No beeper, no click, no anything

[hugger6933]

I have a 06 EZ-GO that I rebuilt in 06 with a new wiring , controller[speed] and Speed motor. I love this cart my wife and I use it sometimes daily but the cold winter has left it in the cart shed. The batteries are one year old and I knew there would be some cable cleaning and replacing to do. well the cart needed three cables and all the rest were cleaned. I put it back together and got on it it took off jerked a time or two and went about 10 to15 ft and quit. Then it has no reverse beeper or click from the solenoid no anything anywhere. I first thought it may be the pedal switch but ruled it out because of the click and the reverse beeper. Is there an easier way to get to the key switch to check it or the forward reverse switch? the batteries are hot they checked like 38.8 volts. I have a little time working on this cart I did build it up but that was a LONG time ago. Thoughts from Cart masters please? my wife and I will be so thankful. Jim

[Edarien]

My DCS cart just did the same thing. JonnieB was able to provide me with the schematics and thought process to track the problem down. Look for a wiring schematic and start tracing the wires.

Mine was a bad magnetic reed switch in the charger socket. Hope this helps.

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...eshooting.html

[hugger6933]

I am not using the reed switch with my charger. It is a charger that I used on my other carts when I still had them before my back up cart was a gas model. The charger plug is one that is similar looking to a house hold dryer plug. I have been using that charger and that setup like that since the cart was rebuilt by me in 06. [I rebuild wrecks and stuff like that, this cart was rolled into a lake on a course close to the salvage sale I buy from]. I changed ALL the wiring and the motor and the controller and all of the switches when this cart was done in 06 and have not had any problems related to its history . The controller and motor were upgraded to one for more power and speed, I don't recall the name of those parts but I bought them from a dealer in LA, Monroe in fact. The place is called LA carts. Jim

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by hugger6933

I have a 06 EZ-GO that I rebuilt in 06 with a new wiring , controller[speed] and Speed motor. I love this cart my wife and I use it sometimes daily but the cold winter has left it in the cart shed. The batteries are one year old and I knew there would be some cable cleaning and replacing to do. well the cart needed three cables and all the rest were cleaned. I put it back together and got on it it took off jerked a time or two and went about 10 to15 ft and quit. Then it has no reverse beeper or click from the solenoid no anything anywhere. I first thought it may be the pedal switch but ruled it out because of the click and the reverse beeper. Is there an easier way to get to the key switch to check it or the forward reverse switch? the batteries are hot they checked like 38.8 volts. I have a little time working on this cart I did build it up but that was a LONG time ago. Thoughts from Cart masters please? my wife and I will be so thankful. Jim

Based on the statement highlighted in Blue, I'm guessing you have a 2006 PDS cart, or at least it started out as one.

If so, the controller controls the solenoid and beeper, so the controller isn't working. That doesn't necessarily mean it is bad, just that it is not working for some reason or other and some troubleshooting is needed to find out if it is being told to turn on and do things.

However, first let's find out if the battery pack is okay.
Was it kept charged while the cart was stored?
Is the fluid level correct? (use distilled water only if low)
What is the pack voltage after the batteries have sit for 12 hours after being charged? (Should be about 38.2V for a 36V pack)
What are the individual battery voltages after sitting for 12 hours? (Should be about 6.37V each and all 6 batteries should be within 0.1V of the others.)

Attached is the schematic for a PDS cart with the solenoid activation circuit highlighted. With the Key ON, Forward selected on F/R and pedal pushed, you should have full battery pack voltage on everything highlighted in Red.

[hugger6933]

The total pack voltage was like 40.1 each one was over 6.5 or more. the water level was over each cell at least a 1/4 inch but not out the top of the battery. the charger was left on while it was in storage , is that not the right thing to do? I do that every year but like I said we have never gone this long without using a cart over the winter. Sometimes it is even warm enough to play on Christmas day. Our family gave each other some clubs at different times for Christmas and after lunch we would go to the range and drive with them. Lots of times we have played 30 or 40 rounds by now. I remember John [the guy at La carts telling me that] the regen parts would no longer function because of the controller. I figured by looking on the forum that you Johnnie B are the Cart man and was hoping to have some of you cart smarts bestowed to me. thank you for the help. Jim

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by hugger6933

1. The total pack voltage was like 40.1 each one was over 6.5 or more.
2. the water level was over each cell at least a 1/4 inch but not out the top of the battery.
3. the charger was left on while it was in storage , is that not the right thing to do?
4. I do that every year but like I said we have never gone this long without using a cart over the winter. Sometimes it is even warm enough to play on Christmas day. Our family gave each other some clubs at different times for Christmas and after lunch we would go to the range and drive with them. Lots of times we have played 30 or 40 rounds by now.
5. I remember John [the guy at La carts telling me that] the regen parts would no longer function because of the controller.
6. I figured by looking on the forum that you Johnnie B are the Cart man and was hoping to have some of you cart smarts bestowed to me. thank you for the help. Jim

1. Those voltages are mighty high for a 36V battery pack that has been off charge for 12 hours, so you may have some battery or battery charger issues, or you didn't let the batteries sit long enough to get an accurate At-Rest voltage reading. However, they won't stop your controller from sounding the beeper or activating the solenoid.

