Bought a Cheap Dead RXV

sleeplesstwo

For some time now I have really enjoyed buying and fixing up older carts. I recently bumped into a cheap dead Ezgo RXV. I read quite a bit about them and I realize that they can be be finicky and complicated for the average Joe to repair. With that said, I feel up to the challenge and bought it. I am an ex-mechanic, but in my current profession I deal with a lot of things that operate much like this cart. I also live a long way from an EZGO Dealer that could make short work with the handheld tester. The nearest one is an hour away and doesn't have a handheld. So I need to do a few things the hard way.
With extreme caution I have tested a few things. I am confident that the parking brake on the end of the motor is fried. It is the kind with the release arm which is very prone to fail if I have read that correctly. I happen to have a friend that works for a very large motor repair company and is going to test and give me a snapshot of the motor so I should know if it is OK or not. The only thing the cart will do right now with good battery voltage is apply the solenoid once briefly when forward/reverse selector is turned to any selection, F/N/R. The only thing that I have found missing from the cart is the controller dust cover and with it the run/tow switch, and the backup beeper. My questions are this: The run/tow switch is missing, is it just a standard toggle switch, (Single Pole, Single Throw) or is there more to it. Should it be closed to run if it is run of the mill switch? Is beeper necessary for proper operation? Is it possible to just buy the parking brake coil? I am sure my park brake is shot, but I would like to know what the resistance should roughly be on a good disconnected unit.
The cart is a 2008 model serial #5005488

BGW

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BobBoyce

Yes, the run/tow switch is a SPST toggle switch. On a 2008 it connects from the +48V switched hot wire (small red wire that activates the main solenoid). The other switch lead connects to pin 13 of the Danaher controller connector. The electronic buzzer connects to the same hot wire location for the +, and the - connects to pin 10 of the Danaher controller connector. The EM parking brake coil resistance should be about 25.5 ohms. Where are you located?

Bob

sleeplesstwo

Southern Illinois. About 20 minutes outside of Marion, IL. I am an automaton tech at Southern Illinois University. That resistance is about what I had on the brake coil. It sure does look and smell crispy. Is there any reason I shouldn't bench test it with 50vdc to see if it retracts? I just picked my motor, and from the best they can tell it is good. So the switch should be closed to run, open for tow?

BobBoyce

Yes, test the EM brake to see if it releases when you apply power. The tow switch is closed to tow, open to run.

Too bad you're not closer. I have harnesses and other parts left over from ressurecting a dead 2015 2Five that I bought pretty cheap last month I even have a Danaher type RXV harness that could be repaired pretty easy, it's just missing the State of Charge connection. You mentioned that the controller cover was missing, what about the fuseholders and the #1/#2/#3/#4 brake pass/bypass harness set that attached to the cover? I have service manuals, parts manuals, ect. I have a programmer but no interface cable for the Danaher controller CAN Bus. My manuals are paper, not pdf. Maybe someone else here has pdf manuals they can direct you to. If not, I can probably email you a picture of the wiring diagram for your RXV. Welcome to the community!

Bob

cgtech

bench test it with about 18-21v.

sleeplesstwo

I have been using a diagram that I found online to ;to verify some of the basic stuff. will test the brake tomorrow, and put the motor back on. Is that a controller self test when the solenoid clicks once after moving the f/n/r from stop. Not sure about the connectors you mentioned. I will look tomorrow Where you located Bob?

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BobBoyce

Yes, it is a brake and motor test. The controller applies the brake and tries to move the cart. If it moves the test fails, if it does not move the test passes.

The closest town to me is Turtletown TN. I'm on the TN/NC state line, about five miles north of the GA line. I chose this region to retire to. The cost of living is really low compared to other regions and I'm only a dozen miles from a local golf course and a small airport. But more importantly, people in this region don't know me or my background, so I can carry on my research uninterrupted. The DOD reactivated me early last year and I had to commute to DC and back every couple of months. I was forced to re-retire earlier this year due to health reasons.

Bob

sleeplesstwo

The brake didn't work on the bench hooked up to a variable power supply. It acted like it wanted to work, but just wasn't strong enough. I took it back apart and gave it a good cleaning and watch it more closely when it tried to retract the friction plate. I noticed that it pulled harder on one side than the other. What I found is that the coil was so loose inside the brake housing that it was coming up to meet the plate instead of pulling the plate down. I cleaned the channel that the coil is in really good and epoxied it down so it can't move. Put it back together and it works. Hopefully it at least works long enough for me to get the cart operational. Putting it together tonight. See if I have more problems..

BobBoyce

I'm glad that you were able to fix it. It must have become hot enough at one time to allow it to break loose. Be sure to allow the exopy time to cure enough before stressing it.

Bob

sleeplesstwo

Well, I was thinking that I might make some headway tonight. Got it the motor and brake put back on the cart and still no luck. I am not getting any voltage across the + - terminal on the brake. My dvom slightly flickers a voltage when I turn the key on and the solenoid clicks. The wiring diagram that I am using came from here, but it is not completely accurate. The wire colors don't match, making it a bit more of a challenge. I believe that I am missing the connectors you mentioned:

"You mentioned that the controller cover was missing, what about the fuseholders and the #1/#2/#3/#4 brake pass/bypass harness set that attached to the cover?"

I am not sure if it can function without this or not.