Hot Battery Terminal

[SF_Wood]

May be an easy answer but I have a 4/12v 48v setup and it is the setup that was in the cart when I bought it. I've had it for about 2 years and has ran fine until the other day when I smelled something burning and I looked and the main positive terminal was extremely hot and had a lot of acid and had melted a couple of wires. What would cause this and what do I need to do to fix it? I load tested the battery and all is good there. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Swan]

first i would remove cable those will need to be cleaned/replaced . then I would look it see if the bolt is loose within the lead (posts are hex bolts upside down cased in lead) if so it been over tightened and a new stud needs to be put in the flat lead part of the terminal

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[teecro]

Localized heat damage is almost always caused by a dirty, loose and/or corroded connection... Clean everything up with a wire brush, biggest terminal on first followed by smaller connections followed up by the nut, don't use washers unless absolutely needed. Nut should just be a little bit past snug.. Don't over tighten as that will loosen the stud in the lead and cause a loose connection too....

[SF_Wood]

I will look at the terminal and see if it is loose or not, planning on cleaning it up tonight.

[SF_Wood]

The terminal post is secure and not moving. The lead has melted some. I will clean them and see if it resolves the issue. I also have new cables coming to replace the existing ones.

[SF_Wood]

Cleaned the terminal, checked the post and tightened the nut just past snug. The terminal was fine during golf(stop and go) but when riding for a long time it got really hot. The voltage on the battery pack after 3-4 miles was 48.9v. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the terminal getting hot. Could the issue be coming from the controller/motor?

[Swan]

did you replace that cable ?

[SF_Wood]

No not yet. I'm just going to replace all of the cables and go to 2 gauge.

[Tom47]

To be sure you don't overtighten the nuts, don't use a wrench on them. Use a 1/2" nutdriver instead.

It will also be less likely to touch nearby metal or terminals and short out somewhere.

[teecro]

Originally Posted by SF_Wood

Cleaned the terminal, checked the post and tightened the nut just past snug. The terminal was fine during golf(stop and go) but when riding for a long time it got really hot. The voltage on the battery pack after 3-4 miles was 48.9v. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the terminal getting hot. Could the issue be coming from the controller/motor?

After 3-4 miles and your voltage is 48.9 volts? That is barely 60 % state of charge. How old are those battery? Sounds like one or more are going bad... Might want to take some voltage reading of each battery...