2.

3. It isn't the wrong thing to do, but it depends on the charger whether it is the right thing to do.

The accumulation of crystalline lead sulfate in the plates is what kills cart batteries and it accumulates much faster when the batteries are below 70% SoC (State of Charge) and Lead-Acid, Wet-Cell, Deep-Cycle batteries self-discharge at about 1% of SoC (State of Charge) per day, so they need a refresher charge about every 30 days to stay above 70% SoC.

Some chargers automatically initiate a charge when the At-Rest voltage drops below a preset voltage, or after a predetermined number of days have elapsed and some go into a float charge mode after the regular charge cycle finishes, But few of the older chargers have one of those features, so a refresher charge has to be manually initiated at least every month.

If your charger isn't the type that automatically initiates a refresher charge or has a float change mode, and the batteries have set in a partially discharged state for over a month, they have been damaged. The damage being the natural aging process has been accelerated, so their live expectancy has been reduced and you will be needing to replace them sooner rather than later.

My cart gets little, if any, use in colder months, so I use a charger with a float charge feature, and my batteries stay at 100% SoC, no matter how long it sits.

4. The weather has been rough this winter in my area also.

5. What Make/Model controller do you have? Post pictures of it if you can't find the name tag.

6. Thanks for the kind words, but there are several guys on the forum that have been building/fixing carts for years that have probably forgotten more about carts than I'll ever know. I just read schematics, wiring diagrams and technical manuals fairly well and know to troubleshoot.

[hugger6933]

Thanks Johnnie B I had had the charger on it before taking that reading, it had been off overnight then I plugged it up because the guy that sold me the controller, motor and wiring stuff[ wasn't near as nice when I wasn't gonna spend a grand with him,kinda hurt me I try my best to treat all customers the same] Told me that the battery gauge didn't matter what it had read and that the battery pack was dead ,when I told him I didn't think that was the case he dressed me down again treating me like a disadvantaged first grader, and that I didn't have sense to come out of a shower. But yes the batt pack test was a little hot and it had a charge just before briefly. I was under the impression that the charger I have is a float type I have used it since about 2002 all during the winter and never had a problem. I was busy ay my body shop today but tomorrow I will make an effort to get the controller cover off I thought it was a Davis but that doesn't sound right after looking at all of the others. The alltrax 400 may be the one but I will know for sure and let you know and I'll take the back cover off so I can tell what motor I put on as well. Thanks for the help if you ever need paint and body advice I am the man I would love to return the favor. Jim

[JohnnieB]

If the battery gauge on your cart is the LED bar-graph type, the guy lacking customer service skills may have one redeeming quality.
If that type gauge is working right (and that is a big IF) they might be marginally okay for a "fuel" gauge, but they are totally worthless for determining the health of a battery pack.

The most accurate way of determining a battery's health is fully charging it and then discharge it at a known rate (typically 75A) while measuring the number of minutes it takes for the voltage to drop to 1.75VPC (Volts per Cell) which would be 5.25V for a 6V battery, or 31.5V for a 36V pack. For a Trojan T-105 battery (6V-225AH), in perfect health, it takes about 115 minutes (at 80°F) and if it only takes half or fewer of the rated minutes, the battery is at or beyond its useful life. Of course, not everybody has access the expensive machine needed to do this test on deep-cycle cart batteries. (The ones used for load testing car batteries only load the battery for a few seconds and are calibrated for car batteries, so the results are ambiguous.) However, just a few voltage readings with a DVM can tell you a lot about your battery's health.

Also, if it is a DCX400 controller, the guy at least sold you a good product, but if he didn't at least suggest you replace the stock solenoid (85A ratting) with a higher ampacity unit, he was remiss in his obligations to his customer.

Setting all that aside, if your cart was running as modified and battery pack has anywhere near 36V, the solenoid ought to click and the beeper ought to beep, so there is a wiring/switch/connection problem, or the controller is bad.

Once we know exactly what is installed, we can troubleshoot it.

[hugger6933]

My plan after I eat my lunch is to go to the club and pull the cover and see what is there. The battery gauge is a gauge type instead of a bar led type. I do have a snap-on type battery tester but like you said it is for the auto applications and the carbon piles do get hot after 10 seconds, real hot. that is why the load test is supposed to last aprox that long with that taster. I did change the solenoid but again I don't remember I will look .Thanks Late. Jim

[JohnnieB]

You have an analog battery meter. They are more reliable then the LED Bar-Graph type, but it is still a "fuel" gauge.

The most accurate and reliable battery meters are the DVM type, such as this: http://www.cartsunlimited.net/Digita...ry_Meters.html

Or some people use these: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...6l3m9H8iNFHw==