2002 club car

[sentrysam]

What is the purpose of this resistor on the solenoid ?If it's bad ,how does one test it to know and will it make any difference if it is removed ?My wifes cart will run sometimes and then just stop for no apparent reason ,the batteries are almost new ,have good voltage ,lights come on ,buzzers work etc.thanks in advance for any response .....ss

[Plasterface]

Diodes and resistors are to eliminate arcing which will shorten the life of the solenoid and maybe cause damage to the controller. I would not run without one or both. Some solenoids have an internal resistor and some have one that attaches to the large poles of the solenoid. These are referred to as pre charge resistors.

The one between the small poles is a diode.

What makes you think something is wrong?

[Plasterface]

A better explanation I copied for you:

Pre-Charge Resistor is a device that slowly charges the capacitors inside a electronic speed controller before it is powered up. Without this resistor, closing the contactor would generate a large amount of inrush current causing the contacts to arc. This arcing can permanently weld the contacts in the "on" position. The inrush current from not pre-charging can also cause the contact tips to get pitted resulting in a poor connection and diminish vehicle performance.

Coil Spike Suppression Diode is a protection device across the contactor coil. Energizing the contactor coil creates a magnetic field that forces the solenoid arm to engage the contacts. When the contactor is turned off, the magnetic field collapses causing a back “voltage spike” that can damage the controller. The diode safely suppresses this energy.

[delagem]

Easy enough to test. Just use an average voltmeter. Remove the resistor, hook up with the meter on ohms, and check resistance. Mine reads about 130 ohms.

Check the diode using the same meter, on the diode setting.

Most likely neither of these is your problem. Try checking for loose connections, check your Forward-Neutral-Reverse switch, and solenoid itself. I've had both of these last 2 problems cause your exact issue, intermittent operation.

You can test the F-N-R switch by simply looking at it closely, if you see melted plastic on the lugs, it's likely distorted and the terminals are not making good contact. You can also use the voltmeter in resistance mode, and check across the lugs when in Forward or Reverse.

The solenoid is easy to test, when the cart is dead. When the cart won't move, jack up the rear wheels. Put the key on, F-N-R in either Forward or Reverse, and have someone step on the go pedal. Wheels not turning? Now take a screwdriver or wrench, and short across the large lugs on the solenoid. If the wheels now begin to spin, the solenoid isn't making good contact.

I would imagine you could perform the same test by disconnecting the battery connection to the solenoid, and using the same voltmeter in the ohms setting as well. Take the external resistor off as well for this test. A good connection should show less than 1 ohm across the large lugs when the go pedal is pressed...