Ezgo txt losing power and melted terminal

[Dsiekman]

I have a 98 txt I inherited awhile back. Batteries are Rural King and relatively new. I had noticed that it was not holding a charge as long as I thought it should and I was only getting maybe 45 minutes of runtime before recharging. Today I we had a community parade and made a couple trips back and forth to the pool. Just hopped on it to put it away and got nothing. Lifted the seat and found a melted terminal. From what I've read I'm guessing loose connection? We have some big hills (that it doesn't like), so I'm wondering where to go from here. New battery? New cables? Maybe a new motor and speed control in the future?

[scottyb]

Or all of the above Here is some upgrade option reading > http://www.cartsunlimited.net/upgrade-suggestions.html

[Dsiekman]

Thanks, Scottyb, I'll definitely check it out.

Since melted terminals from loose connections seems like a pretty common issue, does anyone use lock washers? If not, why not?

[Dsiekman]

I'm not an electrical engineer by far, but I am assuming that allowing the controller and therefore motor to draw more amps also means reduced run time. Is that correct? Does moving to 48v help with that or do I just need to find larger Ah batteries?

My main goals (other than fixing the current issue, no pun intended) are longer run times and better power/speed going up hill (more torque). Top speed is not all that important to me. I currently get +/- 13mph on the flat with larger than stock offroad tires. That's plenty for hauling the kids to the pool and even feels a little scary at times.

[scottyb]

Bumping the series drive TXT up to 48v helps a heap with performance and efficiency.

[Gregorio]

No matter what route you choose, checking for loose cables and corrosion should be part of your monthly battery maintenance. I found this out just as you, with a melted post. I was able to repair it with a new stud after searching this forum and got another two years from the pack.

I'm in the hills, too. 14MPH top speed was OK but what I really needed was to be able to maintain it going up hill with 2-3 passengers. After researching and talking to the site sponsors like scottyb, I settled on a 400A Alltrax controller, HD solenoid and 2AWG cables. This should really wake up the stock motor by letting the amps fly!

Since my batteries were at the end of their life (and because I am a glutton for punishment), I decided to do a Lithium pack at the same time. I'm powering it up this later week.

[rib33024]

Battery terminal repair




http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/batte...nal-repair.php

[ARKSoft84]

I purchased a cart that had some melted battery terminals. I repaired mine the same way that a factory that uses electric fork lifts would. I used a carbon rod, and melted the lead and formed a new post, which I melted into a marine battery post.

Which you can see that here: http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...g-her-off.html

And then the process is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndnJnfXkt9c

And here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWD3wOKZvgU

[Dsiekman]

Thanks, guys! I'm actually leaning towards new batteries. The ones in there are a few years old and weren't great to start with. They were also not really well maintained for probably six months to a year before the cart came to me. I talked to my local battery shop today and the guy gave me a good scare about the possibility of a leak and potential explosion. My kids ride on this with me so I'm probably going to err on the side of caution.

As I mentioned, I'm only getting maybe 45 minutes of run time, if that, before I'm down around 60-70% charge, so I think the batteries were on their way out anyway. I'll probably do the cable replacement as well and then work up to the new controller and solenoid.

[Dsiekman]

So last night I checked all of my other connections. All were tight. I did notice that the cables seemed a little crispy for lack of a better term. The insulation was fine but it was almost like the wire itself was making noise. That said, I would feel better replacing them now.

Assuming I am going to go with a new 500 amp controller in the future, can I go ahead and replace my cables with 2 gauge now with my stock setup or will that cause problems?