Ezgo DCS goes forward in reverse

[Elitewolf]

I have 99 ezgo dcs that goes forward in forward and reverse. Occasionally it will go backward in reverse. I replaced controller it worked in reverse twice and now back to old problem. Lost as to the next step.

[Elitewolf]

forgot to mention..no power on orange wire #4 pin at controller.

[JohnnieB]

The orange wire is what tells the controller to go into reverse. No power to Pin-4 = No reverse.

Sounds like you've got an intermittent microswitch on the F/R assembly and now have two good DCS controllers.

[Elitewolf]

that was my thought too. micro switch ohms out ok but going to check for broken wire today. Just wanted to confirm that I was going in the right direction.
Thanks for the info.

[eflyguy]

Clip the meter onto the wire, put the cart in reverse, then wiggle the wire. See if the meter shows voltage occasionally.
..a

[scottyb]

I may be wrong but I think you might have 2 bad controls?

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by Elitewolf

that was my thought too. micro switch ohms out ok but going to check for broken wire today. Just wanted to confirm that I was going in the right direction.
Thanks for the info.

The key factor is voltage on Pin-4.
If it is there, the controller should be shifting to reverse.
If it doesn't shift to reverse when Pin-4 has B+ on it, the controller is bad.

Checking a microswitch can get a bit tricky when the N.C. (Normally Closed) contacts are used as the active state. Take a look at the attached cutaway of a typical microswitch and you should see why.

All it takes is a little gunk around the plunger or debris in the indentation on the cam the roller drops into to keep the itty-bitty spring from closing the N.C. contacts.

[scottyb]

I'm not clear on how a bad ms can make the cart go F in R or vise-versa ?

Going F in F&R is a common stock control failure.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by scottyb

I'm not clear on how a bad ms can make the cart go F in R or vise-versa ?

Going F in F&R is a common stock control failure.

Elitewolf never mention the vice-versa part, only that it would go forward with F/R in either F or R, and that it would occasionally go in reverse when the F/R was in R.

And he also mentioned he wasn't getting B+ on Pin-4, which means the controller was not being told to reverse the direction of current flow in the field windings.

Granted, there is the possibility he has two bad DCS controllers, but I would eliminate the possibility of a bad microswitch before buying another one.

(Of course, I wouldn't have bought a stock DCS controller for a failed DCS controller because they are such high failure items. )

[scottyb]

Interesting too that the replacement control (possibly a reman) worked 2 times and fell to the same fault as the orig.
It will be interesting to see what the results are.
Does this cart has big tires? Is it used on hilly or soft ground? If yes the loads could exceed the stock control limits.