Struggling uphill

[89electric_cc]

The batteries are 2 different brands:

Duralast: 6.55, 6.55, 6.51
Duracell: 6.65, 6.67, 6.61

The duralast were purchased last fall. The duracell were purchased by the previous owner, he claimed they are from 2011.

[lipa40]

Originally Posted by 89electric_cc

I tried that but it didn't seem to make a difference. There is still a significant drop in power when going uphill.

check the brakes:cry

[89electric_cc]

I've done some work since my last post. I now have six 8v batteries and some of Scotty's upgrades. I put in his C54 conversion kit and 2 gauge cables. It appears that the batteries were the initial issue. They were the last piece that I upgraded and it was still struggling uphill until I replaced all six batteries. At this point the cart runs and makes it uphill however now I can't charge it!

I bought a 48v charger but when I initially connected it, the wires behind the connector for the charger started smoking and was melting the insulation on the 10 gauge cables that were connected from the crow foot connector to the battery bank. I believe I had the 10 gauge wires going to the wrong sides of the battery bank. While I fixed those wires, I also upgraded the resistor on the solenoid to one for a 48v cart. As I was doing that I accidentally made a bunch of sparks & smoke as I crossed the small connector with the larger connector on the solenoid!

Now my charger gives me an error and will not charge the batteries. The cart still runs but I'm not sure if I need a new solenoid or not. The threads for the small connector arc'd so bad that the threads melted.

I've tried testing some components but am not sure what is bad/wrong. The small connectors on the solenoid fail a continuity test with my multi-meter. They show zero volts at rest but when I press the pedal with the key on & while in reverse, it registers just over 48v.

The large connectors on the solenoid register just over 20v at rest but drop to zero when I press the pedal. They pass the continuity test.

I also checked 2 micro-switches. The one at the forward/reverse registers zero volts while at rest and also while the pedal is pressed. It passes continuity in both cases.

The micro-switch at the potentiometer registers just over 48v when at rest but when I press the pedal, it goes to zero but passes the continuity test.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions otherwise I'm going to need to find a golf cart repair shop in western PA!

[tag50]

Since the cart still runs the micro switches are still good. The solenoid is likely OK for the same reason. The 20v. at the large connectors is probably the meter reading the pre-charge resistor feeding the caps in the controller.

I'm going to take a wild guess that the fuse on the backside of the charging receiver blew when the 10ga wire was miss-wired and the charger can't "see" battery pack.


.

[89electric_cc]

The cover for the fuse is cloudy on one half so I can't see the whole piece. Look alike I'll need to take it apart to check it. If it is bad, should I replace it with a stock 36v fuse or is there an alternative for a 48v cart?

[tag50]

With your meter set for ohms, you should be able to test at the ends of the 2 red wires.

I haven't heard of anyone changing the charging fuse for these conversions. The 36 volt chargers start at 20 amps and the 48 volt start at 15 amps so the stock fuse should be OK.


.

[89electric_cc]

Thanks for the input! I definitely need a new fuse!

[gravelydude]

I have an 85 Club Car DS. It has the original resistor coils and solenoids in it. I live in a mountainous area in North Carolina. This cart was inherited by my wife from her Grandmother; so it has sentimental value. The cart was great on flat land (about 11-12 mph), but slowed to about 3 mph on the steeper hills. My solution was to replace the lead-acid batteries with a lithium pack of slightly higher voltage. I also replaced all cables with 2 gauge (made them myself with wire and terminals from Del-City and an Ebay crimper). The original cables were definitely heating up on the steep inclines. The result was a loss in weight of over 350 pounds, and an appreciable performance gain. Now I run 14-15 mph on flat land (speed limit in my neighborhood is 15mph), and 7-8 mph on the steeper hills. Bigger problem is braking on the downhills in loose gravel. Front brakes are in my future. We are very happy, but this conversion is not for everyone.

Jack