EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Good Day!
I have a late 90s electric EZ GO cart and it normally operates fine. I have charged the batteries and went to take it out. It clicks but NO movement forward or reverse. I have a switch under the flap, above the batteries that is used for ON and OFF. Not sure if that was a problem so, I disconnected it from the switch and twisted the wires together. Still nothing!!

I have not LOAD tested the batteries yet but just cannot believe that it wont even make an effort to move. I cannot believe that the batteries would be that dead. They are probably about 6 years old, TROJANS. I would love to hear somebody with experience, take me thru a list of steps to determine this problem. Thanks for your help and I look forward to hearing back from somebody. Take care!

Town

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

We need to identify what kind of EZGO cart you have to get into detailed troubleshooting, but there are a couple things that apply to all types.

What is the battery pack voltage? (For a 36V system, 38.22V is fully charged.)
What are the individual battery voltages? (6.37 is a fully charge for a 6V battery)

There should be a letter and number stamped into the Negative terminal of the Trojan batteries. Letter is the month and number is the last digit of the year.

If the solenoid is clicking when it should, the problem is in the high current circuit or throttle circuit, but need to which type drive to go further.
Here's a drawing to help you ID what type drive you have. If it is pre-2000, it either be a DCS or Series type.

Also, plug your cart's serial number in here and it will tell you what it is. http://www.shopezgo.com/customer-ser...ialNumber.html

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Hello,
Thanks for your time and interest with me. I looked up my cart and the serial # is 2220319. This is a 2004 TXT Standard. I looked at the chart you sent and it seems to have a direction selector switch that is connected to a bar that goes to a small plastic compartment under the passengers seat. This bar moves the controller in the box. There are NO wires behind the handle that you move for reverse or forward, it is all mechanical. So, with that being said, I would say that it is a Sepex DCS? I can take a pic if you wish. Other than that it is a 36VDC unit and was bought from a golf course. Unit is really in great shape. I just need to start with the basics, batteries and such. Let me know your thoughts on where to start or what you could share with me. Thanks Johnnnie B.

Town

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

You've got a 2004 TXT cart with a series wound motor, or a 04-TXT-Series written in shorthand.
You can download the Owner, Service and Parts manuals from the stickies at the top of the Electric EZGO forum.
They are the three .pdf files in this sticky. http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...g-manuals.html

Get a DMM (Digital Multi Meter), if you don't have one. An inexpensive one in a blister package at your local auto parts or discount store will suffice.


It was working, but now it isn't.

You said the solenoid clicks when you push the throttle pedal, so the problem is in the High Current circuit.

You mentioned something about a switch under a flap that turns it on and off. That doesn't sound anything that I know of, so it might be something added to confuse thieves. A picture would help figure that one out.

What is the battery pack voltage? (Should be 38.2 for fully charged batteries)
What are the individual battery voltages? (Should be 6.37V at full charge and spread between highest and lowest should be 0.1V or less)

Take the environmental cover off the controller and attach your DVM to the terminals on the controller marked B- and M-.
You should measure full battery pack voltage when solenoid first clicks.
If not, you've got a bad cable, or connection, or contact someplace between M- and the Positive terminal on the Right-Front battery.
Here's a schematic with the High Current circuit traced.

Note: With a series wound motor, there is a single current path through everything, including the battery pack.

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Johnnie,
thanks for all of the help. I actually got it to move, but it seems to be intermittent. Not sure about some of the connections. Anyway, it looks like the switch I was talking about is indeed a theft device. When it is in the OFF position, the solenoid will NOT click. When it is in the ON position the solenoid clicks. It looks like somebody has cut into the control power to the solenoid. Kind of crafty, but I do not think that is the problem.

I cleaned all battery posts and connections. I load tested batteries individually after they were disconnected from series in cart. I read mostly a bit above 6VDC and when I put 100 A load for about fifteen seconds, pretty much all dropped to about 5 VDC and stayed there. I do not think that is the problem either. Although, they are getting old and should be looked at in the near future.

After a full charge, and checking the wiring under both covers, I attempted the movement again and yes it did move. So, it seems like there is a bad connection or something that is not right under those covers. All look clean and free of corrosion. The wiring that go to the control box look like brand new. It must be what delivers the power in stages to the motor, because the solenoid clicks EVERYTIME. Maybe the speed control is going? I will do what you say in the previous reply from you. But, if you can think of anything else from what I am sending you now, please let me know. Thanks and have a wonderful weekend and holiday!

