Blown Fuse!!!

[osupigskin]

I am posting this thread for an unusual reason. Not because I need help, but because I couldn't find any thread which provided the necessary help when I desperately needed it.

I bought a 2008 Yamaha 48-Volt Golf Cart and brought it home. I was thrilled with everything except the annoying backup alarm so I removed it. It was easy to remove. I just unplugged it.

After that, my golf cart just died. Why? It blew the fuse located underneath the seat on the driver's side. I didn't realize why (at the time) so I replaced the fuse. That fuse blew over and over again.

I searched everywhere online and found no solutions. Finally, I backtracked my steps and re-installed that annoying backup alarm. Since then, that fuse hasn't blown.

I'm not an electrical or mechanical guy but it worked for me. I'm sure I could remove the alarm and install a higher amp fuse but I'm not sure how far to go. I don't want to void the warranty.

Comments and questions are welcome. If this post helps just one novice owner, it was worth it.

[gornoman]

Reinstall the correct fuse, and leave the backup alarm connected. If it's too loud for you, cover the speaker with some duct tape. The alarm is there for safety. It's important.

[osupigskin]

Originally Posted by gornoman

Reinstall the correct fuse, and leave the backup alarm connected. If it's too loud for you, cover the speaker with some duct tape. The alarm is there for safety. It's important.

Oh Lord. I should have anticipated this response. The backup buzzer has been reinstalled and I'll take your duct tape advice.

I just spoke with a service representative from Yamaha. He said they have since upgraded the fuses in the new vehicles to a 15 Amp. Evidently this was a problem with the 2008 Models which had a light kit. The 3 Amp simply wasn't sufficient. I will be heading to the hardware store today!

[gornoman]

Originally Posted by osupigksin

Oh Lord. I should have anticipated this response. The backup buzzer has been reinstalled and I'll take your duct tape advice.

I just spoke with a service representative from Yamaha. He said they have since upgraded the fuses in the new vehicles to a 15 Amp. Evidently this was a problem with the 2008 Models which had a light kit. The 3 Amp simply wasn't sufficient. I will be heading to the hardware store today!

As long as the wiring in the circuit protected by this fuse is capable of handling 15 amps the advice is valid. Uprating a fuse without uprating the wiring is a fire hazard.

Glad to help.

[FIXEROFCARTS]

The 3 amp fuse powers the cart, that is not the one for lights. They do have a 10 amp fuse for lights, look on the wiring harness on the back rail under the seat. Should be in a covered fuse holder. And they do want you to go from a 10 amp to a 20 amp. make sure you are looking at the right fuse.

[osupigskin]

Originally Posted by FIXEROFCARTS

The 3 amp fuse powers the cart, that is not the one for lights. They do have a 10 amp fuse for lights, look on the wiring harness on the back rail under the seat. Should be in a covered fuse holder. And they do want you to go from a 10 amp to a 20 amp. make sure you are looking at the right fuse.

Thanks for that info! I only find 2 fuses under the seat. One is in a covered fuse holder under the driver's side (3 amp) and the other is in a covered fuse holder on the passenger's side (15 amp). These are the fuses which came with the cart from the factory. Neither are mounted to anything. They are connected to wire and are suspended between the batteries and the back rail (behind the batteries and in front of the back seat rail).

Now, my question is... what can I safely change these fuses to without a concern about the wiring. The Yamaha tech indicated it was the 3 amp fuse which needed to be upgraded, not the 15 amp fuse. It was my assumption (which is mechanically and electronically uneducated) that the higher amp fuse was the one which was responsible for powering the cart.

I haven't done anything yet except replace the 3 amp with another 3 amp. Since I reconnected the backup buzzer, I haven't blown any fuses. It would just be nice to know I'm not going to blow another fuse when I'm a half mile from home. In the meanwhile, I'm carrying a box of fuses in the cart. Thanks!!!

[FIXEROFCARTS]

3 amp fuse controls the cart and I do not know of any problems with that fuse blowning except when there is a short in the system and it does its job. Now they have had problems with over powering the other fuse, so I agree to upgrade that one.

