Possible Solenoid issue / Cart won't hold charge

[IRSH16]

Hey everyone! I stumbled upon this forum and seems to be a LOT of golf cart knowledge! I need some help with my cart I bought from a friends father about a month ago so here goes...

1) Type of cart - There are some EZGO parts on the cart and the body looks like an EZGO, but the cart is labeled "Cruise Cart" and has a solar roof. The vin tag shows it is a 2007, but won't come up when I type in? Does anyone know the type of cart?

2) Will not hold charge - The cart shows a full charge on charger, but when you drive it it'll go for like 2 minutes then stall out? Could be solenoid? But I hear a click when turning on the ignition switch?

... The cart ran GREAT for about a month! Top speed 28mph and held a charge for about 1-2 hours of riding. Now has gone to crap and I can't figure it out (and not knowing the exact type is making it hard to look up solutions).

Thank you everyone!

[cgtech]

Weak batteries is most likely culprit. Even tho they "read full", A "3 oz. cup" is full when you started, but only provides one drink.

[IRSH16]

All batteries test great. Its weird it just started acting this way?

Now the battery level indicator light stays on even while ignition is off? And all I did was unhook the solenoid and hook it back up? Any ideas guys?

[BobBoyce]

Originally Posted by IRSH16

All batteries test great. Its weird it just started acting this way?

Now the battery level indicator light stays on even while ignition is off? And all I did was unhook the solenoid and hook it back up? Any ideas guys?

Just testing the voltage of each battery is no indicator of its "health"! It must be load tested to determine its capacity to power a load, not just its resting voltage. That was why cgtech mentioned a 3 oz cup may be full, but only provides one drink... one sip really.

Not only does a battery have to supply voltage, it must also have enough capacity left to supply current to operate the motor, and keep supplying current for as long as is required to operate the cart. If it fails to do that, then it is bad. Batteries are also not replaced individually as they age, they are replaced in sets. A failed battery in a pack can be replaced, but because the other batteries in the pack have not been replaced, the maximum that new battery can charge up to equals the remaining capacity in the weakest of the rest of those old batteries, causing that new battery and all other old batteries to reduce capacity and fail prematurely. A battery pack is only as good as its weakest battery in the string. Voltage is only an indicator of how many cells within the string of cells is still holding voltage, it is voltage under load that defines the weakest cells in the string ability to pass current.

[IRSH16]

Thank you BobBoyce. Great explanation!

Is there a way to actually test the batteries then? Or am I stuck buying 8 new batteries (and the problem being something else still)?

Thanks again for any input.

[cgtech]

Your golf cart is the best battery tester, and you already have it. You need to hook your volt meter to your entire pack, then drive it, noting the voltage at top speed, and under brisk acceleration.

[IRSH16]

I can't drive it as it will not go anywhere? It may run for a few seconds but will not let me get to top speed?

[cgtech]

Well, if the battery voltage drops drastically during that 3 seconds, that's a good enough answer.

Almost starting to feel like you dont want to test & reveal the batteries as the problem, when something cheaper is your more desired result.

[IRSH16]

The solenoid has been changed but now there is no clicking noise, a yellow light flashing on the control box and cart still doesn't go. if I need batteries, they will be replaced but this happened all of a sudden so i want to troubleshoot everything before jumping to the batteries.

[IRSH16]

So part of the issue seemed to have been the "TOW/RUN" switch on these type carts. As I mentioned above the battery power light remained on after changing there solenoid (which didn't make much sense) and the "clicking" sound a solenoid makes went away with new solenoid (again didn't make sense). I just so happened to toggle the Tow/Run switch back and forth a couple of times and it was like it wasn't seating properly? Because after doing so the battery life gage no longer stayed on. Only came on when ignition was turned on now.

So now I am going to take all 8 batteries up to a professional to see if one is possibly showing good life but is actually bad. I have been told that there may be a bad battery (even though they check out good on a meter)? So hoping the professional can find if a battery is bad and causing the cart to not run (again it'll run for about a minute or two and then start jerking and come to a stop).