EZGO with EX1 need info/repair tips

[nickdalzell1]

This is the third one with this symptom and I am going blind. Apparently, my hope that this garbage scooter engine they're using in the 2020+ EZGOs being a fad is not going to happen, and it's the start of the end of our business for sure...

2021 EZGO TXT with the 'EX1' badge on the side, looks brand new. What happens is it fires right up, everything is good, but soon as you get a half mile down the road all power is lost. It dies like you turned they key off, and WILL NOT fire up until it sits a DAY. I've done all I can think of without a schematic, such as check the battery, check key switch, verify power, check fuse, tried replacing relays, and nope. Nothing. There are no codes flashed via the 'check engine' light. No info online. Tried calling EZGO, and they treat me like Bad Boy treated me ("our tech will call you back" and I never hear nothing)

This is the third car with this issue, exactly the same symptom. No cause, no sign of burned wires or any obvious issues. There is plenty of oil in the engine. This engine is a goofball from China and y'all know how I feel about that particular country by now...there isn't even a starter on the damned thing, or if there is one I sure can't find it.

So are there any technical infos, schematics, sources of troubleshooting data? I can't find much here even. Just what the name of the thing is, the country of origin, and that EFI parts are 'serialized' (meaning you have to replace everything not just the ECU or fuel injectors)

The boss wants to dump over $499 on an ECU and doesn't believe me on the 'serialized' portion, and wants to throw parts at it. I do not. I just want it out of my shop. When it does run it runs great. It just up and dies for no reason and there is no power. No attempt to turn over, no check engine light, no fuel pump action when it goes offline. I can't find a solenoid, or voltage regulator, there are two 'computers' (one a small black one next to the battery next to two relays and backup beeper, and a larger metal one right on top of the 'engine' if you can call it an engine). I'm certain it's an intermittent but without a schematic I don't know where to clip lead/jump power to in order to find what broke.

When it does run, you can turn the key on, check engine light flashes on and off, the fuel pump runs (continuously apparently) and you hit the gas, there's a two second delay with a couple of clicks (like an electric RXV) and it then instantly fires up without even the sound of it turning over. Just instant-on after the POST, and it runs quite well until it doesn't. When it stops all power is lost, engine winds down like ignition is cut, nothing from the check engine light, and then you hear the two clicks again when it stops completely, and it won't do anything after until it sits and/or you get lucky.

[trig123]

Originally Posted by nickdalzell1

This is the third one with this symptom and I am going blind. Apparently, my hope that this garbage scooter engine they're using in the 2020+ EZGOs being a fad is not going to happen, and it's the start of the end of our business for sure...

2021 EZGO TXT with the 'EX1' badge on the side, looks brand new. What happens is it fires right up, everything is good, but soon as you get a half mile down the road all power is lost. It dies like you turned they key off, and WILL NOT fire up until it sits a DAY. I've done all I can think of without a schematic, such as check the battery, check key switch, verify power, check fuse, tried replacing relays, and nope. Nothing. There are no codes flashed via the 'check engine' light. No info online. Tried calling EZGO, and they treat me like Bad Boy treated me ("our tech will call you back" and I never hear nothing)

This is the third car with this issue, exactly the same symptom. No cause, no sign of burned wires or any obvious issues. There is plenty of oil in the engine. This engine is a goofball from China and y'all know how I feel about that particular country by now...there isn't even a starter on the damned thing, or if there is one I sure can't find it.

So are there any technical infos, schematics, sources of troubleshooting data? I can't find much here even. Just what the name of the thing is, the country of origin, and that EFI parts are 'serialized' (meaning you have to replace everything not just the ECU or fuel injectors)

The boss wants to dump over $499 on an ECU and doesn't believe me on the 'serialized' portion, and wants to throw parts at it. I do not. I just want it out of my shop. When it does run it runs great. It just up and dies for no reason and there is no power. No attempt to turn over, no check engine light, no fuel pump action when it goes offline. I can't find a solenoid, or voltage regulator, there are two 'computers' (one a small black one next to the battery next to two relays and backup beeper, and a larger metal one right on top of the 'engine' if you can call it an engine). I'm certain it's an intermittent but without a schematic I don't know where to clip lead/jump power to in order to find what broke.

When it does run, you can turn the key on, check engine light flashes on and off, the fuel pump runs (continuously apparently) and you hit the gas, there's a two second delay with a couple of clicks (like an electric RXV) and it then instantly fires up without even the sound of it turning over. Just instant-on after the POST, and it runs quite well until it doesn't. When it stops all power is lost, engine winds down like ignition is cut, nothing from the check engine light, and then you hear the two clicks again when it stops completely, and it won't do anything after until it sits and/or you get lucky.

Check post number 6 here

https://www.buggiesgonewild.com/showthread.php?t=180317

I remember it was posted a while back but the OP never came back and said what fixed it. He said to look on the driver side back of the motor, there is a controller.

