Solenoid trouble

Roark

I have a 2003 ezgo series

Is the solenoid suppose to click when key is turned over or when throttle is pressed to the floor??

Also is batteries suppose to drop below 29volts when load tested, at full charge they were at 38.2volts going up hill they dropped to 29 volts but came back up to 38 quickly

BGW

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ChrisEZGONZ

The solenoid will click when you press the accelerator. I would pick your accelerator micro switch has been broken. The cam adjustment on the plunger is out of adjustment. Lift the floor Matt and remove the plate then the cap to the the accelerator box. You should see the problem straight away. As for your batteries, sounds like you have a faulty one or more. Voltage shouldn't drop to 29v. Best way is to have a load on entire pack and test each battery voltage seperatly.

JohnnieB

There are four switches that must close for the solenoid to clicks on a 2003 cart with a series drive system. (See attached schematic with solenoid activation circuit highlighted)
1. Reed switch. (May be bypassed on some carts)
2. Key switch
3. MS-2 (Located on F/R assembly)
4. MS-3 (Located in pedal box)

Typically the charger is unplugged from cart (Reed switch), the key is turned ON and the F/R lever is placed in either F or R (MS-2) before the pedal (MS-3) is pushed, so the solenoid doesn't click until the pedal is pushed, but the solenoid actually activates (clicks) when the contacts in the last of the four switches closes, completing the activation circuit, and that could be any of them.

However, if solenoid is clicking without pedal being pushed, there is a problem with MS-3 (Pedal switch).
The pedal switch is toggled more than the others, so it tends to be the first to fail.

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Unless that is a very steep hill or the cart has really tall tires, and nothing is getting too hot to touch, the battery pack is sick.

Battery voltage drops under load and the greater the load (More Amps drawn), the lower the voltage drops.
When the load is removed, the battery voltage recovers, but more slowly that it drops.
Either the load is abnormally high or the battery pack cannot supply the amps without dropping below 1.75VPC (Volts per Cell), which would be 31.5V for a 36V battery pack.

Monitor the individual battery voltages while under load. One, or more, will most likely be dropping more than the others.

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What is the make and model of the batteries and how old are they?

Attached Images

Wiring Diagram - Series with KSI traced.JPG (58.9 KB, 0 views)

Roark

Thanks, I was checking to see if batteries were bad, they are world wide batteries and probably 4 years old. Cart seems to be slower and then run out of juice and starts shuddering

On the solenoid it clicks when key is turned over but every thing seems to work fine when u push pedal down but solenoid is already clicked when the key is turned on can this cause any trouble

JohnnieB

1. Batteries are probably bad. Four to five years is fairly typical.
Replace with the highest Amp-Hour batteries you can afford, break them in properly, charge them after each use and give them routine care, and they will probably last longer than that.

2. The solenoid ought to open when you take your foot off the pedal. It is a safety issue more than an operational issue.

Basically, if the throttle or controller fail in a way than applies full power to the motor, it would be nice to be able to disconnect the battery just by lifting your foot instead of having to turn key off or shift F/R to neutral. If you get thrown off the cart when it happens, you'll end up with a half ton of runaway cart that can do a lot of damage to someone or something.

Roark

Thanks , I was unsure about batteries , but I had talked to Scotty B about upgrading to 48 volt system. I just hate to buy new batteries if the old ones were still good. Looks like its time to invest some $$

scottyb

Some systems do cycle the solenoid as you describe when turned on. The solenoid will momentarily engage and then the contacts will drop back out. You will hear the solenoid click in and click out, the cart is good to go at any time during this momentary energizing or after it. It is normal and some CC sepex systems do the same with Alltrax controls and some Curtis. I say some but it is most, some don't... don't ask me why

Knothead

Mine has done it ever since I put the Alltrax DCX500 on it. Solenoid engages whenever you put it in forward or reverse for a few seconds, then disengages.