lifted club cars - lifted ezgo
Home FAQDonate Who's Online
Go Back   Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum > Golf Cart Repair and Troubleshooting > Electric golf carts > Star and Fairplay


Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-19-2020, 08:59 AM   #1
Mbop
Getting Wild
 
Mbop's Avatar
Star
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: SE
Posts: 77
Default High amp draw and battery drain, help!

Hi BGW,

Sorry for the long winded post but here we go. I bought a 2010 Star cart last month and have been working on upgrades. Here's where I am at so far:

-Upgraded the Curtis 1268 400amp controller for the 500amp version.
-Limo cart motor from Chuck at EMP (Option 3)
-Curtis/Albright 180B solenoid with diode and pre-charge resistor
-2AWG battery cables
-12" ITP wheels wrapped in 23x10.50-12 Duro Desert
-Added a 12v battery for a radio, beacon, and USB chargers

The problem that I am facing is with excessive amp draw from the motor and my battery pack is draining abnormally fast.

-8, 6v T105's with E8 date stamp, May 2018
-Hydrometer averages out to about 1275 for all batteries
-53v on fully charged pack.

When the cart was stock the amp draw from the motor at full throttle on a level surface with only a driver was between 110-120amps. Sometimes a bit higher, sometimes a touch lower. As expected, this number has increased with all the new modifications to an average of 144.

From speaking with EMP this number is excessively high, in the neighborhood of 40%. It is my understanding that a stock cart should draw about 70-80 amps under these conditions. Things I have been working on to reduce drag on the motor.

-Front end alignment (The cart has a 4" All Sports axle drop lift) I was able to adjust the tow, it was marginally off. There is no camber adjustment.
-Greased all front end zerks
-Brake drag (This cart has the self adjusting brakes. I believe there was a minimal amount of drag so I backed the brakes off via the star wheel self adjuster. I'm sure they will automatically overtighten again in due time.)
-Traced electrical cables and inspected for premature wear to the best of my ability. I may need to dig into this more and start checking resistance on the main leads.
-20 PSI max tires inflated to 18 PSI so underinflated tires I would imagine are not an issue.
-Changed rear differential fluid


A few observations
-Front hubs seem to spin freely and true. One stops spinning 3-4 second before the other.
-Rear wheels do not spin as freely. Obviously they have to turn gears and naturally have more drag but I feel as if they should spin a bit better than they do when both lifted off the ground. Chuck at EMP mentioned he had heard these rear axels can be "tight" from the manufacturer causing unnecessary drag. Is there any practical test for checking the axle, its bearings, or the gearbox?
-Battery meter shows roughly half charge after 5-6 miles.

Can anyone help with reducing amp draw? I am starting to run out of ideas. I was hoping the replacement controller and motor would have eliminated the issue but it seems that the problem lies elsewhere.
Mbop is offline   Reply With Quote
Alt Today
BGW

Golf car forum Sponsored Links

__________________
This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members.
Register your free account today and become a member on Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum
   
Old 04-19-2020, 10:54 AM   #2
NCPW
Just Gone
 
NCPW's Avatar
Club Car
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 3,549
Default Re: High amp draw and battery drain, help!

What's your driving habits and terrain like? i.e. pedal to the metal with hills or flat pavement and cruising at partial throttle? As you may know, the distance you traverse and amp draw is directly proportional to your driving style, terrain type and the load you're carrying.
NCPW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-19-2020, 12:01 PM   #3
Mbop
Getting Wild
 
Mbop's Avatar
Star
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: SE
Posts: 77
Default Re: High amp draw and battery drain, help!

I am usually casually cruising around with the wife and kids but for the purpose of this discussion I have been conducting the test runs on the same street, which is flat, and getting back and forth from the street through average roads in my neighborhood.

The problem, as it has been presented to me, is that with throttle full open on flat ground, with one passenger and my configuration (window, roof, weight, etc.) an equivalent cart would see amp draws in the 70-80 amp range. My cart is drawing 40-50+ on top of this. This was with my stock motor/controller. My amp draw further increased during the same testing with the upgrades which I expected. I was hoping that the problem may have been with the motor or the controller but after the new installs the problem remains which makes me think it is possibly a cabling issue or parasitic drag from the drivetrain.
Mbop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-22-2020, 08:24 AM   #4
Mbop
Getting Wild
 
Mbop's Avatar
Star
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: SE
Posts: 77
Default Re: High amp draw and battery drain, help!

I’ve spoken to the local Star dealer and their service department told me they have had a similar issue on two separate carts, both were 6 seaters though. One of the carts was rebuilt from the ground up and they still couldn’t make progress. The last item was swapping the motor for a new factory motor and voila. Amp draw was back in the normal range.

After discussing my scenario I was told to bring it in and they would swap to a new factory motor and retest. Cautiously optimistic at this point. If the motor was the issue I would have thought my new motor from EMP would have resolved the problem. Hope to hear more today.

