How to test starter/generator

[Chuckie]

What's the quickest way to test the starter/generator to see if it's working to charge the battery while you use it? What should the voltage be at if it is working. One of my carts keeps dieing to where it won't turn over after a few uses.

[camaroluvz28]

put multimeter on battery, while pressing pedal with cart in neutral voltage should rise to between 14-15 volts give or take .5 volts....anything higher is a voltage regulator problem and no rise is the generator problem.

[shadowman]

with your voltage meter hooked to battery and cart in maintence mode start cart and slowly rev engine voltage should rise to approx 15.5 to 15.7 anything higher and thats not good anything lower than approx 13.5 and thats not good...............if you do find its not charging or overcharging i would 1st suspect the voltage regulator not the starter.............what year is cart? most of the regulators are in the black box where solenoid is......if cart is 91 or older your regulator is brass with either 3 or 4 wires hooked to it .......if cart is 92 or newer regulator is a small black box with a bolt going thur center of it..........if it has the black box with bolt thur it replace that 1st before S/G cause they do go bad quite often......matter of fact because you posted this lets see if we get a run of members with bad voltage regulators...............lol........seems like that always happens....................................

[Chuckie]

Shadow, the cart is a 94 ds and I just used a voltmeter on the battery and ran it in safe mode and it was reading at best 12.3 v at best. So is it the generator? Is it repairable? or cheaper to just get another one.

[shadowman]

Originally Posted by Chuckie

Shadow, the cart is a 94 ds and I just used a voltmeter on the battery and ran it in safe mode and it was reading at best 12.3 v at best. So is it the generator? Is it repairable? or cheaper to just get another one.

i would put a voltage regulator in before a starter......very very rare for starter/gen to go bad on the other hand a 94 they eat V.R,s .......just my opinion but in all the years i have played with these things only once have i come across a S/G that wouldn,t charge...............yes they are repairable but i,m not certain about cost but i would honestly concentrate on VR................................

[randyrw]

I have an 1993 gas club car and was wondering if I have a neutral/maintance. I tried to set the f/r switch in the middle or what would be neutral and tried the gas pedal. Nothing happened so I just checked it on the road with meter setting on my seat. Do I have a maintance setting.

[shadowman]

Originally Posted by randyrw

I have an 1993 gas club car and was wondering if I have a neutral/maintance. I tried to set the f/r switch in the middle or what would be neutral and tried the gas pedal. Nothing happened so I just checked it on the road with meter setting on my seat. Do I have a maintance setting.

under seat on rear of F&R theres a yellow knob, pull it out rotate 180 degrees that should be maintence mode put in nueltral start cart......remember to turn it back when done as cart won,t start in drive or reverse otherwise..............................

[randyrw]

thanks, i figured there was a trick to it but i'm new to cc and havent got an manual yet.

[Chuckie]

Shadow Thanks a ton!!! It was the v/r and all is good. You guys are great on this site.

[off_sho_cajun]

Is this info relevant to a '07 precedent?