Wiring question

[PhilMedic]

Don't know if I've made progress or not, but my buddy came over (car mechanic) with his volt meter and we read around 48 volts off the pack, like 0.9 volts off the blue wire and 0 volts off the green wire when key off and 0.6 volts off green when key on. He confirmed everything else is wired correctly as with the diagram. What he then did was "hot wire" it by running a wire from the positive side of the diode to the solenoid and everything worked regardless if key was on or off. Forward, reverse. It drove. So any clue what I'm missing?

[JohnnieB]

Sounds like your friend has bypassed all of your cart's safety features!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please post a pictures of the solenoid with the jumper wire installed.
I cannot determine exactly where both ends are attached from your verbal description.

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If your auto mechanic friend connected his voltmeter's black test lead to B- (either the battery pack's main negative terminal or the controller's B- terminal), he should have read 48V on the blue wire between MS-2 and the keyswitch whenever the direction selector is in either forward or reverse. If he didn't, either MS-2 is defective, or 48V is not getting to MS-2.

[PhilMedic]

I will take pictures and re-check the voltage when I get off duty tomorrow morning.

[PhilMedic]

For my reference, what safety features does it bypass?

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by PhilMedic

For my reference, what safety features does it bypass?

I'm not sure until I see where both ends of the jumper wire are connected.

[PhilMedic]

For a quick reference of what he did, he ran a wire from the positive side of the little post on the solenoid to one of the big posts. Pardon my google image

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by PhilMedic

For a quick reference of what he did, he ran a wire from the positive side of the little post on the solenoid to one of the big posts. Pardon my google image

Okay, I'm pretty sure he ran a wire from the solenoid's battery side large terminal (connect directly to main positive of battery pack and is "hot" 100% of the time) to the small terminal with red wires on it and the banded end of the diode.

The net result is the solenoid is energized (contacts closed) 100% of the time and the controller is powered up 100% of the time.

If the ITS sensor in the pedal box or the inline connector that connects the pedal box to the cart wiring harness, gets wet you can have a runaway cart with no way of stopping it.
The two wheel mechanical brakes are not very good at stopping runaway carts and even if they will, the motor will be stalled and most likely burn out, taking the controller with it, before you can find something to cut one of the battery cables, possibly starting a fire.

The are valid reasons for MS-2, the keyswitch, the pedal switch and the solenoid and all those reasons have been eliminated by that jumper wire.

Your username implies your are associated with the medical field and I'm a retired Clinical Engineer, so I'm reasonably certain that we have both been trained not to take unwarranted risks.

[PhilMedic]

Ok thanks for that info. Yes I'm a paramedic and always weigh a risk reward analysis with anything. This is definitely not something I want to risk after all the time and work I've put in

[PhilMedic]

With the key switch on, both the green and blue wires coming off the key switch read 49.1 volts. Both small posts on the solenoid read 0.0 no matter what position of key switch and/or forward/reverse switch.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by PhilMedic

With the key switch on, both the green and blue wires coming off the key switch read 49.1 volts. Both small posts on the solenoid read 0.0 no matter what position of key switch and/or forward/reverse switch.

You have 49.1V on the green wire attached to the keyswitch. Good. Getting closer to fixing it.

All that is between that point and the small post on the solenoid is the pedal switch (MS-3) located in the pedal box under the floor mat and the red wire that attaches to a small terminal on the solenoid.