4awg wires now its slower

[JohnnieB]

You need a DMM (Digital Multi-Meter) to troubleshoot an electric golf cart.
An inexpensive one in a blister pack from an auto parts, or discount store will suffice.

I have several other meters, but this is the one I usually grab for initial troubleshooting.
It is small, easy to read, reasonably accurate and nearly indestructible, or at least I haven't managed to break it yet.

http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_2#productDetails

http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_2#productDetails

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Unless you have significantly oversized tires and a 500A or higher controller, any 4Ga cable or cable connection that gets more than about 10°F above the ambient air temperature is needs to be repaired or replaced.

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

It is small, easy to read, reasonably accurate and nearly indestructible, or at least I haven't managed to break it yet.

BUT don't leave it on the roof of your cart in a rain storm .. that kills them quick

[agrinnell2009]

All the cables are brand new and terminals are all tightly crimped and they r all tight where they bolt downing considering just a complete rebuild over the winter because I figure everything is old and it just won't climb hills

[agrinnell2009]

I figured maybe 4 gauge wires would help climb hills a little better but I think maybe the motor has seen better days and is about wore out. Nothing else in the whole cart gets hott accept the motor and those 4 cables. And the cables don't get very hott just warmer than the rest

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by agrinnell2009

All the cables are brand new and terminals are all tightly crimped and they r all tight where they bolt downing considering just a complete rebuild over the winter because I figure everything is old and it just won't climb hills

Originally Posted by agrinnell2009

I figured maybe 4 gauge wires would help climb hills a little better but I think maybe the motor has seen better days and is about wore out. Nothing else in the whole cart gets hott accept the motor and those 4 cables. And the cables don't get very hott just warmer than the rest

All electric carts slow down going up hills. How much they slow down depends on a myriad of factors.

How fast an electric golf cart motor spins (speed) is determined by the voltage applied to it.
However, cart speed (motor RPM) is limited by the mechanical load.
The effect of mechanical loading is offset by torque.
Torque is determined by the number of amps flowing through the motor.
The amps flowing through the motor are drawn from the battery pack and the greater the number of amps being drawn from the battery pack, the lower the pack voltage drops.
The lower the pack voltage drops, the lower the voltage applied to the motor and the slower it turns.

Making the juggling act even more complex, the intrinsic resistance of the high current cables, connections and contacts also have to be taken into consideration because any resistance in the high current loop drops voltage proportional to the current flow though said resistance, which in turn reduces the voltage applied to the motor, which in turn reduces RPM.

Those factors apply to a drive system in pristine condition, so when the drive system gets some age on it, wear and accumulation of corrosion also enter the equation.

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In a nutshell, it appears the performance improvements gained by replacing old cables with new and by going from 6Ga to 4Ga are being masked by other factors.

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I suspect the motor heat is warming the cables attached to it, so they are very likely to be okay.

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Since nothing is getting hot except the motor, which is normal, I suspect the battery pack cannot supply the amps needed to keep cart from slowing so much on hills.

When you get a DMM, measure the pack voltage at rest and under load.

[agrinnell2009]

Ok now every wire is getting hott and the ones coming from the motor are making the rubber wire casing almost melt

[cashfive]

sounds like it might be wired wrong or the controller may have a problem. did you disconnect the batteries before doing this?

[cashfive]

Have you tested your batteries?

[agrinnell2009]

I disconnected the batteries and I wired everything the way it was I haven't checked the batteries but I'm wondering how that would make the motor hott and all the wires hott I do hAve 3 marine 12 v batteries instead of 6 v but my neighbor has the same thing with no problems is there a wire diagram I could check to make sure everything is right

[rib33024]

So what your saying is, Your cart was running great with the 3 12v batteries, nothing getting hot?? and when you changed the battery cables to 4 ga the cables started getting HOT??, do you have a lift and big tires??, can you tell us what drive system you have - series or DCS?? if it has a TOW/RUN switch on the controller cover it's a DCS cart, if not it's a Series, now, does your friend have the same cart as you??, and a cart was NOT made to run on 3 - 12 Volt marine batteries , if you put the properer 6 volt batteries in the cart it will run right, what is the pack volts??