36v voltage reducer is hot

[CrazyDad]

Originally Posted by tyhuck

Im sure the fact that it was a $13 unit is the most likely culprit. You get what you pay for. If I need a new one, whats a good brand to look for?

I got the one from cartsunlimited.net and it has a weather proof fuse block, ground block and it’s 30 amps so I have room to add more accessories later.

[tyhuck]

I wont need lights until about September (deer season) so I have plenty of time to trouble shoot and replace the reducer.

[Mooncarter]

Originally Posted by tyhuck

I wont need lights until about September (deer season) so I have plenty of time to trouble shoot and replace the reducer.

[tyhuck]

Well, there’s a possibility that my motor is toast. Just took it for a spin and it didnt make it a quarter mile. Made it home and it acted like the batteries were dead. Pulled the seat and the motor was smoking. Can someone give me a diagram of how the motor is supposed to be wired just in case thats the problem?

Looks like a cheap voltage reducer was the least of my worries.

[Mooncarter]

tyhuck, look in the Electric EZ-GO section "stickys" you will find your wiring diagram.

[tyhuck]

Thanks.

Got the motor all torn down just to see. This is what I have to work with. Is it worth saving if it did the job previously? Dont really need the upgrade so if its rebuildable, I’d like to try that before dropping too much more money into this thing. These things are worse than Jeeps and Boats.

[BobBoyce]

The motor bearing went bad and allowed the rotor to rub on the stator. It looks like so much heat was generated that it may have cooked the formvar (varnish-like insulation) on the armature windings at that end, and maybe even some stator windings. Whether or not it is salvagable depends upon if there are any interwinding shorts or of the windings to the laminations. Even if there are not, the isolation of the individual laminations of the rotor and stator have been compromised, increasing eddy current losses and decreasing efficiency a bit.