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Old 01-12-2013, 07:46 PM   #1
Dondi12
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Default Cart sluggish/ black wire very hot

2009 ez go pds
Cart started today running sluggish, noticed black wire that runs from battery to solenoid got very hot. Actually started smelling it first. Wire cooled and began running fine. This has never happened before. NAPA batteries less than 1 year old. Gauge shows full charge. This started AFTER I washed and cleaned the cart. Water may have got on the solenoid, would this happen if it got wet?
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Old 01-13-2013, 05:10 AM   #2
JohnnieB
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Default Re: Cart sluggish/ black wire very hot

Welcome to BGW!

My guess is the you had some marginal cable connections and when some water was added, they got worse.

If there is heat, there is resistance and if there is a lot of heat there is a lot of resistance.

An overheating cable will soon melt the terminals on the batteries, so it might be a good idea to disassemble all the high current connections and clean them.

Use a baking soda solution to neutralize the acid and corrosion, rinse thoroughly with water and dry.

Be careful not to over-tighten the battery connections. The spec is only about 10 ft/lb, so it doesn't take much.

FWIW: I replaced my high current cables (all ten) when they were about the age your's are now. They didn't look too bad to my experienced eye, but they were and I got noticeably better low end performance.

These are the cables I used: http://www.cartsunlimited.net/Batter..._Upgrades.html
I went with the #11 kit (2Ga), but the #10 (4Ga) will be fine for most applications.
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Old 01-13-2013, 08:36 AM   #3
Dondi12
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Default Re: Cart sluggish/ black wire very hot

Thanks Johnny B. I was thinking about an upgrade last year but I suppose this is the kick in the pants I needed to get off my arse. I did leave out a bit of information last post; the space in time between washing the vehicle and then noticing it drive sluggish and smelling the wire insulation burning was 6 days. So wouldn't have any water evaporated by the time I noticed. Also the tow/ run switch was where I originally found the problem. It acted as though there was a short in it but now is completely dry and works fine. The problem now is the black wire getting too hot. I'm scared to run it now for any length of time.
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Old 01-13-2013, 09:52 AM   #4
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Default Re: Cart sluggish/ black wire very hot

Stock cables and solenoid may be giving up the ghost. Does the solenoid click when you first turn on the key? If not it may be welded shut. If you have bigger tires on the cart or you use it off of the golf course you will need to upgrade the cables and the electronics.
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Old 01-13-2013, 10:12 AM   #5
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Default Re: Cart sluggish/ black wire very hot

What happens is akin to grass growing through sidewalks. The corrosion starts on the outside and slowly works its way between the contact surfaces of the connection. Getting the connections wet may have triggered or accelerated the inevitable, but it also might have just been coincidental.

Getting things wet may cause erratic operation until they dry out, but water leaves debris behind and makes some things fail sooner. IE: The microswitch in the pedal box gets gummed up and doesn't close when the pedal is pushed. However there is only one microswitch in a PDS cart and the regular toggle switches tolerate getting wet better than microswitches do.

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If the cable that gets hot doesn't look too bad, you might be able to clean the connections and use the cart a little. Keeping a close eye on it of course. As long as it and its connections don't get too hot to hold, you probably won't be causing more damage.

Just remember that the battery stud terminal is actually a hex-head bolt with the head embedded in lead, so it doesn't take much heat (or torque on the bolt) to loosen it inside the lead post and once that happens the terminal will burn off the battery.

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When you remove/replace the cables to the motor, be sure to use two wrenches and hold the lower nut so the stud doesn't turn because bad things happen inside motor when the studs turn.
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Old 01-13-2013, 02:14 PM   #6
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Default Re: Cart sluggish/ black wire very hot

Thanks johnnie and Scotty, I was just out checking the connections and the wire that has been getting very hot (too hot to touch) was loose INSIDE the insulation. A little further investigation it was almost corroded into inside the insulation. However the outside appeared in decent shape. Just goes to show upgrades should be based not only on appearance of corrosion but also length of time used.
ScottyB, I'll be in touch. But while I have your attention how can I tell how large of a controller I have? I see no markings. My cart is lifted with oversize tires but not excessive. And how do I know for sure my solenoid is about to "give up the ghost"?
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Old 01-13-2013, 07:54 PM   #7
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Default Re: Cart sluggish/ black wire very hot