[osupigskin]

Originally Posted by FIXEROFCARTS

3 amp fuse controls the cart and I do not know of any problems with that fuse blowning except when there is a short in the system and it does its job. Now they have had problems with over powering the other fuse, so I agree to upgrade that one.

I haven't had any problem with the other fuse (15 amp on passenger side) so I don't see the need to replace it yet. It does, however, make sense that the 3 amp fuse controls the cart (and the lights) since neither work when that fuse blows.

Since I replaced the backup buzzer, I haven't had any problems with that fuse blowing. I would like to know if I can definitely upgrade that 3 amp fuse to a 5 or 10 without any risk of damage to the wiring. This is where you could really help me out. The Yamaha tech told me I could go to a 10 with no problem but I'd like to hear from another informed source. I may not understand electronics very well but it seems odd that a lower amp fuse would control something as heavy as the cart propulsion while the 15 amp is for something seemingly minor. As you can tell, I'm clueless.

[lockman1]

Originally Posted by osupigskin

I haven't had any problem with the other fuse (15 amp on passenger side) so I don't see the need to replace it yet. It does, however, make sense that the 3 amp fuse controls the cart (and the lights) since neither work when that fuse blows.

Since I replaced the backup buzzer, I haven't had any problems with that fuse blowing. I would like to know if I can definitely upgrade that 3 amp fuse to a 5 or 10 without any risk of damage to the wiring. This is where you could really help me out. The Yamaha tech told me I could go to a 10 with no problem but I'd like to hear from another informed source. I may not understand electronics very well but it seems odd that a lower amp fuse would control something as heavy as the cart propulsion while the 15 amp is for something seemingly minor. As you can tell, I'm clueless.

So, why fix it... if it's not broken???

Duct tape the "annoying" buzzer (in which I don't agree with) and keep on carting!

You should try something once... disconnect the 15 amp fuse, and see if the lights still work!
I'm guessing that the 15 amp fuse is for the main power to the lights,
and the 3 amp fuse is for the cart power and the headlight "relay"
(the relay is just a switch to activate the power that flows through the 15 amp fuse.)

I agree to "maybe" up the fuse to the max of 5 amps, but I really don't think it's necessary!

All in all... It was your disconnected buzzer that caused the fuse to blow.
(It was probably designed that way for safety reasons!)



.

[osupigskin]

Originally Posted by lockman1

So, why fix it... if it's not broken???

You should try something once... disconnect the 15 amp fuse, and see if the lights still work!
I'm guessing that the 15 amp fuse is for the main power to the lights,
and the 3 amp fuse is for the cart power and the headlight "relay"
(the relay is just a switch to activate the power that flows through the 15 amp fuse.)

I agree to "maybe" up the fuse to the max of 5 amps, but I really don't think it's necessary!

All in all... It was your disconnected buzzer that caused the fuse to blow.
(It was probably designed that way for safety reasons!

.

Well I have an update. Removing the backup buzzer was NOT the reason for the blown fuse. Tonight, I drove my cart up to the golf club in the freezing cold (thanks for the March weather, Mother Nature). When I came out, it was dark so I turned on my lights and made it about 10 feet before that 3 amp fuse blew again.

Luckily, I was prepared for this problem and had a variety of extra fuses on hand. I replaced the 3 amp with a 5 amp and made it home safely. I even managed to maneuver through my back yard after getting stuck in the snow twice. I really put the cart to the test (with the lights on) while exerting maximum power.

Maybe I have a "short" like a previous poster mentioned but the 5 amp fuse held longer than any of the 3's I've gone through. I'm pretty sure I'm safe but I'd sure like to hear from some experts. Remember, this is a 2008 Yamaha Personal Cart. This isn't a fleet cart. It has 4 12-Volt Trojan Batteries (48 Volts total) and 2 fuses. When the 3-amp fuse blows, the cart dies and the lights go out.