Any other ideas?
Mbop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-22-2020, 09:01 AM   #5
Sergio
Gone Wild
 
Sergio's Avatar
Club Car
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 9,329
Default Re: High amp draw and battery drain, help!

Before you trade your high performance motor for a stock motor, who configured the field map on the Controller to match the new motor?

If the field map is not correct it would make the motor run inefficiently.

If the local shop is familiar with the motor map setup process (usually fully described in the Curtis manual), they can drive around monitoring the Armature amp draw and configure the Field current according to the RPMs.

I am not sure what "option #3" is, but if it is a dual mode or dual speed that also makes a difference how the motor is wired.
Sergio is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-22-2020, 09:13 AM   #6
Mbop
Getting Wild
 
Mbop's Avatar
Star
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: SE
Posts: 77
Default Re: High amp draw and battery drain, help!

Hi Sergio,

The engine designer was working with me on configuration settings. Both stock and custom configurations were drawing high amps on both the stock and aftermarket motor. Ive also tried two different Curtis 1268 controller, the 400 and 500amp versions. I don't intend on permanently changing back to a stock motor but rather using this as an exercise to help isolate where the issue is stemming from. If the amp draw continues to be high with a fresh factory motor installed it will be increasingly clear that the motor is not the issue. It is a SEPEX dual speed motor.

I currently have the Curtis 1313 programmer and have been able to adjust and monitor field and arm current on the fly. Even with hands on assistance from Chuck at EMP we have been unable to bring the amps down and attain the performance I am after. Strangely, as we continue to lower the M1 FWD FIELD MIN the VOLTS have been dropping. It seems one we get below 7.0 the volts start dropping below 45.
Mbop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-22-2020, 10:30 AM   #7
Sergio
Gone Wild
 
Sergio's Avatar
Club Car
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 9,329
Default Re: High amp draw and battery drain, help!

The "M1 FWD FIELD MIN" by itself does not mean much unless we know also the "FLD MAP START", "FLD MAP END", "FIELD MAX" and "FIELD RAMP".

I assume the EMP guy verified all of those settings with You at the desired speed/load, specially the "FLD MAP START".
Sergio is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-22-2020, 04:49 PM   #8
Mbop
Getting Wild
 
Mbop's Avatar
Star
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: SE
Posts: 77
Default Re: High amp draw and battery drain, help!

Yes, all of those parameters had been adjusted as follows:
FIELD MAP START - 150
FIELD MAP END - 350
FIELD MAX - 50
FIELD RAMP - 20%

There are about a dozen more that we adjusted to include the Brake and Regen parameters as well as NEG FIELD parameters.
Mbop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-22-2020, 04:58 PM   #9
Mbop
Getting Wild
 
Mbop's Avatar
Star
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: SE
Posts: 77
Default Re: High amp draw and battery drain, help!

Also regarding voltage drop and battery drain. The shop called me back today and mentioned one of my batteries was failing the load test and was dropping to 4v, or thereabout, while the others were holding at prescribed values. They did swap to a factory motor and continued to see high amp draw.

If any of the values I provided seem way out of sorts I’d be very interested in hearing thoughts and recommendations. Happy to provide all the parameters of it helps.
Mbop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-23-2020, 08:43 AM   #10
Sergio
Gone Wild
 
Sergio's Avatar
Club Car
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 9,329
Default Re: High amp draw and battery drain, help!

You are cruising at 110-120 amps at the Armature and anything less than 150 amps (FIELD MAP START - 150) would put the Field at the minimum current value (M1 FWD FIELD MIN).

You said lowering the Field further causes a drop in voltage, whsre, at the Armature?

If so then the cart reached the maximum RPM set and the Controller is lowering the PWM duty cycle.

Have you tried increasing the Field or lowering the "FIELD MAP START" to see if current consumption goes down?

A limo with big tires may need more field current at high speed.
Sergio is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
amp, drag, motor
Go Back   Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum > Golf Cart Repair and Troubleshooting > Electric golf carts > Star and Fairplay


Thread Tools
Display Modes


Similar Threads
Thread Forum
Battery draw Gas EZGO
Battery Draw issues Gas Yamaha
Battery draw 97 CC DS Electric Club Car
Do high amp controllers = quick battery drain Electric Club Car
92 Ezgo Resistor Conversion gone bad... HIGH AMP DRAW and Lack of power HELP!!!!! Extreme DC!


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:12 PM.


Club Car Electric | EZGO Electric | Lifted Golf Carts | Gas EZGO | Used Golf Carts and Parts

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This Website and forum is the property of Buggiesgonewild.com. No material may be taken or duplicated in part or full without prior written consent of the owners of buggiesgonewild.com. © 2006-2017 Buggiesgonewild.com. All rights reserved.