Solenoid does not engauge

devybob

Cart does not run. Cannot get solenoid to operate. I get full pack voltage on all 4 posts of the solenoid. I checked pins 5/6/9 and 10 and get full battery pack voltage on all. I checked pin #10 (blue wire) and got full pack voltage with or without the throttle depressed. I also checked the continuity of the blue wire from the #10 pin to the solenoid and it was good. I'm stuck from here. The cart was having intermittent solenoid problems, but now it is constant.



42 volt western PDS
alltrax dcx400 controller
HD solenoid

BGW

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JohnnieB

I'm stuck also. I have no idea what drive system you have.

I'm pretty sure it is either a DCS or a PDS since series controllers don't have that many pins.

Voltage on pins 5,6,9&10 sounds like a DCS, but a blue wire from pin-10 to solenoid sounds like a PDS (if you are counting the top row of pins from left to right instead of right to left - blue wire from solenoid connects to top right pin, which is Pin-6)

JohnnieB

That helps.

Troubleshooting the solenoid activation circuit in a PDS to DCX conversion is akin to troubleshooting a plate of spaghetti, so It'' take me a few minutes.

JohnnieB

You are on the right track. With pack voltage on Pins 5,6,9&10 of the connector on top of the DCX controller, the solenoid ought to be energized.

The blue wire from the solenoid connects to J1 Pin-6 in the carts wiring harness and then goes through the PDS to DCX adapter and ends up on Pin-7 on top of the controller.

What voltage do you have on Pin-7 on top of DCX controller?
Should be pack voltage with pedal up and zero with pedal down.

Attached Images

	DCX in PDS - Solenoid coil B+ traced.jpg (328.6 KB, 0 views)
	DCX In PDS- Full.jpg (261.0 KB, 0 views)

devybob

I have full pack voltage with pedal up or down on pin #7

devybob

I have full pack voltage with the pedal up or down on pin #7.

JohnnieB

Pin-5 on DCX is the pedal switch input, so if you have pack voltage on Pin-5 when pedal is pushed, Pin-7 ought to go low.

Sound like a bad controller.

devybob

Johnnieb,as a point of information,what wires should have what voltage on them to power on the solenoid.I trying to learn why having voltage going up or down from pin #7 (blue wire) would have anything to do with energizing the solenoid.

JohnnieB

1. Damned near all of the wire in the PDS wiring harness have to have B+ on them to energize the solenoid as well as damned near all of the wires in the PDS to DCX adapter have B+ on them, but only a few on top of the DCX controller, so it is less confusing to start at the plug on top of the DCX controller and work backwards through the PDS to DCX adapter and then work back through the PDS wiring harness to the switches and stuff.

To energize the solenoid, you have to have B+ on one side of the coil (yellow wire) and B- on the other side of the coil (Blue wire).

To get B+ to the solenoid's small terminal with the yellow wire on it, the Run/Tow switch has to be in Run, a direction has to be selected with the F/R switch and the keyswitch has to be ON. At that point, you will have B+ on Pins 6, 7 ,9 & 10 on top of the DCX controller. (Note: After the F/R switch, B+ passes through one of two diodes in the PDS to DCX adapter, so other than Pins 9 & 10, B+ will be 0.6V less than full pack voltage.)

To apply B- to the Blue wire on the other side of the solenoid's coil and energize the solenoid, The pedal switch has to be closed (Pedal pushed).
At this point, you will have B+ on Pins 5, 6, 9 & 10.

2. The voltage going from B+ on Pin-7 (on DCX controller) to B- is actually what energizes the solenoid. There is a electronic switch inside the controller at Pin-7. When it is off, if the solenoid's coil is intact, you read the voltage applied to the other side of the solenoid's coil by the Yellow wire.

When the pedal switch tells the controller to close the electronic switch located at Pin-7 and connect B- to the coil, completing the circuit and energizing the solenoid.

Since your voltmeter's negative test lead is connected to B- and Pin-7 is connected to B-, there will not be a voltage reading.

devybob

Thanks Johnnieb I'll try to absorb that, but I at least get the general idea.