1988 Marathon Electric - Arcing Wiper Board - Tried Everything, Need Ideas

[crmcart]

Hi Everyone this is my first post/question. Hopefully I get all the info in here. I am also extremely new when it comes to golf carts, particularly electric.

I purchased a 1988 Marathon Electric at a heavily discounted price. I knew it was going to need batteries and a wiper board (speed control) rebuild. I also replaced the wiper board MS and solenoid. I found that the posts on the resistor were toast so I rebuilt all of the posts using stainless steel hardware. I cleaned all of the wiring contacts and terminals from front to back. I took apart the F&R switch, cleaned the contacts and reassembled.

Despite all of this I am still getting a lot of sparking/arcing when the wiper contact reaches the first stage. So much in fact it seems stick somewhat. The reverse beeper only works about half of the time which I think is strange is well. The key switch doesn't work either. The key can be completely removed and you can still put the cart in gear and take off.

Could it be as simple as a new key switch? Is there a bigger issue? I attached some of the pics of my wiring and setup. Maybe I just have something out of place.

Thanks in advance.

[cgtech]

Your resistor coils are toast, letting too much current pass on the "first step". Or at least thats my guess.

[93yellowclubcar]

Yep. Usually a wiper switch will only arc on the first contact if there is a problem like too little resistance caused by any number of things, a common one being the first speed coil burnt in two.

[cgtech]

If you drive around for a minute on "first step" only, are ALL the coils hot? If all coils are hot, but its still a problem, its bad coils, or bad contact alignment (assuming everything else on cart is totally stock, motor, TIRE SIZE, ect.). This is a super-simple system, should be easy to "nail it down" to its problem. If ALL coils are hot, the resistors need replaced (a newer style solid-state system is the only system worth putting hard-earned-cash into in my opinion, if you want anything more than "basic golf use").

[yurtle]

I don't have a resistor cart, but generally, heating elements - like your resistor - fail in the open position, and almost never short out - meaning less resistance. Unless there is melted resistor parts shorting out the first two connectors, I think you have another problem.

If your resistor has a break in it, it CANNOT go wide open throttle, if it's wired correctly, in the first position.

Download a wiring diagram from the stickies and make sure it's wired correctly.

It's possible the previous owner completely bypassed the resistor, making the cart go/no go, with no speed control.

[yurtle]

To aid in trouble-shooting, does the cart run fast at low "gas" pedal position, then slow down at higher positions?

I know wiring diagrams can be daunting to non-electrical folks, but if your solenoid clicks and the buggy goes, then you can rule out the key switch, the solenoid, and all other small wires and microswitches. The problem is with your large cables, resistor, or throttle switch. The small wires only turn on the solenoid, which is on/off, and has nothing to do with speed.

Print out the wiring diagram and with a highlighter, mark each and every large cable as you eyeball where they go.

[scottyb]

In addition to what these guys are saying, the key not being needed may point to solenoid being mis wired or welded closed.

We make a very nice bolt in conversion kit for this cart. With the conversion you toss out the resistor coils,solenoid, and speed wiper. It will certainly fix your current problems and bring the cart into the current century of technology. This opens the door to lots of alternative improvements and uses.

[yurtle]

Concur. If I had a resistor buggy, I would seriously consider upgrading to a controller cart. Batteries cost a LOT of money, and a controller vs. resistors will make your battery investment last longer.

[crmcart]

Thank you for the quick response. I appreciate all of that knowledge.

The cart does have low-medium-high speeds. I went through all of the wiring and it matches up with what I am seeing in the diagrams. I should have taken a picture of the wiper contacts but they were very clean when I put them back in.

Here's what struck me, I do not hear the solenonid "clicking". No sound from it at all. It is brand new. Could it be fried? What's the appropriate test with the multi-meter?

The only other thing I can think of is A) you guys are correct, the resistor (even though it's continuous and cleaned up) is fried, B) there is a bad wire somewhere in the system.

I am going to check out that solid-state system but in the mean time if I can get up and running for a few more bucks I am going to go that route until I can put together the cash for solid state.

Thanks again!

[crmcart]

To reiterate; the first position is slow and the cart goes faster as the wiper moves up the contacts. Everything is working fine there based on contact position and speed. Everything about the cart and speed operate normally except for the arcing between the 0 and 1 contact position.