Overheating Starter Generator

[jmoch2]

Hey all, been creeping on the forum for a long time and have learned a ton. I've searched all over this forum and others and I need some help....

I've got a '94 gas DS, which has been a great cart for a long time. I'm having a serious issue with starter generators. A few years ago I bought a rebuilt S/G. It failed and I'm on #2 in just one week (one off ebay and one OEM) I'm trying to not go for #3.

My original S/G stopped charging and after reading on this forum and doing the tests, I found it was a bad S/G. I bought a replacement off ebay (mistake i'm sure) and it was getting so hot while running that it began smoking. I checked the voltage and found it was charging the battery at 17+ volts. I bought a new voltage regulator and it still overheated and blew up (yes, literally blew up.... pieces everywhere inside it).

I then bought an OEM... it also gets hot. Not as hot as the cheap one off ebay, but hot enough that I can't touch it after running for about 30min. It was also overcharging at 17+ volts so again, I bought another voltage regulator and it's now charging at 15.48 volts at the battery.

So... 1) is 15.48 volts still too high? and 2) is the S/G supposed to get hot while running?

Until I hear from you guys on here about how hot your S/G's get... I've parked the cart... can't afford to put another 350 bucks into it this month.

Thank you again for the great forum!

[yamahaguy97]

Well 15.48 volts is not an issue and yes the starter will get hot. Also, if your starter belt is too tight it will strain it causing more heat and possible breakage

[jmoch2]

Thank you for the advice, how tight should that belt be? I just pull up on the starter as hard as I can and then tighten the bottom bolt.

Would the belt being too tight cause the S/G to be too hot?

Does anyone know the operating temp of an OEM S/G?

[yamahaguy97]

Don’t know the temp but when you tighten the starter belt there should be a little deflection when you push on it with your finger. If you push it with your finger and there is no give then it’s too tight. The starter gets hot on its own, whether the belt is too tight or not

[jmoch2]

Thank you @yamahaguy97

[jmoch2]

Just wanted to give an update. After putting in a new voltage regulator and a digital voltage meter so I can keep an eye on the voltage going to the battery, everything seems to be good.

Thank you all for the help! I guess replacing the regulator any time you replace the generator is a good practice. Hope this thread helps someone.

[Golf cart guy]

On a Club Car, Tighten the belt tight, or it will slip.

Your issue was the regulator and it smoked the starter. I see this all the time with the DIYer.

[jmoch2]

Originally Posted by Golf cart guy

On a Club Car, Tighten the belt tight, or it will slip.

Your issue was the regulator and it smoked the starter. I see this all the time with the DIYer.

Yes, I learned a valuable lesson. If the starter/generator is toast... replace the voltage regulator at the same time.

I've put a digital voltage meter on the acc circuit to give me a readout of what voltage is going to the battery. Hopefully that will keep a failing voltage regulator from frying my S/G again.