1988 ezgo 2stroke golf cart 20a switch wont work

[Spideyman0294]

So as the description says i have a 1988 ezgo 2stroke golf cart and i bought some 20a switchs to use for the main power and for the headlight. the switchs have an led light that comes on when power is applied to them but it wont let me start my golf cart or turn my headlights on. 30a switch that it came with makes it turn on and turn over. Even using a 30a switch on the headlights makes them turn on. Is there something i can do to get the 20a switchs to work or am i going to have to just return them and get 30a switchs.

[cart around]

The amperage rating of a switch determines how much current it will pass before it melts. The manual calls for a 25 amp fuse if the cart has factory lights.
The fuse is supposed to be the weakest link in a circuit. You are trying to use a switch that is rated for 5 amps less than the fuse.


The question is, did your switch melt?


It's easy enough to check for continuity in all positions with a meter. I kind of suspect that there is nothing wrong with the switch. It's more likely that the new switch is wired different internally, and is being connected wrong.


EDIT: I have gone back to reread your post. It looks like you are trying to use 2 separate 20 Amp switches. How are you feeding them? Are they connected in series, or parallel?


The first step is to check the switch for continuity.

[Spideyman0294]

well the switch i bought came in a package of like 12 and i tried multiple ones and neither one worked. The led light son them would turn on but when i tried to start the golf cart nothing happened, wouldn't turn over or anything. no none of my switches melted. the 30a one that it came with (bought this gold cart used off facebook marketplace) works great but it sticks out and my leg catches it so i got a switch thats not going ot get in the way.

[Spideyman0294]

Not sure if it's in seires or parrallel. There's one switch that turns on main power. There's a separate switch to turn the headlights on. The switches it came with, as o mentioned earlier, are 30a switches and worked. Replacing them using the service wire's with the 20a switches does nothing. Main power switch flipped on won't turn engine over when I hit the gas pedal like it's supposed to and when I flip the headlight switch nothing happens either. The little LED light on the switch come on for both of them but doesn't deserve anything else

[cart around]

Post a link to the exact switch that you bought. I want to study it.



This link explains the difference between a series, and parallel circuit. https://www.123rf.com/photo_54511461...t-flows-t.html

[Spideyman0294]

Here are the switches I bought:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011U...op_mb_pd_title I'll read up on that site you linked

[cart around]

Ok. This is what I see in the questions. You need three wires to make these switches work. The hot wire from your fuse connects to the center post. The bronze colored pin connects to ground. That can be your cart frame, or the negative post of your battery.

The end silver pin goes to your lights, or to the pedal switch.

I will quote two answers here. "Mine did not come with instructions, but I can help : they have 3 pins, one is bronze and the two others are silver; They are 12Vdc. Connect negative to the bronze pin; connect positive to the silver central pin; the remaining pin will be the output. When switch-on the L.e.d. will turn on and the output will provide positive to the device connected. When switch-off the L.e.d. will go off and the device connected will not receive power.
I hope this will help"

"Copper color tab is ground.... silver center tab is to fused power from battery wire.... silver on the end goes to accessory "

Is this how you wired them?

EDIT: I did see this one review. Maybe he is right. Pros: the LED is bright enough for indication, but not crazy enough to blind you. There is a very positive click when actuated.

Cons: The internals wired incorrectly for proper function. The entirety of the current is forced to go through the LED if you use the outer two poles, which makes the switch's resistance 5-9Mohms. If you hook up both of the positive poles and the ground how you are told, no current will flow through the accessory due to voltage dropping below the input voltage to the LED. For proper function, the LED should be flipped around to make the center pole ground and the outer poles positive."




I can say one thing after reading some poor reviews. Six bucks is way too cheap to get 12 decent switches.

[Spideyman0294]

I read that same comment. I wired the switch with the copper end having the negative on it and the center one with the positive. The old switch has the same 3 prongs on it using the far right pron and center prong so i assumed thats how i would do it with my new switches. I am going to just return the switches and get something from napa or something. Ya they are pretty cheap haha i was hoping they would work.

[cart around]

I hope this picture works. I used paint to crudely draw a circuit. You have no idea how difficult that was using a mouse.

It's also an example of a circuit that is both series, and parallel. The switches are in series with the fuse, but in parallel with each other.


This is how it should be wired. I would use 30 amp switches with a 25 amp fuse.