Respectfully,
Town

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Maybe the pedal box malfunctioning? Can the solenoid click and the pedal box be faulty at the same time? HMMM?

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Like Johnnie B was asking we need to know your pack voltage and individual battery voltages. If they are any under 6 volts it is probably your batteries. Fully charged is about 6.4v each. We cant move on or give you a direction to go until we know voltages.

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Just because the solenoid clicks, does not mean it's working! When your cart won't run, try jumping the two large terminals on the solenoid and see if it will run then. If it does, replace your solenoid. Mine had intermittent running once. It turned out to be the solenoid. Mine would click with each push of the pedal too! :mrgreen:

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Hey guys,
I removed both covers and checked all connections. I looked at the inductive plunging unit under the floor mat and checked connections there. I tried to run it once again and yes it is operating fine. I think that there is a wiring issue. Maybe a loose connection? I put the forward/reverse selector cover back on and the environment cover back on and the cart quit working again. I removed them and checked wiring once again and the cart operates. I will go thru all connections and verify that they are good. Thanks for your input. The guy who asked about the battery readings, look above. I listed voltages and load testing readings in a previous post.

Town

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

I would jack the rear wheels up off the ground while it's not working, key on, pedal depressed, and wiggle some wires and connections to see if you can figure out where it's losing it. I had one doing that one time that was losing connection at the molex plug by the controller. I did what I said and when I wiggled that connection it started working. So I unplugged it and cleaned it really well and bent the prongs in the plug a little and plugged it back together. Never had another problem with it.

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

This is not an answer to the question that was asked,, a bit over?? what does that mean,, and dropped to about 5v, these are not answers,, batteries only last about 5 years, and yours are over due, when a battery drops to ABOUT 5 volts under a 100 amp load, that means your batteries are no good, when you step on the go pedal the motor is asking for 200 - 250 amps, so if your batteries are dropping to 5 v with a 100 amp load what are they dropping to with a 250 amp load??

here is a state of charge chart so you will better understand what the batteries volts should be, because 6v on a full charge, this is time to be charged, not time to drive the cart, You need new batteries, this is half your problem :thumbup:


A full charge is 6.37, and at 6.05 is time to recharge, hope this helps :thumbup:

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...rgeChart-1.jpg

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Town, it sounds like you have at least two problems.
1. A bad connection in the throttle circuit.
2. Very sick batteries.

The throttle box does two things:
A microswitch in it closes the solenoid. That part is working if the solenoid is clicking.
The ITS coil and plunger tells the controller how much current to pass. That is the part that doesn't seem to be working all the time.

Like Bowslayer said, jack it up and wiggle the wires. (Hint: the Black and White wires are the ones that connect the ITS to the controller)


Like rib33024 said, approximate voltages don't tell us much when mere fractions of a volt have significant meaning.

On the other hand, the approximations you gave, do paint a very dismal picture of your batteries.

A fully charged 225AH 6V battery (6.37V) in useable condition, will produce 100A for well over an hour before it drops to 5.25V.
You state your batteries went from "a bit above 6VDC" down to "about 5 VDC and stayed there" in 15 seconds.
If that information is anywhere near factual, your batteries are well beyond their usable life.

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Bowslayer, thanks for your input. I will try it. It is ok at the moment, but I am ready to try it. I appreciate your comments. Take care. I will post if anything new.

Town

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Hey Guys,
The load tester I was using is older and the instructions were to run it up to 100 Amps for 15 secs and look for a drop below a voltage listed on the chart of the load tester. I will get some better equip. and keep moving on. Thanks to all of you for your input. I will keep everybody in the loop. I am learning a lot and enjoy the communication with this site. Take care and hope everyone had a good Labor Day!
Respectfully,
Town

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Unless you are actually going into the cart repair business as a source of income, all you really need to maintain your own cart is a DMM (Digital Multimeter).
Even then, the DMM doesn't have to be an expensive one.

Between the Voltmeter functions and to a lesser extent, the Ohmmeter functions, you can troubleshoot the cart's entire electrical system, including batteries and charger.

There is nothing wrong with your load tester, the problem is that the chart accompanying it is set up for car batteries (SLI - Start/Lights/Ignition) rather than deep cycle batteries.
On the other hand, using your cart as the load and a voltmeter, you can load test your cart batteries and discover their health.

