Help me please

[Eddybud]

I have a 99 ezgo medalist golf cart - serial # 1209080. I have brand new batteries and a brand new solenoid. The cart will not move when i press the accelerator. I did not hear a click at all before i replaced the solenoid. Now i hear a click each time i turn the key on or off or if i select forward and then reverse. I was wondering if anyone had advice on what i should do next. Is it a bad motor? A bad controller? A bad accelerator micro switch? I have been reading posts for hours and am more lost than ever. Any help would be appreciated. I did a few tests with a meter that i read about on here and they were all reading exactly as they should.I started by putting the negative probe on black and positive on red of the batteries. It read 38.2. I had the negative probe on the negative of the battery and i checked both sides of the solenoid and they both read 38.2 I also did all of the ITS tests including where i pressed the accelerator and they all tested as they should according to the repair and service manual which i got a few pages of online. Thanks alot in advance for any input you guys have.

[Eddybud]

just one other thing that might help - i do not hear a click when i press the accelerator - only when i use the forward and reverse switch and when i turn the key - the cart is lifted a few inches and has bigger tires other than that everything is stock

[scottyb]

Does the cart have a run tow switch on the controller cover?

[kab69440]

If the solenoid clicks when you turn the key, the switch must be powering the solenoid instead of the accelerator circuit or possibly the microswitch in the pedal box stuck in the closed position?

[JohnnieB]

The serial number posted is for a 1999 Medalist DCS.

Stock drive system with oversize tires, so the controller is the prime suspect.

There are two separate symptoms, solenoid staying energized with pedal up and motor not running with pedal down, but a bad controller could cause both.

Solenoid issue:
Connect voltmeter between main negative terminal on battery pack and Pin-5 on controller plug.
Key On and F or R selected.
Should have battery pack voltage when pedal is pushed and Zero when pedal is up.
If not, the pedal microswitch is bad.
If so, and the solenoid stays energized as long as Key is on and a direction is selected, the controller is not doing what it is being told to do and is bad.

Not moving issue:
Connect voltmeter between B- and M- terminals on controller.
When solenoid is energized and pedal is up, you should have FULL battery pack voltage.
When pedal is slowly pushed to floor, the voltage should smoothly decrease to Zero.
If not, the controller is bad.

[Eddybud]

Thanks a million for your quick response. I checked the voltage from the main negative terminal on battery pack and Pin-5 on controller plug with the pedal up and it was 36.7 also with it down and it was 36.3. The battery pack was 37.9 right now. I assumed the 5th pin was the one that is fifth from the right if you are standing in front of the cart and looking straight at it. Here are the other pin readings just for the hell of it. 1 is 0.3--2 is 14.1--3 and 4 are 0.0--5 is 36.8--6 is 37.0 - 7 and 8 are 0.0 - 9 and 10 are 37.8
as far as the other test you mentioned on my controller i have 3 big wires a b+ a b- and an A1. im assuming the M- you were talking about connectinhg the voltmeter to was my A1? if so the reading was 37.9 with pedal up and 37.1 with pedal pushed down. I hope this helps you maybe find my problem. Thanks again guys - what a wonderful forum.

[JohnnieB]

I'm about 99.9% sure your controller is bad, but the voltage on Pin-5 isn't acting right, so let's do a couple more checks.

Put Run/Tow switch in Tow.
Trace the cable bundle coming out of the Pedal box under the floor mat to the in-line connector and disconnect it.
Put Run/Tow back into run.
Measure voltage on Pin-5.
It should be Zero.
If it isn't, the controller is bad.

Also, with everything connected, measure voltage on Pin-1 as you press pedal to floor. It should climb to 1.5V or more.
If it does, the controller is bad.

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You need a heavier controller to turn the oversize tires and the stock DCS controller has no low-voltage protection, so replace it with something like an Alltrax DCX400DCS, which is Plug-n-Play in a DCS.

That will give you the torque needed to turn those tall tires.

Be sure to break in those new batteries properly, here is how: http://www.cartsunlimited.net/Batter...n_Methods.html

[Eddybud]

Ok i did this - Put Run/Tow switch in Tow.
Trace the cable bundle coming out of the Pedal box under the floor mat to the in-line connector and disconnect it.
Put Run/Tow back into run.
Measure voltage on Pin-5.
It should be Zero.
If it isn't, the controller is bad.

It was 0. When i did the second test on pin 1 it did climb to 1.5 volts.

Just one more question am i testing the correct pin - pin 5 is 5th from the right if i am facing the cart ?

[Eddybud]

Also i f my controller is bad and i have to get a new one and the one you recommend is a heavier one - will i be ok with all the other parts the same or do i need a new motor and other things?

[JohnnieB]

You've got the Pin #'s correct.

Sounds like you have Two problems.
The microswitch in the pedal box is staying closed. Might be bad, might be out of adjustment.
It needs to be fixed, but it isn't why cart won't run.

The solenoid is supposed to de-energize when you take your foot off the pedal so you aren't riding in a runaway cart if the controller fails in a fully on condition.

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The voltage at Pin-1 is the throttle input to the controller and is is varying like it should, but the voltage between B- and A1 (M-) doesn't decrease to Zero like it should, so the controller is being told to pass amps to the motor and isn't doing what it is being told to do, so it is bad.

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The stock solenoid is marginal for a stock (275A or 300A) controller and totally inadequate for a 400A controller, so it needs to be replaced also.

Controllers and compatible solenoids are often sold as kits, check out the #505DCS kit about halfway down the page. http://www.cartsunlimited.net/Custom_Options.html

If the high current cables are stock (6Ga), they need to be replaced (all 10 of them) with at least 4Ga. Even with the stock controller, they should have been replaced when the batteries were replaced.

If any of the high current cables get more than slightly warm, it is either bad or too small for the application.

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The stock motor should be okay. It is the strongest part of the DCS drive system.
With an aftermarket controller, a DCS cart has both speed and torque and with a programmable controller like a DCX, you can adjust it to suit your needs and driving habits.