Cart dies....but goes fine after it sits a few minutes.

[mikesmotortoys]

99% probability it is the controller. This is why you should shy away from lifted PDS carts - UNLESS they have been properly built with aftermarket controllers. I know this doesn't help you now, so just bite the bullet and get the 400 amp ALLTRAX and be done with it!

FYI - ther controller is designed to shut off when hot - it's supposed to do what it's doing. It just wasn't designed to be on a 4 passenger lifetd cart with large tires!

[dougmcp]

I agree the controller is suspect. Just some thoughts to determine if it is controller or batteries.
You have 2 year old Trojans, if properly maintained they should give you at least 5 years of service.
Get a digital meter and test the pack voltage and if you like, each individual battery before you start. After you have the problem, test the pack and individuals again and you should have your answer.
Here's a chart to show you your state of charge:

[ssdane]

I agree with Mike, most people selling pds carts with lifts don't know about this change and probably wouldn't do it anyway! Thanks to Doug for the battery chart, this will help out many of us when it comes to keeping and maintaing batteries. I just changed a set of trojans in my wife's cart that were almost 7 yrs. old, but you can get a bad one in any brand! We have both a pds and series cart and I wouldn't turn around for the difference except for the speed of the pds because I did add speed chip. IMHO I think the series motor is a more bullett-proof for day in and out use, but this is only my opinion! There are many people in our neck of the woods using 97-98 models and have only replaced batteries with hardly any other maintenance. I hope everything works out! C-U later.

[chris.y]

First off, thank you for the thoughts....it is sites like this that make me wonder how we did it before the internet.

My gut is also telling me controller, but as I mentioned the people that put in this controller for me said that most, if not all, moving issues are battery related. I am going to try and do what dougmcp suggests. For the record, I did load test the batteries after a charge (and it set for a while) and most batteries registered in the upper 5's....which is unacceptable, the reason I said they are suspect.
But my head still wants to blame the controller.

[dougmcp]

To add to the battery aspect, it is advisable to never run the batteries below 50% charge or it will affect their life in a detrimental way. If your batteries are in the high 5's after charging, and without a load test, I'd say they're shot and it may be time for new ones.