wires getting hot

[deltaboy]

just bought a 79 ezgo, im guessing that makes it a marathon, 36 volt system. dont know much at all about these things but learning. the previous owners told me the wires were getting hot and need to be replaced. sure enough the wires are in bad shape and corroded from sitting up . my question is, could they have overheated like that just from age or is there something else that i should look at that may have caused them to over heat?

[subby44]

Yes, If they are old wires.. they will get HOT easy. I'm actually impressed that the cart still runs.. I would replace ALL of them. What size are they? I would replace with 4 g. you will see a huge imrovement in the cart and how the heat issue is controlled.. good luck..

[rib33024]

Welcome to BGW

yes old cables that are corroded, and cables ends, and a loose cable at the battery connection will cause this, you need a new set of no less than 4 ga cables, and NOT cables from the auto store,, check with our sponsors they have nice cables. for your cart,, how old are the batteries


http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/site-sponsors.php

[azTony]

So if this happens from old cables, would you get a "burning smell" if they heated up too much?

[rib33024]

Originally Posted by azTony

So if this happens from old cables, would you get a "burning smell" if they heated up too much?

Yes,, but with a cart this old it has a resistor coil set up, not a controller, and when the coils heat up to burn off unwanted power they will smell like something is burning if your are going slow for a long time

[subby44]

Yes, tony... a burning smell could mean you have somw arching going on..

[azTony]

I have a 96 EZGO with a F/R lever and a Torque/Speed lever, I went to move it real quick and have both levers in the "neutral position" (in the middle) and pressed on the accelerator. WHen I did not move after the initial panic I realized I had to move the levers. When I finished moving it I smelled the burning and could not find a warm wire right away.

Sorry for the hi-jack, just trying to learn

[deltaboy]

dont worry bout the hi-jack Tony. im learning too. all the battery cables are 4 ga but all the ones connecting to the motor and the ones that go to the resistor are what looks to be 8 ga. i dont know how old the batteries are. they are definitely not new. thanks for all the advice.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by deltaboy

dont worry bout the hi-jack Tony. im learning too. all the battery cables are 4 ga but all the ones connecting to the motor and the ones that go to the resistor are what looks to be 8 ga. i dont know how old the batteries are. they are definitely not new. thanks for all the advice.

All the high current cables should be the same gauge.
By design, the resistor coils will get hot, but the cables shouldn't.
Replacing the cables that are getting hot will increase Speed and Torque.
How much improvement depends on how bad the cables are.

When fully charged, a 36V battery pack should measure 38.2V about 12 hours after the charger shuts off.

[Dave in VA]

Originally Posted by azTony

So if this happens from old cables, would you get a "burning smell" if they heated up too much?

Get a cheap point and shoot infra-red thermometer from Harbor Freight. Very handy for finding hot spots