Im probably and idiot and need help....

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by MATTCRUFF

............. What would not having this resistor do to the cart? Could this be what caused the heated wires?

The resistor pre-charges some filter capacitors in the Controller and reduces the onrush of current on the solenoid contacts when it closes.
The cart will run without it, but you need to replace it in near future.

No, not having the resistor would not have caused any wires to get hot.


Now that you've got a schematic, can you identify which wire(s) got hot.

If somebody has been changing solenoids and stuff, I'd make sure all the wires and cables are going to the right places and all connections and clean and tight before smoke testing it with 36V again.