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dondi12 View Post
Thanks johnnie and Scotty, I was just out checking the connections and the wire that has been getting very hot (too hot to touch) was loose INSIDE the insulation. A little further investigation it was almost corroded into inside the insulation. However the outside appeared in decent shape. Just goes to show upgrades should be based not only on appearance of corrosion but also length of time used.
ScottyB, I'll be in touch. But while I have your attention how can I tell how large of a controller I have? I see no markings. My cart is lifted with oversize tires but not excessive. And how do I know for sure my solenoid is about to "give up the ghost"?
The controller and solenoid should have a label, no? Post a pic if you can't find any info
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Old 01-13-2013, 08:44 PM   #8
simple man
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Default Re: Cart sluggish/ black wire very hot

Change that cable! None of the rest of them get hot, right! Believe me, the terminal ends aren't making a good connection or the cable has corrosion inside the insulation. Regardless, replace it because it will cause you to walk eventually! I'd suggest to get a cable set from ScottyB ( http://www.cartsunlimited.net/ ) because that is the first step in an upgrade to your cart. No matter what else you do, the cable set will be used in any upgrade!
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Old 01-14-2013, 05:42 AM   #9
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Default Re: Cart sluggish/ black wire very hot

Quote:
Originally Posted by simple man View Post
Change that cable! None of the rest of them get hot, right! Believe me, the terminal ends aren't making a good connection or the cable has corrosion inside the insulation. Regardless, replace it because it will cause you to walk eventually! I'd suggest to get a cable set from ScottyB ( http://www.cartsunlimited.net/ ) because that is the first step in an upgrade to your cart. No matter what else you do, the cable set will be used in any upgrade!
As suggested above, you may have more than just one bad cable. If you're lucky, walking home is the worse thing that happens. If it's getting hot, it can do collateral damage, by melting battery posts, solenoid, FNR, etc.
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Old 01-14-2013, 06:17 AM   #10
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Default Re: Cart sluggish/ black wire very hot

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dondi12 View Post
Thanks johnnie and Scotty, I was just out checking the connections and the wire that has been getting very hot (too hot to touch) was loose INSIDE the insulation. A little further investigation it was almost corroded into inside the insulation. However the outside appeared in decent shape. Just goes to show upgrades should be based not only on appearance of corrosion but also length of time used.
ScottyB, I'll be in touch. But while I have your attention how can I tell how large of a controller I have? I see no markings. My cart is lifted with oversize tires but not excessive. And how do I know for sure my solenoid is about to "give up the ghost"?
The grass growing through concrete analog applies to the cables also.
When the strands of copper are exposed to the acid laden air in the battery compartment, corrosion forms between the strands and over time the corrosion migrates into the strands within the lug (Heavy duty ring terminal), causing a progressive increase in resistance between the cable strands and the lug.

The progression is inevitable, but there are ways to prevent it from starting and ways to slow it down.
To prevent it from starting, use a closed end lug and form an air-tight seal between the lug and the cable's insulation.
To slow it down, solder the lug on rather than crimping it.
(If course, if the connection between lug and cable strands is truly air-tight, solder vs crimp is a moot point.)

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Pictures of the controller and the wire that gets hot would be nice.

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As for tire size, what is excessive depends on the drive system.
Drive systems can be built for just about any size tires that will physically fit under the cart.
It takes more amps to turn bigger tires, but if the controller, solenoid, cables and F/R switch (if a series drive) can deliver the amps, the battery pack can provide the amps and the motor can tolerate the amps, the tires aren't excessive.

With stock differential gears (12.44:1 ratio), you lose 5% of the original torque for each inch the tires are taller than 18" and more torque is needed to turn tires that are wider and heavier than stock, so the combined effect adds up quickly.

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If it is the stock solenoid, it needs to be replaced.
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