BBB Poor Battery Life and Overheating Motor

[Reptar]

I need a little input from some of the cart experts on this site. I have a 2013 BBB Recoil. Last week I had brand new 12V Trojans put in and I've noticed battery life isn't what it should be on a new set of betteries. The cart has a lot of lag uphill and I started to smell burining today. I immediately went to the motors, the front one was very hot the rear motor was ambient. A few questions I have. Could the wiring on the batteries be swapped around to cause this issue with the front motor overheating or is this just apart of the process when a motor is going bad? Also, if it is a bad motor would you expect this to drain the batteries quicker than normal, at least by half. Or again could the shortened battery life be related to a miswiring issue?

Is replacing a motor a DIY project, even for someone not mechanically sound? Or should I take the cart to the local repair shop and break the bank?

[WalterM6]

Maybe when you had the new batteries installed they didn't get all of the battery terminals tight. Try wiggling them side to side to see if they're loose. Check your battery torque specs and tighten accordingly.

[Reptar]

I checked all the terminals, everything seems to checkout.

From what I have gathered I can unhook the front motor and just run on the rear until I can pony up the cash to replace motor. Can I just disconnect the cables to the motor or do I need to disconnect the Controller also?

Secondly, this is a 72v system. I have found 1 place online that says they have this EZGO part (E-Z-GO:629135) but I have also found a very similar motor on Ebay for a few hundred dollars less with slightly different specs (E-Z-GO:667272), Is there anyone that can determine if this would work?

[Fairtax4me]

Brand new batteries need a break-in period before they will produce their full potential output. Trojans usually need 20 or so charge cycles before they can be run for extended periods. Their run time will increase greatly after the first 20 cycles, assuming you recharge them after each day of use.


Was the rear motor warm at all? How long were you driving for before noticing the smell? It's possible the rear motor isn't working at all.

[Reptar]

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

Brand new batteries need a break-in period before they will produce their full potential output. Trojans usually need 20 or so charge cycles before they can be run for extended periods. Their run time will increase greatly after the first 20 cycles, assuming you recharge them after each day of use.


Was the rear motor warm at all? How long were you driving for before noticing the smell? It's possible the rear motor isn't working at all.

Yes, batteries have been through about 3/4 charge cycles. Never ran down more than half way and always charged immediately after riding.

The rear motor was not warm at all, I feel it was working properly because I was not having issues going through little mud holes and the front tires were not digging down into the ground. I probably wasn't on the cart more than 7-8 minutes, was going up a slight incline with my wife and 2 kids for about 1 solid minute when we noticed the smell and noticed the motor was hot to the touch. I can continue running it as is until it completely goes out, I just don't want to do any harm to the controllers or batteries.

[Mooncarter]

Check out what fairtax is telling you. It sounds like the rear motor is not working at all. It should be at least slightly warm after going uphill for 8 minutes.

I have never seen a situation where "...running it as is until it completely goes out..." has ever been a wise thing to do. Whether electric or gas.

[bronsonj]

I've heard that often when an electric motor goes it'll take the controller with it...

[Fairtax4me]

Won't hurt the batteries but it can cause the controller to burn out because of high amp draw.

Damaged or stuck brushes and a burned commutator are usually the result of overheating. Sounds like that front motor is working harder than it should be, or could have an internal problem already. Either way it needs to be removed and disassembled for inspection.

I would get the cart up on 4 jack stands and make sure the rear motor is working.

I'm sure you can disconnect the front motor or unplug the controller, but I don't know enough about those carts to give details on that. I have read of them being problematic and having failures of one or both controllers for various reasons.

[Reptar]

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

Won't hurt the batteries but it can cause the controller to burn out because of high amp draw.

Damaged or stuck brushes and a burned commutator are usually the result of overheating. Sounds like that front motor is working harder than it should be, or could have an internal problem already. Either way it needs to be removed and disassembled for inspection.

I would get the cart up on 4 jack stands and make sure the rear motor is working.

I'm sure you can disconnect the front motor or unplug the controller, but I don't know enough about those carts to give details on that. I have read of them being problematic and having failures of one or both controllers for various reasons.

Thank you very much for your suggestion, first chance I get I will jack it up to ensure the rear motor is working.

Is it worth sending off the motor to get rebuilt? If so, any suggestions for any companies that rebuild the motors? The only replacement I have found online is $980 plus shipping.