EZGo 48v stops after 20 seconds

[Sdlink]

Hi all,

I am new to electric golf carts. Picked up my first one used a few months ago. It’s a 2011 model. It’s been running great until recently. We took it on a long ride through the campgrounds, probably longer then we have before but it ran great. Later that day the kids were using it and it stopped working. When the accelerator was pushed it would stutter and then even with it all the way down it was just limping along. Then stopped altogether.
Plugged it into the Qe charger and got the battery voltage fault code and then it went into normal charge mode. The charger shows a fully charged battery but every time I try to use it it will run normal for 20 seconds then start to stutter then go “limp” then stop altogether. There also is a burning or hot smell and it seems to be coming mostly from behind the charger port on the golf cart.

I plug it in, it charges and does the same thing. I tested each battery voltage and they each read 13 volts and the whole bank reads 52.2.

What can I do to fix this? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[rockfordpi]

Originally Posted by Sdlink

Hi all,

I am new to electric golf carts. Picked up my first one used a few months ago. It’s a 2011 model. It’s been running great until recently. We took it on a long ride through the campgrounds, probably longer then we have before but it ran great. Later that day the kids were using it and it stopped working. When the accelerator was pushed it would stutter and then even with it all the way down it was just limping along. Then stopped altogether.
Plugged it into the Qe charger and got the battery voltage fault code and then it went into normal charge mode. The charger shows a fully charged battery but every time I try to use it it will run normal for 20 seconds then start to stutter then go “limp” then stop altogether. There also is a burning or hot smell and it seems to be coming mostly from behind the charger port on the golf cart.

I plug it in, it charges and does the same thing. I tested each battery voltage and they each read 13 volts and the whole bank reads 52.2.

What can I do to fix this? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Check all of your battery terminals and wires to be sure they are not loose or getting hot.

[cgtech]

Also, "at rest voltages" do not necessarily reflect good battery health. What does that number drop down to while driving? You can carefully put your DVM probes in the charger port sockets to monitor while driving.

[Mooncarter]

Rockford and cgtech have given great advice. I would add that battery cables that may be in good enough shape for the batteries to accept a charge may not be in good enough shape to provide for the demands of running the cart. Check each battery connection and make sure they are shiny clean (battery post and cable) and troubleshoot from there.

[cgtech]

Yep, and those battery numbers would be reflected at the charge port, it sees the number the cart sees at pack B+ & B-, but excludes the solenoid, and any points beyond pack B+ & B-.

[Sdlink]

Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.

I tested the solenoid and that seems to be ok from the tests I found and ran.

I took off each cable and cleaned them really well and reattached. Took a short test drive and tested the voltage and it was in the 48-49 range. Within 10 seconds of driving it started smelling hot again.

Would my next step to be to test the batteries themselves? And how do I do that?

[rockfordpi]

Originally Posted by Sdlink

Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.

I tested the solenoid and that seems to be ok from the tests I found and ran.

I took off each cable and cleaned them really well and reattached. Took a short test drive and tested the voltage and it was in the 48-49 range. Within 10 seconds of driving it started smelling hot again.

Would my next step to be to test the batteries themselves? And how do I do that?

The easiest way is with a 48v load tester if you have a nearby dealer who can do that. An alternative would be to get some jumper wires with alligator clips on the end so you can connect your meter and watch the battery voltage as you drive the cart under load.

The fact that you are getting that burning smell leads me to believe you are losing connection somewhere. Wherever that is, there should be heat. Look for a point that has more heat than the other wires/connections.

Once someone had a cart with a similar problem, it ran, it stopped, it ran, it stopped, and asked me to look at it. When I raised the seat and looked at the partially hidden back battery, the post was completely melted off the battery and had slid forward about an inch. However, the burned end of the post was still barely touching the other part of the battery post, the controller was getting full voltage, but that burnt post was failing under load because it could not carry enough amps to run the cart.

Now, I know you don't have a broken post, but I think something similar may be happening someone in your high amp wiring or connections.

[Sdlink]

Originally Posted by rockfordpi

The easiest way is with a 48v load tester if you have a nearby dealer who can do that. An alternative would be to get some jumper wires with alligator clips on the end so you can connect your meter and watch the battery voltage as you drive the cart under load.

The fact that you are getting that burning smell leads me to believe you are losing connection somewhere. Wherever that is, there should be heat. Look for a point that has more heat than the other wires/connections.

Once someone had a cart with a similar problem, it ran, it stopped, it ran, it stopped, and asked me to look at it. When I raised the seat and looked at the partially hidden back battery, the post was completely melted off the battery and had slid forward about an inch. However, the burned end of the post was still barely touching the other part of the battery post, the controller was getting full voltage, but that burnt post was failing under load because it could not carry enough amps to run the cart.

Now, I know you don't have a broken post, but I think something similar may be happening someone in your high amp wiring or connections.

I work at a motorcycle dealership. We don’t have a 48 volt load tester but we do have a load tester for 12 volt batteries. Can I check each battery individually?

Also as far as the burning smell it is coming from both the back of the charging port and also near the solenoid. The two small wires on the top of the solenoid are pretty warm to the touch.

[Sdlink]

The batteries all test with good voltage. I don’t know deep cell batteries very well. If they show good voltage does that mean the batteries are still good? Or is there another way to test them/look for?

[Sdlink]

Originally Posted by Sdlink

The batteries all test with good voltage. I don’t know deep cell batteries very well. If they show good voltage does that mean the batteries are still good? Or is there another way to test them/look for?

Ok I took the batteries to Interstate Battery and they tested each cell with a hydrometer and also load tested each battery. They said the batteries are all great. The cables are all good too so I can eliminate the batteries as the issue.

What’s my next best test to eliminate my problem? Controller? Wiring harness?