Along the same line of reasoning, about the only thing you can find out with a hydrometer that you cannot determine with a voltmeter is which cell in a battery is bad.
Since you cannot replace just one cell in a battery, does knowing which one of the three (or four or six) cells in the sealed box is bad, do anything productive?
(Technically, if you can access the conductors connecting the cells together, you can determine which cell is bad using a voltmeter.)

To each their own, but I prefer to let the people who repair carts for a living buy the $pecialized test equipment and rent it along with their time when I need more than a DMM. :mrgreen:


Added: To be technically correct, a single cell or cells can be replaced in a battery, it just isn't economically feasible with small batteries like those used in carts and cars.
In bathtub sized batteries costing thousands of dollar each, replacing a bad cell is a common practice. In fact, in some applications, the cells are stand alone units.

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

To show my age, I remember when replacing a bad cell in an automotive battery was a common practice! Of course today, batteries are disposable. Not unlike tv's and other electronics! :computer:

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Hi - I'm having the same problem. '99 EZGO TXT with DCS system. Battery voltages are fine (37.9v) and each battery is at 6.2 - 6.3 v. So, while troubleshooting with a DVM, I'm wondering how in the world the solenoid has battery voltage on each side regardless of pedal position? Anyway, I jacked up the back end, I found this out: For forward, the motor will run when pedal pressed but very very slow. Same for reverse. Wife says it worked great going out to the barn yesterday and when she tried to get back to the house it wouldn't move. Battery charge at that time showed about a 3/4 charge on the meter. I've since charged the batteries. I also cleaned all the battery cables, connections. Any ideas? I see that there are "stickeys" mentioned for manuals? Where are these stickeys?

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

The stickys are at the top of the first page of the ezgo forum. I'll leave your other questions to the experts but I know there's a step by step troubleshooting guide in there. Follow what you can and post what you did along with the results.

Good luck

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

1. Since this thread is about a cart with a series drive and you have a DCS drive system, the symptoms may be similar, but the problem is likely to be different. It would have been best to start a new thread due to differences in the way the two carts work.

2. A fully charged 36V battery pack measures 38.2V or higher. Your batteries are 97% charged, but that should run the cart.

3. There is a 250Ω resistor connected between the two large terminals on the solenoid to keep the filter capacitors in the controller charged, so you will measure about 3V to 5V less than full battery pack voltage when solenoid contacts are open and full battery pack voltage when they are closed. If you are truly measuring FULL battery pack voltage with pedal up or down, the solenoid contacts are welded and the solenoid needs to be replaced.

4. Many things could cause the symptoms described.
a. Bad controller
b. Bad battery pack
c. Bad cables
d. Bad ITS sensor
e. Bad inline connector from pedal box
f. Bad motor
g. Bad Solenoid
h. Bad bearings
i. Bad brakes
k. etc. etc. etc.

5. http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...g-manuals.html

Attached is the service manual for your cart. Troubleshooting tree starts on page F-9, but the first thing I would check is the battery voltage under load.
What is the pack voltage at rest?
What is the pack voltage when pedal is on floor and tires are turning slowly?

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Ornageman & JohnnieB - thanks for the great information and the manual! I was able to find this somewhere on the web (I can't remember which site) and this narrowed it down to the controller. Ordered another but found bad from stock (wheels would only go in reverse but switching the white/black -or F1/F2- wires the wheels would go forward). So now both are in getting refurbished. I'm thinking about buying another controller as the better half is complaining about the down time ...

UPDATE: The .pdf file I was referring to is too large for the site. I wish I could post it for all as I find it very useful. Leave a note if you'd like me to email it to you.

Mike

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Hanks so much for this post. I had the same issue and normal voltage at the solenoid but not the controller. I finally found a bad wire that went from the f/r switch to the controller. Saved the day! Thanks again

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Hey I know this thread is old, but I have this same problem but my cart is a 2001 TXT (Standard) PDS 36V. Solenoid Clicks but no go. I recently had the speed sensor replaced (it was torn off or rather the wire was torn out of it going through some brush). Anyway got the cart back ran great for a few days nothing wrong and now it only clicks. I see that the other two versions (Series and DCS) have been covered. I'd love some PDS advise.

Re: EZ GO Electric Cart Clicks but NO movement Forward or Reverse!!
 

Welcome to BGW

It would be best to start a new thread to deal with a PDS issue.