Cart goes then quits

[offutd]

Just got a 1997 EZ-GO and when i hit the throttle in forward it jumps and goes good but sometimes i hear a clicking noise and it starts losing power coasting to a stop. First noticed it when i hit a decent bump and i lost power. So for some reason when i lift up the seat and drop it (kinda slamming it) the cart takes off again but at any given time will lose power again. Repeat the seat slam and we are back in business. Any suggestions on where to start would be greatly appreciated.

[stang99x]

Most likely a poor electrical connection. The vibration from the slam may be jarring a connection that needs repair or reconnecting one. It would help to know which controller system you have.

[offutd]

How do i tell which control system i have?

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by offutd

How do i tell which control system i have?

See attached chart.

If it is a 1997, it is either a Series drive, or a DCS.
If it has a Run.Tow switch on the controller cover, it is a DCS.

Sounds like you might have a bad reed switch. When the cart is misbehaving, check the voltage on the smaller of the three wires coming out of the backside of the charge receptacle. It should be full pack voltage whenever the charger plug is not inserted into the receptacle.

[offutd]

ok so i have the series controller. and for a quick update my wife and I took the cart around the neighborhood last night i'd say 4-5 miles and this morning again to run the dog. had the same problem a little go then lose power and go again. Got home this evening cart will not do anything.

[offutd]

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[radioman]

Read post #4 again. There is a small reed switch in the charging receptacle or a loose connection in that circuit can cause the problem you have. The cart will not move is there is no voltage on this wire. The reed switch mentioned is to prevent the cart from moving if the charger cable plug is plugged into cart. Check the voltage as JohnnieB suggested with the charger not plugged in while it is not working. Do you have a voltmeter and familiar with how to use it?

[offutd]

radioman i do have a volt meter and i did check the volts on the recepticle just the 2 prongs where the plug goes in and i got 85 or so volts. Now i see the small 3rd wire that JonnieB was talking about and coming out of the back of the charging recepticle and it has a connector and its white/red. I took the easy connector apart and (not really knowing how to use a volt meter) put the pos and neg on either connector and got nothing switched it and got nothing. Should i take the back of the recepticle apart to check it with the volt meter? I do not know how to use my volt meter with confidence.

[JohnnieB]

The "85 or so volts" you measured on the two prongs in the charge receptacle, is waving a red flag since you should read about 38V.

If you are using a DMM (Digital Multi Meter) that automatically changes the correct measurement scale, check the unit of measurement on the display. If it says mV, the voltage being measured is 0.085V (85 Milli-Volts) rather than 85V. If so, there is a bad connection between the charge receptacle and the battery pack.

As for how to use the meter, unless stipulated otherwise, voltage measurements are made with the negative test lead (black) connected to the battery pack's main negative terminal, as shown in attached drawing, and the positive test lead (red) is connected to the place you want to measure the voltage at.

Also attached is a schematic with the solenoid activation circuit highlighted in red.

Measure the voltage at the main positive terminal on the battery pack (labeled B+ on the drawing). It should be 38.2V is the pack is fully charged.

Then measure the voltage on the smaller of the three wires coming out of the back of the charge receptacle. The quick disconnect you found is a good place to do it. It should be identical, or very close, to the pack voltage.

Let us know what you measure and we'll go from there.

[offutd]

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