New Problem - Cart Suddenly Stutters

[flyons78]

Thanks! I had to travel out of town but i'll give that a shot on Tuesday when I return. I'll let you know how it goes. I will be so relieved if it's just the solenoid.

[WalterM6]

While we're waiting. If there isn't any voltage at either of the terminals you have a bad controller. The good news is if it is less than 2y/o it's still under warranty. But there is still the possibility of a bad solenoid but check this first.

[WalterM6]

Addition: When you measure between the blue/white on solenoid and battery B+is when you should have 48volts with accelerator pressed.

[flyons78]

Originally Posted by WalterM6

Addition: When you measure between the blue/white on solenoid and battery B+is when you should have 48volts with accelerator pressed.

Thanks Walter! Feel free to pass any other tests along that I should try in order to pinpoint the root cause. As much detail as possible is greatly appreciated because I barely have a clue what I'm doing, but I learn fast.

[WalterM6]

Ok Mr Flyons. I'll try and give you a little background to try and help you understand what you are doing.

Back when I had a Alltrax DCX controller I needed to check the Throttle calibration. It was so difficult driving and watching the laptop to see the percentage. I decided that there should be an easier way. I decided that disconnecting one wire off of the solenoid should do it. That should have disabled the drive system by removing power. When I stepped on the accelerator I was surprised that the cart moved. Not normal movements but short jerky movements. It did that for a while and then quit. After it set for a while I retried it and it done it again. So I'm assuming the controller got recharged either through the precharge resistor or some other path.

So here is what I'm thinking is wrong with your cart. Either you lost the negative/low coming out of the controller to energize the solenoid or the coil is open or the diode across the coil is shorted.

To check for a low out of the controller. Place red meter probe on Battery B+ and black meter probe on the blue/white wire on the solenoid. Step on the accelerator and you should read 48V nominal and hear the click if it pulls in.

If no voltage and it doesn't pull in check the coil. To check the solenoid coil remove the blue/white wire and tape it up. Touch a jumper wire (a quick touch) from battery- terminal to the connector you just removed the blue/white wire from. The solenoid should click if good.

It might also be a good idea to get the rear wheels off the ground. Either use jack stands or blocks under the axle like we did in the old days. You never know when the cart might decide when to move

Hope this helps a little more.

[flyons78]

Ok, testing is complete... I get a 47.3v reading when I step on the gas pedal with the the red probe on the Battery + terminal and the black probe on the solenoid terminal where the blue and white stripe wire connects (also where the diode connects).

Does this mean the issue is with my Alltrax XCT?

[scottyb]

Call Alltrax Tech support and let one of their Professional technicians walk you through a few quick checks to see if the controller is okay. 541-476-3565
Be sure to let them know that the cart is converted to lithium before the testing starts and post the results here.
If it is a controller problem they will repair or replace it promptly

[WalterM6]

Did you hear or feel the solenoid pull in?

[flyons78]

Ok, after troubleshooting with Alltrax support, we've determined the problem is indeed a bad solenoid. The troubleshooting steps were similar to what WalterM6 provided but they basically had me reverse it.

To test the solenoid:

- Remove the blue and white wire and diode from the post
- With the multimeter, put the black probe on Battery (-), put the red on the small post with the solid blue wire
- The reading should be the battery pack voltage
- Move the red probe to the small post where the blue\white wire and diode were (Good solenoid = battery pack voltage, Bad solenoid = anything less than pack voltage. In my case, it was 12-14v)

The diode was also in question, but in my situation it tested out fine. To test the diode, simply remove it and see if the issue clears up.

[flyons78]

Originally Posted by WalterM6

Did you hear or feel the solenoid pull in?

There was no click coming from the solenoid. I posted my troubleshooting steps that Alltrax had be go through. Very similar to what you had me run through. I appreciate all of the time you took to explain and help me troubleshoot!