Converting my Ezgo to 42V??

[myomyezgo]

Hello all, just got a used 36v 99 Ezgo Txt Series golf cart. Works fine but I want to get a little more power from the motor. I upgraded all high amp wires to 4 gauge but everything else is stock. After doing some research I found how so many people have switched to 48 volts by changing controller, forward and reverse switch, and solenoid. That's fine if you want to get an extra 30 percent power increase, but a 10 percent increase would be fine for me. This is why I would like to add another 6v battery to make a 42v system. I wouldn't need a different charger because I would charge 6 of my batts. with my present charger and charge the one 6v with another charger. My question is this: do I need to change the stock controller, solenoid and forward and reverse switch if I just add one battery to my cart. I can see the necessity to change all of these components going to 48v but it seems that an extra 6 volts might not need them. I need advice from anyone who has tried this conversion or knows of anyone who has done it. Sorry for the newbie question.

[Sir Nuke]

Originally Posted by myomyezgo

Hello all, just got a used 36v 99 Ezgo Txt Series golf cart. Works fine but I want to get a little more power from the motor. I upgraded all high amp wires to 4 gauge but everything else is stock. After doing some research I found how so many people have switched to 48 volts by changing controller, forward and reverse switch, and solenoid. That's fine if you want to get an extra 30 percent power increase, but a 10 percent increase would be fine for me. This is why I would like to add another 6v battery to make a 42v system. I wouldn't need a different charger because I would charge 6 of my batts. with my present charger and charge the one 6v with another charger. My question is this: do I need to change the stock controller, solenoid and forward and reverse switch if I just add one battery to my cart. I can see the necessity to change all of these components going to 48v but it seems that an extra 6 volts might not need them. I need advice from anyone who has tried this conversion or knows of anyone who has done it. Sorry for the newbie question.

believe it or not....the answer to your question is YES, to PROPERLY upgrade from 36v to 42v you would need to do the same things that you would need to go to 48v PLUS getting a NEW CHARGER. to do like you were thinking and charge the one battery will NOT truly work, yes you can charge it but not properly, as GC batteries use very specific algorithms to charge the batteries.

[mgray70]

Originally Posted by Sir Nuke

believe it or not....the answer to your question is YES, to PROPERLY upgrade from 36v to 42v you would need to do the same things that you would need to go to 48v PLUS getting a NEW CHARGER. to do like you were thinking and charge the one battery will NOT truly work, yes you can charge it but not properly, as GC batteries use very specific algorithms to charge the batteries.

I would like to add that it would not cost anymore to go 48 than it would to go 42. 42v is usually done on a regen cart because it's the sweet spot for the stock motor. Most series cart owners go ahead to 48 volt.

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[scottyb]

But if you are happy with a 15% boost and willing to try to maintain a single 6v battery .... the controller and solenoid will probably survive the increase long enough for you to get a feel for what can be gained, on the cheap

[kgsc]

If you are going to use your original charger you will have to move the white wire coming from the charging receptacle back one battery to connect to just 6. That will also move your activation circuit wire back to the normal 36 volts if you are still using the reed switch. Should last a while but I agree that extra battery may not be happy with the charging arrangement.

[scottyb]

To Manually charge the single battery try to mimic a GC charge Algorithm. Start with 20 amps for 15 minutes, then 10 amps for 45 minutes, and 2 amps until it reaches a level equal to the other batteries.

Try to keep the odd battery within a 10th of a volt of the others. Maybe a good idea to swap them around so the same one is not on the single charge all the time, too.
Most solenoid coils operate +/- 20% of the rated voltage so 42v may not be a big problem