My Series just stopped!!!

[DaveTM]

A very, very, very bad thing just occurred. I checked all the wires and all appeared good. So, I raised the rear wheels off the ground.....and set the throttle on half, then I took a jumper and just tested a few wires to see if perhaps one was bad.

When.....BAMB....my controller when nuts....and black smoke....like a tire-fire...just began to pour out of it. I must have zigged when I should have zagged? I dunno but I had to disconnect the positive terminal in order to stop the maddness.

One fried controller.....$$$$$$.....and the problem still exist.

I'm drinking a tall glass of wine now. WTF.....I quit.

Dave

[DaveTM]

Well, I think this confirms some of my suspicions that I've been having for about two months now. I had replaced all of the wires, yet I have still had some heating issues.

So, my amateur SWAG on this is my motor has been going bad (as all i do is hunt with this cart) and perhaps it was just the motor.....but now I've gone and did my best to assure the controller is toast as well.

This is why I never became a mechanic. I know just enough...to harm myself....or others.

I'll be back....I need more wine.....so I can Whine more.

You gotta laugh when you just popped away a grand....right???

[DaveTM]

Ok fellows.....so now what????? Get a new controller.....and??? Test the 'noid like I shoulda done in the first place? Then??....test for power to the motor....(Yeah...like I shoulda done second??)

Thoughts??

[DaveTM]

Well guys, nobody was brave enough to inquire about what happen here. So...I'll be forthright and honest, and make my misery a post so that hopefully, no one will have to go thru what I just went thru.

My Cart is a Series with an Alltrax AEX 4855 ITS controller on it. So, when it still would not run after I did the above, and I was getting the correct codes on the controller (on half throttle 4 green blinks, then one solid green, on full throttle 4 green blinks, then one solid amber)....my solenoid was "clicking" (however...I did not own an amp-meter....but I do NOW!!!) and the only way to really determine if the solenoid is good is via an amp-meter.

So, I had a short piece of 4-ga. welding cable with a connector crimped on at both ends. My thinking was to make this a bit easier I would simply "jump" from the connections of the existing wires and see if the cart would work. So, I jacked up said cart, put jackstands under it, placed the throttle on half-throttle, key on....and proceeded to jump the existing cables.

Well......this is where I got....or "it" got a bit sticky. You see, what I failed to do was properly follow ONE (yup...that's all it takes) wire from the bottom of my F\R switch, to the proper connection on the LEFT side of my AEX controller. What I did....which was the critical error....was I jumped it from the bottom F\R switch, to the BACK AEX controller connection. Now....from what my understanding is.....this is the same thing as taking a positive and negative wire....and touching them together. The outcome JUST ISN'T PRETTY!!

The current "shoots" thru the motor and essentially the controller is the "weak link" between the positive and negative battery terminals. And with 8 freshly charged 6-V batteries, it was WHAM and right now!!!

Trust me.....don't try this at home. Or anywhere else. The result is one fried controller....probably one fried Solenoid....and most of all....one fried wallet.

I don't recommend doing this jump test. Ever. If you do.....make darn sure your doing it right. 'Cause if you do it wrong....and your expensive parts are good....they won't be good anymore. There is no....I can shut it off before....NOPE...not a chance.

So, when my new controller and solenoid arrive, and I wire 'em back up, my cart may still not run. However, I will have an amp-meter to test "stuff" that needs tested to see if I have current where I should have it.

If you own an electric cart.....buy an amp-meter. They are cheap. Compared to a new controller.....heck...they are free.

Dave

[yurtle]

Just to clarify, you probably mean digital multimeter, or digital volt meter. Most readings are volts, not amps or current.

I just don't want someone to read this then run down to Home Depot and ask for an amp meter, and walk home with an AC amp clamp.

Very few digital multimeters can read the 500 amps my controller puts out. That's why I bought a shunt.

[DaveTM]

Yup. I knew I should have looked at the document that my Son sent me. (He's an engineer. I'm not.) Surprised eh?

[scottyb]

Sorry to hear your misfortune. Sometimes we get careless and forget how much amperage we are playing with and thing , ... hmm, what if.... then ZZZAP! It's happened to me.

Hopefully somebody cut you a deal on controller #2.

[DaveTM]

Well Scotty, I'm upgrading to the next level of controller. (Still an Alltrax)....not that it's that much of a bump....but just a bit more. The deal is a bit better since this guy built my cart and frankly, I've really not had any issues with it in 5 years and I use it at a minimum, on a weekly basis.

Live and learn. I should have had my BIL who is a master mechanic look at it.....but it was over the holidays and I just didn't want to bother his time off, and I wanted to go hunting on new year's day.

[DaveTM]

Ok, my Multimeter that I have in the BBT, will measure up to 600-volts, but....do I really need one that can measure up to 500 amps? My BIL has one that will measure the amp part...so I was thinking of using his if I need to measure the controller output....but keeping the one I ordered for measuring "other stuff".

I'm asking this here as my Son just went thru a day 'n a half of helping his wife have his son #2 and he's a bit frazzled. (All is good! My second grandson!! Yeah!!)

[scottyb]

None of us GC techs have high amp meters. Those are for the laboratory boys. The handheld amp meters simply cost too much to be practical. We measure the controller output in volts. Try this:

series controller test
Jack rear wheels off ground and put on jack stands so half ton cart doesn't take off unexpectedly and run over someone or something.

Connect Negative DVM test lead to B- terminal on top of controller.
Connect Positive test lead to M- terminal.

With charger unplugged from cart, Keyswith ON and F/R in F, press pedal unit solenoid first clicks.
You should read FULL battery pack voltage between B- and M-. (38.2V for a fully charged 36V battery pack)

If not, move the positive test lead to test poits closer to the main positive terminal on battery pack until you find it.
The problem will be between the first place you find it and the last place you didn't.

If you do get FULL battery pack voltage between B- and M-, slowly press pedal to floor.
The voltage should smoothly decrease to zero.
If not either throttle input to controller is bat or controller is bad.