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Old 10-30-2011, 09:35 AM   #1
Hatcher1105
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Default My main positive cable is extremely hot!!

Ok so I just bought this 2003 ez-go and when I got done driving it I smelled something hot. I looked under the seat at the batteries and the main positive wire coming from some box and going to the first battery is getting extremely hot. None of the other wires are hot. What could this be? Can someone please help me out!
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Old 10-30-2011, 09:41 AM   #2
scottyb
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Default Re: My main positive cable is extremely hot!!

A loose or bad connection is the #1 cause for a hot cable.
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Old 10-30-2011, 09:47 AM   #3
rmarcusy
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Default Re: My main positive cable is extremely hot!!

hot wires are a sign of resistence, I would replace that wire with one size larger. the longer a wire is ,the more trouble the elect has going thru it. Check each end and make sure they are clean and tight conections.
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Old 10-30-2011, 10:03 AM   #4
Hatcher1105
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Default Re: My main positive cable is extremely hot!!

Is it going to mess anything expensive up if I drive it for a little bit. Also so just getting a new/bigger wire will fix the problem?
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Old 10-30-2011, 10:11 AM   #5
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Default Re: My main positive cable is extremely hot!!

If you put a volt meter on each end of the wire in question,(pos on battery end, neg on box end) and if voltage is more than 1 volt, then I would not drive it, you want the differfence to be less than 1/2 volt. When replacing the wire you want it to be as short as needed. every inch adds to the resistence problem.
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Old 10-30-2011, 11:20 AM   #6
simple man
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Default Re: My main positive cable is extremely hot!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hatcher1105 View Post
Is it going to mess anything expensive up if I drive it for a little bit. Also so just getting a new/bigger wire will fix the problem?
You could melt your battery's terminal, possibly exploding that battery! I would replace that cable. Once they are overheated the terminal connectors will not make a good connection on the wire!
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Old 10-30-2011, 01:20 PM   #7
Hatcher1105
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Default Re: My main positive cable is extremely hot!!

Ok I am going to change the wire to a bigger one, probably 4ga, and I will see if that helps.
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Old 10-30-2011, 01:53 PM   #8
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Default Re: My main positive cable is extremely hot!!

This is what can happen or melt the battery cable, or BOOM




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Originally Posted by Hatcher1105 View Post
Ok I am going to change the wire to a bigger one, probably 4ga, and I will see if that helps.
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Old 04-23-2018, 08:14 PM   #9
Victor B
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Default Re: My main positive cable is extremely hot!!

I am going to jump in here and try to help because I just went through this same ordeal and the guys on here helped me out, so it is time to pay some dues. I may not get everything technically correct, but hopefully It will help you.

First things first. DC power is very susceptible resistance. In short, it does snot travel well over wires. Electrical Resistance = Friction. Friction = Heat. If you have heat, then that means you have resistance, somewhere. Several things can cause resistance.

The first thing you have to ascertain since this is an old system, is whether you have a bad battery. Unlike with a car where you have a single battery and if it goes bad, you know it, on a buggy, you have multiple batteries and one can go out and the others can mask it, making it difficult to find. A bad battery will cause Low Voltage on a load and can lead to massive resistance. I am not sure if your buggy is a 36 volt like mine or a 48 volt. I will got with 36 volts because that I what I know a little bit about.

You should have six batteries and each one is a 6 volt battery. The batteries are run in series, so each battery adds an additional 6 volts to the system. 6 X 6 = 36

But, if you have you batteries fully charged you should be getting over 38 volts when you test at the end of the series (where the main cables go to the solenoids). To test if one of your batteries is weak or bad, you need to bring the system under a load while you have your voltage tester on the main lugs. (If you need a tester, here is the one I have AIMO MS2108A Auto Range Digital Clamp Meter 400 AC DC Current Hz Tester)

To bring your system under a load, just press down on the pedal while it is in Forward or Reverse. Just enough to engage the solenoid, but not enough to move. If all your batteries are good, you should see only a very slight voltage drop. If one of your batteries is bad, you may see a drop of up to 6 volts. If you do see a big drop, you have a bad battery. You can find the bad battery by moving the negative probe down the line in the series, bringing the system under a load each time. Leave the positive probe on the first positive post where it is and move the negative lead to then next to the last battery negative post in the series. Remember that each time you move the negative probe back down the line, you will be subtracting 6 volts. So you need to take that into account. When you get past the bad battery, the voltage will not drop anymore when placed under a load. The last battery where you saw a huge voltage drop when you brought the system under a load, will be the bad battery. If you have no bad batteries, then you can move on to the next test.

You need to make sure all the connections are good and that you have good cables. If your buggy was like mine when I got it, it is in horrible shape. Half of my batteries had melted post that were beyond use, they had been drilled into so many times. But, you can repair these if they are still good. Let me know if you have this problem and I will give you a video link to show you how to weld new lead post on. If your batteries have good post, then you need to make sure your cables are good. Each time your cables and lugs overheat it reduces the conduction capacity of the alloys in the cables and lugs. The best lugs are Tinned copper lugs and I would recommend you replace them like I did. It really is not that expensive. I also ended up using copper washers and brass nuts to further reduce resistance. Here are the parts I bought.

