate cable is plugged in.	A short-circuit that occurs if the Heart Rate cable is plugged into the PM2 while the monitor is turned ON.	Push the ON/OFF button once to turn the PM2 off, then push the ON/OFF button again to turn the PM2 back on again. We suggest that the Heart Rate cable be plugged into the monitor when the PM2 is turned off.
The heart rate reading is absent or is totally erratic. NOTE: Occasionally the Heart Rate Monitor will pick up bad data for a number of reasons. When the PM2 recognizes bad data, the display will go blank rather than show the bad data. It will take 5 seconds or longerto reestablish and display accurate readings.	Cause #1 Poor contact between skin and electrodes.	Remedy #1 A: Repeat the electrode wetting procedure by wetting the two grooved recrtangular areas on the underside of the Belt Transmitter thoroughly with water or saliva. The electrodes must be wet to pick up accuarate heart rate readings. B: Make sure the transmitter is centered with electrodes flat against your skin, as high under the pectoral muscles as is comfortable. C: Wash your belt transmitter with mild soap and water, if you have not been doing so regularly.
	Cause #2 Receiver too far away from transmitter.	Remedy #2 Make sure your Receiver is within the proper range to receive transmission (1 meter/3 feet from your chest belt).
	Cause #3 Bad cable connections.	Remedy #3 Check the cable connection on the back of the PM2 where the receiver cable plugs in. Check the connection between the cable and the receiver.
	Cause #4 Outside interference.	Remedy #4 If you are exercising within range of strong electromagnetic signals the heart rate readings may elevate to abnormal levels. Common sources of electromagnetic signals are televisions, computers, cars, TV antennas, high voltage power lines and motor driven exercise equipment.
	Cause #5 Signals from more than one Belt Transmitter within the transmission range (1 meter/3 feet) may also cause incorrect readings.	Remedy #5 Check your surroundings and move away from the source of interference if possible. NOTE: Two Indoor Rowers with heart rate hardware must be at least 4 feet (1.22 meters) apart to avoid interference.