Club Car DS help please

yamahaguy97

ok guys/girls, I generally like club cars like the DS, but occasionally one comes around that gives me more trouble than needed. A customer recently replaced their batteries and called me in to look at it because they said their car was moving slower than a snail. They also said this "box thing" was jerking around a lot. They have a 48 volt DS with v glide no run/tow switch. When I got there I confirmed their batteries were installed correctly. So, I immediately checked the v glide and the plastic cracked away right where it mounts on the frame, which is why it was jerking around when they tried to run the car.

Only the case was damaged, the swiper arm contact and the case contacts were not ruined or melted. I replaced the v glide and still no movement, it only attempts to lurk forward or reverse. The wiper arm does not "top" out but it still travels plenty of length that should make the car run decently fast. I checked the micro switch in the v glide and that is ok. All of a sudden, the solenoid stopped engaging when i was pushing the accelerator pedal, so I had the time and part so i changed the solenoid. Still no change. Not only that, but even with the new solenoid it still does not activate when pushing the pedal. A friend reminded me to make sure the 1/2 speed micro switch was working, but I have yet to confirm that.

All in all, because I had the time and the means, to test the customers car I replaced their controller, solenoid, and a new v glide and still no solenoid activity or movement obviously.

club car experts please chime in and make me look dumb

thanks
steve

BGW

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theboss20

The biggest issue I have found with these series carts have been the forward/reverse switch. The contacts burn and melt. Take your voltmeter and test the voltage at the back of the switch to see if it is passing current...I usually put the rear wheels up on jack stands for safety. The switches are readialy available.

Golf cart guy

He has a solenoid that wont close- that makes it a control issue to turn the solenoid on.
Key switch, micro switch- broken wire, something along those lines that turn the solenoid on

yamahaguy97

hey yeah that's pretty much what I was concluding, it has to come down to a wire or even one of the 3 micro switches. I did bypass the key switch so I did rule that out. Any more ideas please let me know.

Golf cart guy

There are a couple of terminal connections real close to the V Glide- these were probmatic at making a good connection or being broken. Micro switch on F/R switch as well as Micro switch in V Glide need to be checked.

I'm going to assume, jumping the solenoid and you have a running cart right?

yamahaguy97

no sir, new solenoid installed and when I jump it no movement

Golf cart guy

Would be nice if I read everything.
OK, that means it could be a double wammy.....a control issue because the solenoid does not click and a running issue because jumping the solenoid does not cause the cart to run, which it should.
Check motor continuity as you have replaced everything else

TahoeDawgZ71

Try bypassing the solenoid lock-out feature of the OBC. Using a small jumper wire, attach one side to the small solenoid post with the small yellow wire. Attach the other side to the B- negative terminal of the controller. If the cart will operate, the OBC has failed.

yamahaguy97

UPDATE UPDATE

well apparently the car moves in the reverse position only now. in the forward position, no solenoid activation or movement. I am still suspicious of the micro switch or the f/r switch. Tahoedawgz that's a great idea, I will do that too to see what happens. What is interesting however is while I have the lever in the forward position with the forward micro switch engaged and also push the reverse micro switch up with my finger, I can get it to run in forward! lol it's strange.

Also, the black wire from the middle 1/2 speed micro switch was not showing continuity when I tested it, so I followed it down the harness and found it connected to the white wire with a resistor. the resistor was burned up and corroded so i cut the connections and crimped it together. There was still no forward. The solenoid cannot be jumped out in forward because it does not do anything. I still believe it is either a bad wire or the micro switch/f&r switch or even tahoedawgz suggestion.

please comment on anything else I may be missing

thanks
steve

Sergio

It looks like that 1/2 speed micro-switch (#3) is either bad or miss-wired.

Take the 3 wires out of the switch: Green, white and black.

Connect the Green and White wires together.

Test if the cart runs.