Still No Go With My PDS

bherpin · 03-28-2012, 07:28 PM

OK,
I'm at my wits end with my EZGO PDS. Here's what I know, I parked the car and went to get on it the next day and it moved really slow for about 2 feet then just died. I thought it was the batteries but they were still charged. I downloaded the Tech manual but have not had any luck. When I put the cart in reverse the buzzer sounds. When I try to enter the diagnostic mode I don't get any beeps at all (key off, neutral to reverse 5 times). The troubleshooting guide led me to believe the controller was bad so I changed it, still no go. Digging a little further it led me to believe the motor was bad so I rebuilt it but still no go. I put a load tester on all batteries and they check out good. A little weak but not that bad. Ran a continuity test on the key & F/R switch and they check out good. The tech manual says when you test the ITS switch you should receive 1.0V between white wire and B-at battery when the solenoid clicks and 2.7V when you fully depress throttle. I get 13.4V and 12.3 when I depress throttle? Not sure why it's so far out of specs? Also, I checked the continuity of my solenoid according to the tech manual and it seems fine but I have never heard it click once since I started troubleshooting. I think if I could enter the diagnostic mode I could make progress but it won't give me any beeps. Just the constant beeping when it's in reverse. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

rib33024 · 03-28-2012, 08:23 PM

What year is this cart? check here if you don't know http://www.shopezgo.com/customer-ser...ialNumber.html you said you changed the controller, what kind did you get? and the motor what motor did you get? you say you load tested the batteries what do you call good, give us the pack volts and each battery?

bherpin · 03-29-2012, 07:43 AM

I'm not in front of the cart to get the serial number but when I bought it the guy told me it was a 2006 I believe. Anyway, I changed out the stock 300 AMP Curtis controller with a 350 Amp Curtis that I purchased off Ebay. I took the stock motor off and had it rebuilt at a local Auto Electric shop. I load tested all the batteries with a portable tester and I got 5.4-5.6 volts on each one. Even though the continuity test on the solenoid is good could the coils still be bad in it which is why I don't hear it click at all? Also still confused as to why I can't enter diagnostic mode?

JohnnieB · 03-29-2012, 08:21 AM

If the battery voltage is too low, the controller goes into low voltage cutoff and nothing works.

First and foremost. Get those batteries charged.
If they are dropping to between 5.4 and 5.6V with a automobile battery tester, they are either severely discharged or defective.
Here is a State of Charge chart. The voltages listed are taken 12 hours or more after the charger shuts off automatically.
As you can see, the approximately 33V your batteries are reading under load, is completely off the bottom of the 36V column.

Goto Scottyb's website and read everything with "Battery" in title.
http://www.cartsunlimited.net/

Always troubleshoot with fully charged batteries. (Which is 38.2V or greater for a 36V battery pack.)
Never trust wire colors without verifying where they are going to/coming from. (People use whatever color wire is handy when replacing wires.)
Be skeptical of text and graphic is manuals. (Draftsmen tend to be more correct and concise then Tech Writers, so schematics and wiring diagrams tend to be more correct than the text.)

There appears to be a discrepancy between the text below Figure-20 of page F-20 in manual 28646-G01 (TXT Service Manual - 2001 and up) and the Troubleshooting Tree for the ITS, starting at Step-41 on page F-15.
According to the text, the white wire, which is connected to J-4 Pin-4, is the output of the ITS and according to the Troubleshooting Trees it is the 15V source for the ITS.

Whatever color the wires may be, you should get 15V +/- 1V on J-4 Pin-4 at the controller and with the pedal fully depressed, you should get 2.9V +/- 0.4V at J4 Pin 3.

Since it appears that you are getting 13.4V down to about 12.3V at J-4 Pin-4 (White wire), either your batteries are low/bad, or the controller is bad.

-----------

Also, you say you've never heard the solenoid click since you've been troubleshooting.
Start at Step-16 on Troubleshooting Tree (Page F-12) and check it out.
Unlike other EZGO carts, the solenoid activation circuit in a PDS cart is in parallel rather than a simple series of wires and switches.
In other words, it is an "AND" gate, so the inputs to the controller from the Reed Switch, F/R Switch, Pedal Switch, Run/Tow Switch and Key Switch all have to be "True" before controller will activate the solenoid.

scottyb · 03-29-2012, 08:40 AM

Your batteries are weak. That could be the problem. The cart is a bigger load tester than the one pictured so if they are going below 5.3 (31.8 v collectively) Then that could be the problem.... Also no solenoid activation? Follow and trouble shoot the activation circuit. Start with the Reed switch, and see why the solenoid is not being activated.

bherpin · 03-29-2012, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

If the battery voltage is too low, the controller goes into low voltage cutoff and nothing works.