I feel your pain. I worked at a city golf course when those RXV's with the Kawasaki were unloaded on us. 2008. I turned 65 in 2012 and left running. I stayed there 16 years and to me the pre mci robbin was the best of all of them.

[nickdalzell1]

There is indeed a metal box on the rear of the engine but I don't know what it is. The boss think the smaller black one next to the two relays and beeper is the 'ecu' but I have no idea where to begin. Boss already agrees with me never to take another one in. We can't even get parts from any vendors, or service manuals not even from EZGO themselves (like they're protecting some government secret). We can't even get a tune-up kit!

I'm just a vintage-tool equipped shop with a Windows 7 laptop and some analog multimeters. We started on two-strokes and Pargos with resistors. I really, REALLY miss those. I'd personally love to toy with a Yamaha G1 or Electric Marathon vs. this computerized garbage.

I still despise the '13HP Kawasaki' FJ400, but just when I thought they can't make a worse engine, they actually do, and it's called the Kymco EX1 from Zing Ping, China.

Even the garbage known as the RXV can make two years at least without issues, but these pieces of crap can't make it out of the warranty without giving up. Is EZGO betting on the short attention span and customer complacence or are they actually trying to ruin their reputation?

I'm only 44, but I have the stubbornness and mindset of someone twice my age. I have always preferred old things over new, and I get that as well as my mechanical expertise from my great grandfather growing up. The electric RXVs are far, far worse than the gas ones, especially the Curtis ones. I've also never seen anything good come from China. I am a firm believer that if it ain't "Made in the USA" it's junk. My 50+ year old vacuum tube radio at work can vouch for that, as does my vintage 'sawtooth logo' Craftsman set, and Zenith 30" CRT TV I keep out on the patio.

[trig123]

Originally Posted by nickdalzell1

There is indeed a metal box on the rear of the engine but I don't know what it is. The boss think the smaller black one next to the two relays and beeper is the 'ecu' but I have no idea where to begin. Boss already agrees with me never to take another one in. We can't even get parts from any vendors, or service manuals not even from EZGO themselves (like they're protecting some government secret). We can't even get a tune-up kit!

I'm just a vintage-tool equipped shop with a Windows 7 laptop and some analog multimeters. We started on two-strokes and Pargos with resistors. I really, REALLY miss those. I'd personally love to toy with a Yamaha G1 or Electric Marathon vs. this computerized garbage.

I still despise the '13HP Kawasaki' FJ400, but just when I thought they can't make a worse engine, they actually do, and it's called the Kymco EX1 from Zing Ping, China.

Even the garbage known as the RXV can make two years at least without issues, but these pieces of crap can't make it out of the warranty without giving up. Is EZGO betting on the short attention span and customer complacence or are they actually trying to ruin their reputation?

I'm only 44, but I have the stubbornness and mindset of someone twice my age. I have always preferred old things over new, and I get that as well as my mechanical expertise from my great grandfather growing up. The electric RXVs are far, far worse than the gas ones, especially the Curtis ones. I've also never seen anything good come from China. I am a firm believer that if it ain't "Made in the USA" it's junk. My 50+ year old vacuum tube radio at work can vouch for that, as does my vintage 'sawtooth logo' Craftsman set, and Zenith 30" CRT TV I keep out on the patio.

You're wise beyond your years nickdalzell1. I also like old stuff when it comes to tools. I might can see about your problem tomorrow as I stay in touch with the ezgo tech that used to call on us. That is if you want me to. Just let me know.
I bet the person that posted what they were having issues with was the controller. Item 23 in the picture I uploaded. See if yours has this one on it. I also posted a picture of the ECU. The golf course I worked at has a repair manual I think as they have 50 of these carts, ten 2023 ones. Tom

[nickdalzell1]

What is exactly item 23? your pic didn't reveal that. Apparently the ECU is the black box, but from what little I can find on the forum, the metal box (item 23 which i'm guessing is unobtainium) is what is failing. I think it's called an ISC whatever that acronym means. I was able to find an uploaded schematic on another thread, but whether that fixes the issue or not is up to the actual problem. I'm certain it's one out of the millions of wires in the harness as when I wiggle the harness near the battery it seems to wake up for a second or two and die again (though that could be just coincidence). I have no internet at work (boss has a Windows 10 PC that I hate which has malware and redirects many things to a Chinese search, so I avoid that) so the only means of communication is this Windows XP machine at home. I don't do the 'smartphone thing' either. However I'd love to have something to work with as this car is stuck until we can figure it out. I don't want another repeat of that one RXV that we spent 6 plus months on as work piled up on us, or that Chinese-made Columbia clone 6-passenger car that had a botched up Navitas conversion that caught fire, blew up many controllers as I had to figure out the wiring without a schematic last year, and that hulk still sits in my shop.