2 AWG Gauge Red + Black Pure Copper Battery Inverter Cables Solar, RV, Car, Boat 12 in 5/16 in Lugs

EZGO TXT 94-Up Medalist/TXT Golf Cart Battery Cable Set (4 Guage)


Copper Flat Washer, Plain Finish, 5/16" Screw Size, 0.34" ID, 3/4" OD, 0.065" Thick (Pack of 25)

Brass Hex Jam Nut, Plain Finish, ASME B18.2.2, 5/16"-18 Thread Size, 1/2" Width Across Flats, 3/16" Thick


Now, you need to also make sure that your solenoid is not damaged like mine was. My main starter solenoid was damaged and that was causing a lot of excessive heating too, so I had to replace it as well. Here is the one I bought just in case you need it it, although I am not sure if it is the right one for your cart.

EZGO 20468G5 36 VDC Heavy-Duty Solenoid


I hope this helps. I am about to hit the road for the rest of the week, so I may not be able to respond to question, but just about everyone else on here is smarter then me, so they will be able to help you and tell you what you need. Good luck..
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Old 04-23-2018, 09:48 PM   #10
mgray70
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Default Re: My main positive cable is extremely hot!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Victor B View Post
I am going to jump in here and try to help because I just went through this same ordeal and the guys on here helped me out, so it is time to pay some dues. I may not get everything technically correct, but hopefully It will help you.

First things first. DC power is very susceptible resistance. In short, it does snot travel well over wires. Electrical Resistance = Friction. Friction = Heat. If you have heat, then that means you have resistance, somewhere. Several things can cause resistance.

The first thing you have to ascertain since this is an old system, is whether you have a bad battery. Unlike with a car where you have a single battery and if it goes bad, you know it, on a buggy, you have multiple batteries and one can go out and the others can mask it, making it difficult to find. A bad battery will cause Low Voltage on a load and can lead to massive resistance. I am not sure if your buggy is a 36 volt like mine or a 48 volt. I will got with 36 volts because that I what I know a little bit about.

You should have six batteries and each one is a 6 volt battery. The batteries are run in series, so each battery adds an additional 6 volts to the system. 6 X 6 = 36

But, if you have you batteries fully charged you should be getting over 38 volts when you test at the end of the series (where the main cables go to the solenoids). To test if one of your batteries is weak or bad, you need to bring the system under a load while you have your voltage tester on the main lugs. (If you need a tester, here is the one I have AIMO MS2108A Auto Range Digital Clamp Meter 400 AC DC Current Hz Tester)

To bring your system under a load, just press down on the pedal while it is in Forward or Reverse. Just enough to engage the solenoid, but not enough to move. If all your batteries are good, you should see only a very slight voltage drop. If one of your batteries is bad, you may see a drop of up to 6 volts. If you do see a big drop, you have a bad battery. You can find the bad battery by moving the negative probe down the line in the series, bringing the system under a load each time. Leave the positive probe on the first positive post where it is and move the negative lead to then next to the last battery negative post in the series. Remember that each time you move the negative probe back down the line, you will be subtracting 6 volts. So you need to take that into account. When you get past the bad battery, the voltage will not drop anymore when placed under a load. The last battery where you saw a huge voltage drop when you brought the system under a load, will be the bad battery. If you have no bad batteries, then you can move on to the next test.

You need to make sure all the connections are good and that you have good cables. If your buggy was like mine when I got it, it is in horrible shape. Half of my batteries had melted post that were beyond use, they had been drilled into so many times. But, you can repair these if they are still good. Let me know if you have this problem and I will give you a video link to show you how to weld new lead post on. If your batteries have good post, then you need to make sure your cables are good. Each time your cables and lugs overheat it reduces the conduction capacity of the alloys in the cables and lugs. The best lugs are Tinned copper lugs and I would recommend you replace them like I did. It really is not that expensive. I also ended up using copper washers and brass nuts to further reduce resistance. Here are the parts I bought.

2 AWG Gauge Red + Black Pure Copper Battery Inverter Cables Solar, RV, Car, Boat 12 in 5/16 in Lugs

EZGO TXT 94-Up Medalist/TXT Golf Cart Battery Cable Set (4 Guage)


Copper Flat Washer, Plain Finish, 5/16" Screw Size, 0.34" ID, 3/4" OD, 0.065" Thick (Pack of 25)

Brass Hex Jam Nut, Plain Finish, ASME B18.2.2, 5/16"-18 Thread Size, 1/2" Width Across Flats, 3/16" Thick


Now, you need to also make sure that your solenoid is not damaged like mine was. My main starter solenoid was damaged and that was causing a lot of excessive heating too, so I had to replace it as well. Here is the one I bought just in case you need it it, although I am not sure if it is the right one for your cart.

EZGO 20468G5 36 VDC Heavy-Duty Solenoid


I hope this helps. I am about to hit the road for the rest of the week, so I may not be able to respond to question, but just about everyone else on here is smarter then me, so they will be able to help you and tell you what you need. Good luck..
This thread is 7 years old. The post was in 2011.

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