ezgo has power but will not go

[ansl]

Hola I am new so pardon lack of proper terminolgy knowledge. I have a ezgo Freedom Textron serial 915085 manuf 23L95. It is fully charged, headlights come on, back up beep loud as ever, but will not go forward or backward. How do I determine exact issue so that I can attempt repair? Also, I have seen here some basic wiring diagrams but do not understand the terms non dcs, pds ? Please advise. Thank you. PS I do appreciate this site ~

[LostHusker]

Welcome !!!

Do you have a toggle switch located on top of the controller box? It would be under the passenger side seat.

[ansl]

that was a quick reply! Ok I checked No toggle switch

[JohnnieB]

Welcome to BGW!

The date code (23L95) indicates it was made in 1995, so it is probably a Medalist body style and not having a Run/Tow switch on the controller cover indicates it has a series type drive system.
That would make it a 1995 Medalist (Series) rather than a 1995 Medalist (DCS)

Series means the cart has a series wound motor while DCS means the cart has a Sepex (Separately Excited or Shunt wound motor).
The DCS drive system was replaced with the PDS drive system in later model carts.

Since it doesn't go forward or back, the solenoid probably isn't closing.
With key on and F or R selected, do you hear a click from under the seat when you press throttle?

IF not, you need to troubleshoot the KSI (Key Switch and Interlock) circuit.
Here is a schematic for a 94-96 Medalist Series cart with KSI traced in red and blue.
I'd start by looking for B+ on the smaller wire coming out of the cart's charger receptacle.

[ansl]

Thank you for your response and clarification of the type cart I have. Very useful info. Ok so I went to see if clicking was happening forward or reverse only to see the battery charge indicator light going back and forth as it would only do if the batterys had been run too low. My golf cart was fully charged the day I asked my first question in here, and I have not been able to go anywhere in it, so I am at a loss at how in the world this could be. To make matters even worse, I put it on the charger and the humming noise I normally hear is not there. So NOW it won't even charge? Oh the agoooonnny of not having my ride is killing me! It is so good on gas! LOLOLOLOL Just trying to crack me up there sorry. Please advise when you can. Thanks

[Longrangehunter]

it sounds to me that you may have a faulty battery. When you have a battery that is bad it could take and appear charged but when it is put under a load it fails. You can remove all the cables and run each battery under a load to see which one is bad. I live in Austin if you need help

[JohnnieB]

Longrangehunter is right, it is beginning to sound more like a battery issue than a bad switch in the solenoid activation circuit.
Of course, there may be more than one issue.
Let's take care of the battery first, then see if it works.

What is the battery pack voltage?
It has to be greater than about 28V before charger will turn on.

What are the individual battery voltages?
They should all be within about 0.1V of each other.

[ansl]

Ok When I went to check the battery info as directed I saw the problem right away with one of the batterys. The cable to it was fried a bit and the post melted a bit as well. I had a heck of a time trying to unattach the cable from the battery and then the cable just broke off so I bought new cables, replaced bad battery, reinstalled new battery and everything works great now. I would love to be on cloud 9 about this but I am a little worried. Could this have happened by the cable to the battery not being tight enough? My concern is sure everything is great now but could this happen again? and in all my reading regarding batterys and golf carts my understanding is that it is not a good thing to have some worn more than others? is this the case? how would I get the new battery to match older batterys worn level?

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by ansl

1. Ok When I went to check the battery info as directed I saw the problem right away with one of the batterys. The cable to it was fried a bit and the post melted a bit as well. I had a heck of a time trying to unattach the cable from the battery and then the cable just broke off so I bought new cables, replaced bad battery, reinstalled new battery and everything works great now.

2. I would love to be on cloud 9 about this but I am a little worried. Could this have happened by the cable to the battery not being tight enough?

3. My concern is sure everything is great now but could this happen again?

4. and in all my reading regarding batterys and golf carts my understanding is that it is not a good thing to have some worn more than others? is this the case?

5. how would I get the new battery to match older batterys worn level?

1. Glad to hear you got it working.

2. Yes a loose connection will get hot, and so will several other things.
Loose connection, corroded connections, corrosion impregnated cable, too small of cable, partially broken/frayed cable and other things will cause hot connections.

3. Yes it could happen again,but proper battery care more or less eliminates hot connections.
If you use the cart daily, charge the batteries daily. If you don't use for more than a week or so, charge the batteries.
Monthly, check electrolyte lever. Use only distilled water. Don't overfill. Proper fill level depends on battery model, check manufacturer's recommendations for correct level.
Monthly, clean and check tightness of cable terminals. (Not too tight - only about 100 in/lb - note that is in/lb not ft/lb.)
Monthly, apply terminal protectant (Vaseline works - or a commercial spray type)

Occasionally, feel the cables and connections after driving, if anything is too hot to hold, find out why.

4. It is best to have a matched set of batteries. Otherwise, they aren't being charged properly. (It is a series string, so the same current flows through all of the for the same amount of time and new batteries have different charging characteristics than old batteries.

5. The new battery won't be fully charged, so the plates will sulfate quickly and it will assume the attributes of the old batteries. Or maybe it is the other way around (the new battery will be overcharged).
Either way, the new battery should be considered a sacrificial item. When the rest of the batteries fail, you'll have to replace the "new" one also.