EZGO won't talk to us. They say they'll call later and never do. We got the same response from Bad Boy Buggies (enough to swear those pieces of crap off too. I'm no hunter, but from what I can read from hunting.net forums, they hate those things)

While I'm very old-fashioned, I do love Star Trek. One of my favorite quotes is from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, regarding most 'modern' tech being far more failure prone:

"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain"

[trig123]

Originally Posted by nickdalzell1

What is exactly item 23? your pic didn't reveal that. Apparently the ECU is the black box, but from what little I can find on the forum, the metal box (item 23 which i'm guessing is unobtainium) is what is failing. I think it's called an ISC whatever that acronym means. I was able to find an uploaded schematic on another thread, but whether that fixes the issue or not is up to the actual problem. I'm certain it's one out of the millions of wires in the harness as when I wiggle the harness near the battery it seems to wake up for a second or two and die again (though that could be just coincidence). I have no internet at work (boss has a Windows 10 PC that I hate which has malware and redirects many things to a Chinese search, so I avoid that) so the only means of communication is this Windows XP machine at home. I don't do the 'smartphone thing' either. However I'd love to have something to work with as this car is stuck until we can figure it out. I don't want another repeat of that one RXV that we spent 6 plus months on as work piled up on us, or that Chinese-made Columbia clone 6-passenger car that had a botched up Navitas conversion that caught fire, blew up many controllers as I had to figure out the wiring without a schematic last year, and that hulk still sits in my shop.

EZGO won't talk to us. They say they'll call later and never do. We got the same response from Bad Boy Buggies (enough to swear those pieces of crap off too. I'm no hunter, but from what I can read from hunting.net forums, they hate those things)

While I'm very old-fashioned, I do love Star Trek. One of my favorite quotes is from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, regarding most 'modern' tech being far more failure prone:

"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain"

I don't have a clue what item 23 does but it can be purchased. I just checked. According to what I read they go bad and no power to anything. Is that your issue ?
The harness also is available . A repair manual would be a must have to check voltage on the controller I would think. According to the one poster that had this issue a while back >
2021 ezgo valor ex1 cushman
On the driver side back of the motor, there is a controller. When this goes bad, nothing will work including lights. Check your power there. Ive seen this many times.
I use windows 10 pro at home and at my shop. Windows XP is outdated and to be safe using the internet you need the updated browsers which you can't get with XP.
I know you are old school but you really need this.
You could always load Linux on a spare hard drive as it is free. I have used Red Hat and have it loaded on an older computer. Firefox browser is already there and it can be updated.

[nickdalzell1]

The light kit is separate (the customer has a MadJax signal kit/light kit that has separate wires and harness.). The backup beeper works when the car dies, but it has nothing anywhere else. No check engine light, no attempt to turn over, no fuel pump. About all I can do is feed power to random spots and hope no smoke escapes. I can't find any sign of a starter anywhere, and no solenoid, or I'd just jump that and see what happens.

We can't get a repair manual. Can't find one online and EZGO won't budge with their FBI secrets. We also can't get info for Bad Boys but we swore those damned things off.

[trig123]

From what I found out it probably is the wiring harness or pinched wires under the throttle body going to ECU.

Pull the wires off and check for bad pins in the harness where it plugs in.

Check for those pinched wires real good if possible. If you get power there is a code reader from ezgo you would have to purchase in order to see where the problem is. Its expensive to throw parts on these as you already know.

The controllers I was told do go bad but most of the time its a wiring issue.
The starter is internal .

I was also told that replacing the wiring harness is a pain.

If it were me and you can't find something simple like a bad wire or pin where it plugs in then I would send that cart to a dealer. They have parts they could swap which people like us don't have. Good luck.

I would not replace the ECU or controller because they are expensive and then have it come back on your shop. Just my opinion . Tom

[nickdalzell1]

After spending a few hours with the schematic and verifying power where it's supposed to go and other checks, I've determined the ECU is indeed bad. It's not the ISC controller since it has no power when the ECU won't wake up. When it wakes up the ISC gets 12V B+ and waits for pedal switch input to make engine turn over. That's all the ISC does, controls the starting and ignition. The ECU does everything else, from input from key switch, controlling starting relay, fuel pump, check engine light, the works. I was able to temporarily wake it up by tapping it with the butt end of a screwdriver.

This engine is so 'important' to EZGO that you can't even buy a tune-up kit for it. Or belts, clutches, ignition coils, throttle bodies. Just the ECU, ISC, relays, and battery. Even the EFI Drive 2 Yamahas have more available parts.

The irony is that the supply of ECUs are back ordered due to 'extremely high demand'. Gee, I wonder why?

The fact these cars are having serious issues at 2 years or less....the only other car I recall with that level of failure were the '70s Chevrolet Vegas.

[trig123]

You said this yesterday
I'm certain it's one out of the millions of wires in the harness as when I wiggle the harness near the battery it seems to wake up for a second or two and die again.
So, are you 100 % sure the ECU is the issue ?