Ezgo Power Problems

[Snowman2]

I have a 2001 Ezgo with a Raptor motor. It is in the shop right now and I was told that it has a blown solenoid. The speed controller is a 300amp. I have 23x10.5x 12 tires.
I was told today from the shop that I should put a 700amp GE in it. They said that with the motor and the big tires that it is a matter of time that I burn up the speed controller.

My question is should I get the bigger controller and did the solenoid blow due to the controller not being the correct amp ?

Thank you in advance,

Brad

[gornoman]

The Raptor is an amp hog, so you need a Heavy Duty Solenoid installed.

300 amp controller is living on borrowed time with your motor and those 23's. If your cables are not at least 4g welding cable, they need to be. If this is a Series cart (no Run/Tow switch) you will want to upgrade your F/R assembly also.

[scottyb]

Feed it more voltage
Any aftermarket motor on 36v is an amp hog which equals heat and heat kills electronics.
Hope this helps.

[Snowman2]

Thank you, I am new at this game, but when the solenoid blew I knew that something was not adding up.

What size solenoid should I put on it ?

It already has the 4gauge cables with new Trojan batteries. The F/R switch was replaced right before I bought it, but I am not sure its an upgraded one.

Another question, I was told from the shop that the new 700amp GE is $775. I found it online for $489. Is there different models ? why the price difference ? How easy is it to install on my own ?

[scottyb]

Hundreds of people install their own with the help of this forum each year. It takes basic skills and tools and ability to follow directions or it can be very disappointing.

... not sure you need the biggest dang controller they offer though? Lots of builds do just fine with 4 and 500 amp controllers.

[Snowman2]

Which controller should I get. I am trusting the input of you guys more than the shop because they want my money.

I am the kind of guy that likes to understand how the things I own work and like to do my own work but I am starting out and need to learn.

My wife drives it to the store and the beach a lot with my young boys and I want it to not fail. What size controller and solenoid should I use to get the speed and the bottom end torque for take off ?

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by Snowman2

Which controller should I get. I am trusting the input of you guys more than the shop because they want my money.

I am the kind of guy that likes to understand how the things I own work and like to do my own work but I am starting out and need to learn.

My wife drives it to the store and the beach a lot with my young boys and I want it to not fail. What size controller and solenoid should I use to get the speed and the bottom end torque for take off ?

First of all, I don't know what a Raptor motor is or who makes it, so I'm not sure if it is a series wound motor or a sepex (SEParately EXcited - aka shunt wound) motor, but I suspect you have a series cart since you have 23" tires and the solenoid blew before the controller.

Plug your serial number into this site or use attached chart to identify which drive system you have:http://www.shopezgo.com/customer-ser...ialNumber.html

If it is a series cart, which I suspect it is, you've already got about all the speed you are going to get out of it (IE: tall tires and aftermarket motor) until you upgrade to a higher voltage battery pack.

The cart gained about about 25% in top end speed when the 23" tires were installed, but lost about 25% of its torque. To get more torque, you allow the motor to draw more amps (higher ampacity controller) and to increase speed further, you increase the voltage feeding the amps to the motor.

I also suspect you probably don't want the cart to do wheelies when your wife presses the throttle too hard, especially when the kids are on-board, so a 700A controller might be a bit much for your application.

It might be an idea to go with a programmable controller in the 400A or 500A range and dial it back to what is safe for the wife and kids to use and still have the ability to increase the torque and speed (36V/48V compatible)

Scotty is being modest, but he does sell some controller/solenoid packages that might work out well for you, at a reasonable price and with good installation instructions.
http://www.cartsunlimited.net/Custom_Options.html
Several of the other Site sponsors also have solenoids and controllers for sale at reasonable prices.

You said you like to know how the things you own work, so here is a drawing of the high current circuit of a generic series drive system. As you see, total drive current goes through every, cable, contact and component equally, so they all have to be capable of passing the current the motor can draw.

[scottyb]

Johnnie is right, I have some 'how golf cart things work' info mixed all through my website. Basic speed control drive system upgrades are briefly explained here > http://cartsunlimited.net/Custom_Options.html

Basically you need to match the components up so that they are balanced and capable of the job at hand or for the intended use. So if trips to the beach for Mom & kids is planned a 30mph wheelie machine is not what you need. Plus it will cost more and be less reliable than a more moderate build IMHO.
The Raptor (D392 motor) is sold as a speed motor with a recommendation of 4g cable system and 400a controller. This is a good starting point. You may want to go with 2g and a 500a control ... It depends on what you want from the cart. The top speed will be the same for the 400a and the 700a control. The bigger control will just allow the motor to draw more amperage which will result in harder acceleration which will increase strain on the rest of the drive system. Hope this (and Johnnie's post) begin to shed light on the controller selection process.

[Snowman2]

Thank you Johonnie and Scotty. I was looking at Scottys website last night and it helped alot !!! I guess what I am looking for it the top end speed so we can run with traffic at the beach, which it already has. My wife would like more speed at the lower end so she can feel comfortable crossing A1A and major roads without being smashed. Plus it takes FOREVER to get to the top speed

I do not want a wheely popping machine and do not want added stress on the drive system so it sounds like I will go with a 500amp and 4 gauge cables, plus a 400 amp solenoid.

I just want the system to equal each other so it will run smooth and I can get the benefit out of the large motor that is on it.

I bought it already put together the way it is and it is apparent that the people who did it did not know what they were doing.

Thanks again,

Brad

[JohnnieB]

Now that I found out the Raptor is a GE D392 motor, I see that it'll spin up to about 4,600 RPM @36V, so your cart ought to do about 25MPH on those 23" tires if you can feed it enough amps.

That said, your cart is/was most likely current limited, so you just might pick up a little top end speed when you get rid of the bottlenecks.

To each their own, but personally, I would go with 2Ga cables. They are only $30 more a set even if you buy the best.

Also, as mentioned by gornoman earlier, be sure to upgrade the F/R switch.
If the stationary contacts are in good shape, you might be able to just replace the cam with a Heavy Duty one instead of replacing the whole assembly.

Basically, a 500A controller, 2 or 4 gauge cable, HD Solenoid and HD F/R switch ought to give the cart enough acceleration to cross a highway safely and keep up with most carts in the neighborhood.

As for the previous owners not knowing what they were doing, maybe it was a work in progress and their interest changed, so they sold it.

Have fun and be safe.....