1993 EZ-GO Mods?

[jpgoodnu]

Greetings Folks, I am a Newbie to Golf Carting, but well versed in Car,Truck,ATV mods,etc. I have been trained as an Electronics tech although haven't used that training in a number of years. I am attempting to assist my Father in Law with some performance concerns with his 1993 EZ-GO 36V 4 seater Electric cart. It is a model#E1093 serial#742879. Not sure what this unit is considered (Marathon?) and I haven't yet traveled to check it out and not sure if it's analog/mechanical or a sold state type unit.The batteries are a couple of seasons old and allegedly been tested as good and been balance charged. The connections are all tight and clean and all battery cables were replaced less than a year ago,unfortunately with stock 6AWG. The unit doesn't handle the moderate grades at his campground well with 4 people in it and the cables get hot and occasionally you can smell it getting hot,not burning or melting anything just that distinctive "hot" smell. Our goal is to increase the torque to handle the mild hills better and if that also results in some more speed there won't be any complaints. What is the most effective "bang for the buck" I can do and is there a list of things to do over time as sequential upgrades. My theory was to initially upgrade all the cables to 2 Gauge and possibly add 1 or 2 additional 6V batteries to get to 42 or 48 volts and suspect the stock motor,switches,solenoids and controller will handle it(atleast at 42V) If I do that then a new charger will be needed and not sure if that is cost effective or if a 48V charger can be used on a 42V system,although I have read of several people doing so. Do you guys use desulphators and if so do you have it incorporated in your charger or individuals on the batteries?

1988 to 1994-1/2 the carts had two separate seat backs and no hand hold on the top. It had a plastic front bumper and a metal body. This is a Marathon Model

yes better cables would help .. as for the rest of the upgrades... like you said the carts not there, so we can't tell you what you need

1993 E-Z-GO with Resistor Speed Control or 1993 E-Z-GO with Curtis 1204 Electronic Motor Speed Controller

when you have time to check it out then post up cart specks and we can start helping

yes i have a desulphator ---> http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/desig...aver-test.html

[jpgoodnu]

What do each of those speed controllers look like? I am heading up to camp this weekend.

Wiring Diagram for 1982 to 1993 pre-Medalist E-Z-GO with Resistor Speed Controll

Wiring Diagram for 1989 to 1994 E-Z-GO with Curtis 1204 Electronic Motor Speed Controller

[jpgoodnu]

Thanks,that will certainly make it easier to indentify.

[jpgoodnu]

I am hoping it uses the curtis electronic controller,I just saw a listing for a rebuilt modded unit(up 125 AMPS from stock to 400AMP) for under $300 bucks. What other mods are REQUIRED to use that? F-N-R switch,solenoid,etc?

i have not done one but read that f/r controller is ok

[jpgoodnu]

Will the cable change alone make a noticeable difference?

[scottyb]

Originally Posted by crash test dummy

i have not done one but read that f/r controller is ok

Rebuilt controllers are repaired electronic devices that have previously failed. The repair consists of replacing the parts that failed, nothing more. Controller damage is accumulative, abuse it today and pay for it tomorrow. There are a lot of parts in the 'repaired' control which are original and have already had many years of wear and tear. These repaired controllers cost nearly the same as a new unit... see 400 amp Alltrax & HD solenoid for $369 below. The Alltrax comes with a 2 yr warranty.


On cables size increase, it sounds like you have new 6g cables but you are complaining the cart can't carry 2 times the people it was designed to carry up hill well. Will bigger cables make a big difference? Probably not. Will they help? Yes. They will allow more amperage to flow with less resistance.

In the overall picture, you are going to need to allow the motor to draw more amperage to produce more torque. Torque is power. If this is a resistor coil cart and it sounds like it is just by your description of the hot smell under load etc. When your go peddle is all the way down the resistor coils are out of the amperage delivery loop. This is wide open throttle (WOT) and it is the same whether you get there by solid state or resistor bank....

So when you stand on the peddle the top speed and hill climbs may be the same. Unless you are replacing worn or damaged components. You can have significant amperage losses in the F&R switch, solenoid, controller, or cables.
I hope this helps some.

[ab46501]

It may very well be a resistor cart but it is possible that the hot smell is from the wiring or FNR on a controller cart.

I can tell you from experience that the stock Marathon set up does not like much of a load on it. If it is making it up hills with 4 people then it is really working hard.

If you decide to stay with 36v and a controller cart you can throw more amps at the stock motor with a new controller and it will help some but the little stock 2hp motor just isn't that strong. I would reccomend either having it rebuilt by Plum Quick or getting a new motor from D&D which is what I did.

Going to 42 or 48v would be a big torque improvement and you could use the stock motor but you would still need to change the controller, solenoid and have a way to charge it.