Gonna need more beer for this '96 EZ-GO. And some help.

[abertx]

Okay, kids. Settle in for story time.

North Myrtle Beach, out cruising around with my dad, I spotted this golf cart for sale. It's a 1996 EZ-GO 36V. It ain't the one with the tow/run switch. And at this point, I don't know that I believe it's actually a '96 model. Anyway, I picked it up for $1,000.

I get it back home and the charger doesn't work. No big deal. I planned on replacing it anyway. One order and a few days later, I receive a new charger. In the meantime, I dig into the old charger. Oh, look, there's screws missing. Someone dun been here befo'. I open it up and find cheap ring and spade connectors aplenty. Oh, yeah. This one is history. I don't like my house but I'd rather it not burn down with me in it.

I start trying to find a switched power source for a voltmeter. A little time with the multimeter, I find one. Cool. Things are going good. *record scratch* WRONG

While tightening the nut I get temporarily blinded when I absent-mindedly touch positive and negative. It's bright. 0/10. Don't recommend to a friend.

OK. Let's throw some parts at it. I order a solenoid and it arrives. I take a bunch of pictures and install the new part exactly as the old one came out. I hook the battery up and put the rear end up in the air on a jack just to be safe and not inadvertently drive the cart into my beer fridge. Could you imagine the horror? Don't want to.

Pop off the brake and depress the throttle. Can you guess what comes next? I bet you can. Smoke. From below the solenoid. I'm not entirely sure where it came from, to be honest.

Well, I get to pulling everything out and I get real acquainted with the sound and feel of bolts snapping off. At this point, why would I expect anything to be easy? 2 snapped removing the controller, one pulling the solenoid, and all 4 broke when pulling the heatsink (after the first 2, I knew I was going to spend some quality time with a drill and tap). I did. The bottom of the heatsink wound up getting 3/16-16 because reasons. I managed to salvage the bolt holes for the controller, mostly.

Fast forward to today. Get everything put back in place and wired up. Double check. Triple check. Looks good. Everything is tight and in the right place. Brake off, throttle. Hmm. Huh? How about you turn the key on, you idiot? Key on, brake off, gentle application of throttle. Nothing. But, hey, no smoke. I guess I've let it all out previously and there was none left.

Controller didn't rattle or smell of smoke. Everything else was new. Odd.

Checking all of the microswitches, I start at the throttle. I start to pull the floormat and get greeted by 3" machine screws holding the trim plates on the side. 1 was bent and the other was pulled so tight it went through the metal, err, rust, so I couldn't even get a wrench on it from the bottom. Hello, Dremel, my old friend. I've come to do damage with you again.

Mat out, hello ants. I pick up the mat to move it and feel a little tickle in the palm of my right hand. It's a dang cockroach. Smash. He dead.

At this point, I begin to survey the lack of structural integrity of this cart. It's ugly. Part of me says to just take the wheels off and the batteries out and scrap the dang thing. The other, stupider, side of me says, "let's make this thing run really fast." I think reality will meet somewhere in the middle with "let's make this thing run."

Now, I fully expect someone to come in here and tell me I have no business messing around with this stuff. For you people, guess what; you're right. But I'm gonna do it anyway. You can help me learn this stuff or sit back and laugh. I don't care. You do you. For those that decide to chip in and help, if you come through Charlotte and you're in my area, the first couple beers are on me.

As of this writing, the plan is simple; get in over my head, do some questionable repairs, and use this thing to pull a drag to top dress my yard next summer. The next missive may come with fantasies involving Tannerite and high-power rifles. We'll try not to cross that bridge unless there it just gets that bad.

So, where should I start? I'd like to avoid just throwing parts at it if possible.

Thoughts, concerns, prayers, insults all welcome.

[augiedoggy]

Probably a bad solenoid. I would test it by applying 36v across the coil to activate it. You should hear a click as it engages. I bought a 36v cart a few months ago with this same issue and $36 later all was right and working.

Also I assume you had those pictured disconnected battery cables connected at the time of testing?

[abertx]

Originally Posted by augiedoggy

Probably a bad solenoid. I would test it by applying 36v across the coil to activate it. You should hear a click as it engages. I bought a 36v cart a few months ago with this same issue and $36 later all was right and working.

Also I assume you had those pictured disconnected battery cables connected at the time of testing?

It has a new solenoid on it already. I'm not dimissing the idea that it could be bad. Or that I somehow killed it. Will test it in the morning. I've had enough fun for the day and the F1 race is early in the morning.

The battery cables were all connected when I tested.

[Komodo1982]

Do you have the precharge 250 ohm resistor between the large posts of the solenoid and a diode between the small posts?

[Komodo1982]

Also if you haven't thrown away the charger yet and it's a PowerWise check out the below video. They are really easy to troubleshoot and repair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COxh3yWcx5w

[Komodo1982]

And lastly here is a step by step to troubleshoot the cart

https://www.cartsunlimited.net/ezgo-...eshooting.html

[abertx]

Originally Posted by Komodo1982

Do you have the precharge 250 ohm resistor between the large posts of the solenoid and a diode between the small posts?

Yep. The resistor is there.

The charger is gone. It was a hack job inside. Didn't trust it. The further I go into this cart, the more I am convinced that was the right decision, to trash the charger. Whoever worked on this cart, and likely the charger, shouldn't ever be allowed within 50 feet of a toolbox.

Let this guy work on the cart again or dinner with Hannibal Lecter? Tough choice.

[Komodo1982]

Haha gotcha, well go through the trouble shooting steps on carts unlimited. Print it out would be my recommendation so you can check off what you did.

[SolarRat]

Originally Posted by abertx

...Whoever worked on this cart, and likely the charger, shouldn't ever be allowed within 50 feet of a toolbox...

I find myself saying the same thing. Every day. About everything.

I'm just here for the beer and Tannerite, but I'll try and chime in if I have something to say. I'd start with looking for whatever let the smoke out. Beneath the solenoid can only be the resistor, wires, or the controller. If you have a 4 pin molex connector down there, bypass it with solder or good crimps...they are trouble. Model # is in the passenger glove box...last two digits should be the year.

[mgray70]

Sounds like you installed the diode backwards between the two small post of the solenoid. That would cause a dead short when the pedal is pressed causing the smoke at the solenoid. As result of the dead short, it usually takes out the next weakest link, which is usually the pedal micro switch under the floor mat, or the forward micro switch, or Reed switch of it still had one.

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