1990 Club Car Speed Controler/V-Glide Problem with Pics

MotoMan

Hey guys I am new here, and first of all I wanted to say you have a nice forum, lots of good info on here.

Ok, as I stated I have a 1990 Club car, the other day I was driving it and it just came to a crawl, had no reverse....my first thought battieres. After checking all of them and the voltages being ok, across the bank and each individually I started digging farther.

I came across the speed control and it seams that the wiper brush has melted off the actuating arm....here are some pics:

The whole mess:


Top of the actuating arm shown here with the pedal to the floor:


Close up of the wiper brush:


Close up of the arm:



Obviously I need some new parts, but my questions are as follows. On Buggies unlimited they list the wiper brush as a separate item here: Looking at mine I don't see how you would attach that to the actuating arm? So if I get the whole speed controler listed here: will it have everything I need....actuating arm and the wiper brush? Or can I buy the actuating arm: and the wiper brush on their own....obviously my cheapest route?

Next question, what could have possibly caused this to happen? I am kind of a newbie when it comes to carts, so if its just something that wears out, let me know, but the melting I show in the pics leads me to believe that something may have shorted out? I did find a small stick stuck next to the speed controller, would it be possible that it lodged itself and caused a short?

Sorry for the long post, but wanted to be sure and list everything I could for you, I look forward to your replies!!!

BGW

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scottyb

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scottyb

I don't think the stick could have anything to do with it.....Has the battery pack been changed recently? Any electrical work done on the cart recently? I have only seen them melt this bad when 48v was applied to a 36v cart.

MotoMan

Thanks for the reply! I will CERTAINLY check prices from your sponsors before ordering, I run a motocross forum as well and know the value of them all too well my friend.

No electrical work was done at all...however I did notice one thing that was also out of the ordinary. When I began inspection I noticed a red wire hanging from the frame under the cart, it went to the front light that was on the cart when I purchased it. It was cut in 2 and is wired so that it comes directly from one positive post on a battery to the light and then comes back thru a fuse....so it's possible that, that wire could have grounded out, but only with one battery behind it. Could this have caused it?

phasetim

Your car is a pretty simple system... pure mechanics...

Buy the whole assembly... if the brush has been melted to that degree, the contacts are rough too.. Buy the whole thing and worry about it again in 19 years... (hopefully).

Check your resistors for breaking, rusting, burning... If there is a short on the resistor assembly, then it will certainly cause your problem. Also, if the motor has a buildup of motor dust or a problem it can cause the same issue.

Remember the problem could also be caused by medal scraping across medal for the last 19 years. Anything that moves eventually breaks.

MotoMan

I have checked the resistors, and they seam fine. How do I check the motor for dust etc? The cart does get used in dusty situations quite often.

phasetim

motor dust does not equal dust dust... Motor dust is caused by brushes being worn down over long periods of time.. if you are confident messing with the motor here is the test:

Disconnect all wires from motor using two wrenches as to not turn post. (also disconnect battery pack).

then check continuity for these value

a1 to a2 should show continuity
s1 to s2 should show continuity

a1 to s2 should not show continuity
a1 to case should not show continuity
s1 to case should not show continuity

motor dust would cause one of the non connecting situations to have a connection via the dust buildup. More than likely on a 20 year old motor, if this is the case, you can expect the amature to have isssues as well (i.e. time for new motor).

MotoMan

Got ya, I can handle that without a problem. Pretty comfortable working on anything really.

Thanks man!!

phasetim

be real careful with those motor posts.. wire brush, wd 40.. every precaution...

MotoMan

Got ya, my father was a electronic technician in the navy a long time ago, so I am pretty anal with electrical connections by nature. ;)