A MIND of its own!

[russellryan]

Golf cart under some water during hurricane Irma's surge. Was able to fully charge, but the gas pedal is very touchy. Sometimes she will jump and sometimes nothing. If i leave the key on sometimes you will hear it gurgle and then start moving all by itself. Help?

I try to talk to her but she doesn't understand English. If that key is on, she does what she wants.

[orangeman6]

Russel, sorry to hear about the flood damage and hope you didn't lose too much. And, welcome to bgw.

There's a ton of very knowledgeable guys here that are more than willing to help. It's always a good idea to state year, model, voltage of cart and if you have any upgrades that are pertinent.

In the meantime, you may want to consider opening up the box where the throttle is. It is located under the mat. Moisture in that area causes problems with the throttle. Also, depending on your cart, there may be a molex plug under your seat around the area between your controller. IIRC, it's a 4 wire plug who's connections go bad often. But, I would start with making sure that the throttle box is completely dry.

Good luck

[russellryan]

Thank you orangeman6,

I have a 2007 model 36 volt EZ GO. Today I took it all apart and cleaned all connections on battery, solenoid (which looked brand new), and tightened posts on motor, but to no avail. I also noticed what looked like a module on the drivers side of the engine compartment which looked coroded from the ocean water. I'm sure the module is enclosed but there were three wires running inside. I trust they were sealed. Anyway, I pressed the gas and got much hesitation. Then she took off like a rocket. I was pleased so I turned around and brought her back. About 500 yards from my drive I stopped, depressed the gas pedal and nothing. Turned the switch off several times, changed direction, and still nothing. I then pushed it home. After a few minutes I decided to push it to another location. Just for the fun of it I turned on the switch. When I did she jumped like she'd been kicked and I was lucky to stop it.
Then nothing.....I'm sure it looked comical.

[orangeman6]

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...en-system.html

That link explains how to tell which type of drive system you have. The experts will need that info as well.

Did you open up the throttle box under the mat? Any moisture in there can cause problems.

I'm not sure about the "module" under the driver's side. Is it a voltage reducer? You can always post pics to help.

[Mooncarter]

russellryan, you have a problem of the most dangerous kind. Remember, that thing is really nothing but a small car. It could kill you or other people. Keep the rear wheels jacked up until you figure out what is wrong.

[ThreeCW]

Originally Posted by russellryan

Anyway, I pressed the gas and got much hesitation. Then she took off like a rocket. I was pleased so I turned around and brought her back. About 500 yards from my drive I stopped, depressed the gas pedal and nothing. Turned the switch off several times, changed direction, and still nothing. I then pushed it home. After a few minutes I decided to push it to another location. Just for the fun of it I turned on the switch. When I did she jumped like she'd been kicked and I was lucky to stop it.

I agree with Mooncarter that you have a VERY dangerous situation. This can occur due to water influx into the cart's electrical components. This condition has been referred to on this forum as "Wide Open Throttle (WOT)", "Sudden Acceleration" or "Run Away Cart". As Mooncarter points out, for safety reasons, you should NOT be road testing this cart in it's current condition ... the safest way to test your cart is to put the rear end up on jack stands, so the rear wheels are off of the ground. Safety First should be your priority right now!

Here are a few links from the forum where other members have experienced similar problems and some possible solutions. Often, this problem can be difficult to diagnose and repair.

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...-throttle.html

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/extre...wide-open.html

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...wide-open.html

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...eleration.html

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...-throttle.html

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...way-rxv-4.html

This past summer, I experienced a similar situation with Wide Open Throttle / Run Away Cart that I eventually determined was to due water influx into my controller (from washing the cart). This may or may not similar to your situation.

As suggested by Orangeman6, a good place to start is checking out your throttle box and the wiring connection to and from it.

Regards, 3CW

[Mooncarter]

Amen Three CW. Thank you for the additional info.