EZ Go Constant Green Light On Controller

Rock213

Hey Guys. Its been a while since I've been around but have always gotten good advice from here so hopefully you all can help.

I have a 2000 EZ Go PDS with the f/r switch by my leg. I have an Alltrax DCX400 controller in it that I have been running for about 6-7 years without any issues. A few weeks ago the cart started to intermittently cut out at WOT. Wouldn't stall, but would cut out just enough for you to feel it for 1/2 a second or so. Finally this week it finally laid down and quit. Started to investigate and noticed with the run/tow switch in the run position and the key off, the green light on top of the controller is on all of the time. Not sure I have ever noticed this but that doesn't seem right to me. The only way to get it to turn off is to switch the r/t switch to tow. When you flip it back to run I get the 4 green blinking lights and then a constant green. When you turn the key on, the solenoid clicks. Switch key off and the solenoid clicks. Shift from forward to reverse and the solenoid clicks. Push the gas pedal and no click. Push the gas pedal to the floor and the green light changes to amber so I know it is sensing the throttle pedal but cart doesn't move. Depress the gas pedal and switch from forward to reverse and no movement at all. Hooked the lap top to the controller and it is also reading the throttle response but no movement. Thought maybe an issue with the solenoid so I jumped the two large post and nothing changed.

Any idea what to check next?

BGW

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Russ/TN

Check for crud between the small posts and the large posts on your solenoid.

Mine was blinking rapidly all the time with the key off and F/R in N.

The crud conducts juice to the small post.

What kind of solenoid do you have? Mine is "super duty"

Happy trails.

JohnnieB

Some DCX controllers will energize the solenoid for a moment or so when it first powers up, but the controller doesn't normally power up unless the Run/Tow is in Run AND the F/R is in either F or R AND the key is on. Other than that and when regen braking is occurring, the pedal has to be pressed to get the solenoid to click.

Since it is an early 2000 PDS with the F/R by your knee, somebody might have wired the DCX controller in differently than the way it usually is in later PDS cart with the rocker switch F/R on the dash, so the Green LED staying on whenever Run/Tow is in Run, may not something new, but the solenoid staying energized while the pedal is up is a safety issue, so it ought to be corrected once the not running problem is solved.

With the laptop connected, does the monitor screen show any battery current or output current the the throttle position was greater than Zero?

Also, are any error flags shown?

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If you are running the 15 year old stock PDS motor and it has never been serviced, you might have worn out brushes. (IE: Cutting out at high RPM and then failing completely)

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Measure the voltage between the controller's B- and M- terminals.
When pedal is up (assuming solenoid is closed), you should have full pack voltage and when pedal is pushed, it should decrease towards zero.

Also, check the voltage between the F1 and F2 terminals with the pedal pushed about halfway down. I'm not sure what the voltage should be, but it will be greater than zero.

Rock213

JohnnieB

1. Measure the voltage between the controller's B- and M- terminals.
When pedal is up (assuming solenoid is closed), you should have full pack voltage and when pedal is pushed, it should decrease towards zero.

Without pedal pushed I get 20.8v. With pedal pushed I get it decreases to zero volts

2. Also, check the voltage between the F1 and F2 terminals with the pedal pushed about halfway down. I'm not sure what the voltage should be, but it will be greater than zero.

Terminals F1 and F2 - with black and white lead disconnected I get a constant reading of 13.3 and nothing changes when I push the pedal
Reconnected the black and white leads and got a reading of 6.5, pushed the pedal half way and it dropped to 3.8 - 4.0


I suspect your motor has got bad brushes.

1. If your pack voltage is 37.0V, you should get 37.0V between B- and M- on the controller when the solenoid contacts are closed and pedal is up. You are only getting 20.8V, so something is dropping 16.2V and all that is between M- and the B+ terminal is a couple pieces of cable and the motor's armature, which the brushes connect to.

2. You have a voltage between F1 and F2 and it fluctuates when the pedal is moved, so the Field excitation circuitry appears too be working.

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The controller appears to be working. (Staying on all the time is an issue, but I suspect it is a separate issue from the cart not moving. Something to be addressed after the cart is moving again. )

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Measuring the Ohms between the studs on the motor might tell us if it is bad.
Remove the four cables. Be sure to put a wrench on the lower nuts while loosening the top nuts so the stud doesn't turn, which causes all sorts of problems.

Measure between A1 and A2 studs with Ohmmeter. Should be about 3Ω.

Measure between F1 and F2 studs with Ohmmeter. Should be about 7Ω.

Measure between A1&A2 studs and the F1&F2 studs with Ohmmeter. Should be infinite Ohms.

Measure between A1&A2&F1&F2 studs and the motor case with Ohmmeter. Should be infinite Ohms

Rock213

Thanks. I will check the motor out in the morning.

kantuckian

Good Info Thanks

JohnnieB

A note to future readers of this thread:

The Ohmic values for the Armature and Field windings of a stock PDS motor I mentioned were from memory rather than anything I had written down, so they have to be considered very approximate at best.

The important thing is that the Ohmic value for a DC motor winding is very low, typically under about 10Ω. What you are measuring is the DC resistance of a long piece of wire (Field or Stator windings) or a long piece of wire plus carbon brushes (Armature windings).

Rock213

I haven't had time to take full readings yet. It will be after lunch before I can get them done. Until then, I did some quick ohm readings set at 200 and stud F1 and F2 2.0 ohms, studs A1 and A2 no reading at all.

After lunch I will get all of the readings and post. Thanks yall for all of the guidance so far.

Drrhein

I have this same setup and controller so went out and looked.

key off - led off

key on - led off

push pedal until solenoid engages - led flashing green

push pedal slightly more - led steady green

push pedal until cart moves - led steady green

Did not try wot.

getting voltage with key off is important. Check controller ignition pin (pin 1). This voltage should not be there with key off. Solenoid should not be on either. Will go off for shift F/R so that part is normal. I think the path is: battery to keyswitch>to F/R switch microswitch>to pedal microswitch> then to Controller pin 1 and solenoid.

intermittent pedal microswitch a possibility. some kind of short another. I saw a voltage meter short out internally once which caused voltage to appear at the ignition switch output even when the switch was off - THAT took a while to find!

just thoughts.

Dennis