First and foremost. Get those batteries charged.
If they are dropping to between 5.4 and 5.6V with a automobile battery tester, they are either severely discharged or defective.
Here is a State of Charge chart. The voltages listed are taken 12 hours or more after the charger shuts off automatically.
As you can see, the approximately 33V your batteries are reading under load, is completely off the bottom of the 36V column.

Goto Scottyb's website and read everything with "Battery" in title.
http://www.cartsunlimited.net/

Always troubleshoot with fully charged batteries. (Which is 38.2V or greater for a 36V battery pack.)
Never trust wire colors without verifying where they are going to/coming from. (People use whatever color wire is handy when replacing wires.)
Be skeptical of text and graphic is manuals. (Draftsmen tend to be more correct and concise then Tech Writers, so schematics and wiring diagrams tend to be more correct than the text.)

There appears to be a discrepancy between the text below Figure-20 of page F-20 in manual 28646-G01 (TXT Service Manual - 2001 and up) and the Troubleshooting Tree for the ITS, starting at Step-41 on page F-15.
According to the text, the white wire, which is connected to J-4 Pin-4, is the output of the ITS and according to the Troubleshooting Trees it is the 15V source for the ITS.

Whatever color the wires may be, you should get 15V +/- 1V on J-4 Pin-4 at the controller and with the pedal fully depressed, you should get 2.9V +/- 0.4V at J4 Pin 3.

Since it appears that you are getting 13.4V down to about 12.3V at J-4 Pin-4 (White wire), either your batteries are low/bad, or the controller is bad.

-----------

Also, you say you've never heard the solenoid click since you've been troubleshooting.
Start at Step-16 on Troubleshooting Tree (Page F-12) and check it out.
Unlike other EZGO carts, the solenoid activation circuit in a PDS cart is in parallel rather than a simple series of wires and switches.
In other words, it is an "AND" gate, so the inputs to the controller from the Reed Switch, F/R Switch, Pedal Switch, Run/Tow Switch and Key Switch all have to be "True" before controller will activate the solenoid.

This is going to be a big help. I had just charged the batteries overnight before I load tested them so apparently they are not up to par.

03-28-2012, 07:28 PM	#1
bherpin Not Yet Wild Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 30	Still No Go With My PDS OK, I'm at my wits end with my EZGO PDS. Here's what I know, I parked the car and went to get on it the next day and it moved really slow for about 2 feet then just died. I thought it was the batteries but they were still charged. I downloaded the Tech manual but have not had any luck. When I put the cart in reverse the buzzer sounds. When I try to enter the diagnostic mode I don't get any beeps at all (key off, neutral to reverse 5 times). The troubleshooting guide led me to believe the controller was bad so I changed it, still no go. Digging a little further it led me to believe the motor was bad so I rebuilt it but still no go. I put a load tester on all batteries and they check out good. A little weak but not that bad. Ran a continuity test on the key & F/R switch and they check out good. The tech manual says when you test the ITS switch you should receive 1.0V between white wire and B-at battery when the solenoid clicks and 2.7V when you fully depress throttle. I get 13.4V and 12.3 when I depress throttle? Not sure why it's so far out of specs? Also, I checked the continuity of my solenoid according to the tech manual and it seems fine but I have never heard it click once since I started troubleshooting. I think if I could enter the diagnostic mode I could make progress but it won't give me any beeps. Just the constant beeping when it's in reverse. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
bherpin Not Yet Wild Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 30

03-28-2012, 08:23 PM	#2
rib33024 ...................... Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: FT Lauderdale FL. Posts: 16,416	Re: Still No Go With My PDS What year is this cart? check here if you don't know http://www.shopezgo.com/customer-ser...ialNumber.html you said you changed the controller, what kind did you get? and the motor what motor did you get? you say you load tested the batteries what do you call good, give us the pack volts and each battery?

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