Struggling uphill

[89electric_cc]

I checked scotty's site and it looks like the only 36v set advertised is for ezgo. Are 36v club cars uncommon or is there anything else I need to know before I call him?

[Speedchaser]

Here are a couple thoughts, your comments lead me to believe you could have bat issues. If they are not balanced, as already stated, the charger will run too long. You probably have at least one bad battery. You should really check them out by testing each one and load testing each one.

You may have bad cables too or bad connections. After running do the cables feel hot? If so that could mean you need new cables; and new cables are probably a good idea anyway since yours are so old. As said there are lots of sponsors that sell cables, and the one I got mine from sells them individually and you can order each length individually as well.

[89electric_cc]

After calling, it sounded like the cable kit was not available because I have a resistor coil cart. Does it make sense that I should buy a conversion kit to upgrade to a solid state control?

[rockhill]

Originally Posted by 89electric_cc

After calling, it sounded like the cable kit was not available because I have a resistor coil cart. Does it make sense that I should buy a conversion kit to upgrade to a solid state control?

Your call, but I did. Will post a couple of photos to show you the difference. I am close to finishing a '85 upgrade and it just made sense to me.

[89electric_cc]

Rockhill- why did you decide to convert you cart?

[CRK]

My 2 cents,

Coil carts are just plane slow, I had an 83 club car ds. Mine would slow down too up hill.

Now then, there is always going to be a trade off.

To update your cart will be $$$ but it will be fast and tackle the hills much easier. But speed costs, how fast do want to go and how much money do you have to chase it?

Pros of coil cart.

1) Simple to work on
2) good amount of torque
3) parts are cheap
4) 6volt batteries are cheaper then the same 8 volt battery

Cons:

1) expensive to bring to current specs ie: solid state, it would take a new controller, wires, solenoids, mcoar, and if you up grade to 48v new batteries plus a few things I am forgetting.

2) Electronics use full pack voltage at any speed=less run time

3) Slow up hills and over all... I think top speed for a stock resistor coil cart is around 12mph on flat ground



With all that said, think of a resistor coil cart like an old farm tractor or sherman tank. They are not speed demons but they are bullet proof work horses if you take care of them they will last a very long time with little more then topping off the batteries and keeping them charged.

Lastly I will say that I replaced all the cables in my 83 with 4 gauge welding cable set. the cost was $150.00 I saw very small gains. But the cables did need to be replaced they were stiff, brittle and on their last leg. Plus it gave me piece of mind that my cart would not melt down/catch fire because of crappy,corroded,old cables.

I say get your cart working properly and enjoy, No it wont be flashy/bling/bling/fast. But it will be cheap to work on, simple to fix, and easy to enjoy.

Or.... If you want a big lift and tires, fast speed and torque to climb 70 degree hills sell the old cart and buy a modern cart used with all the bells and whistles.

*steps down from soap box*

[rockhill]

Originally Posted by 89electric_cc

Rockhill- why did you decide to convert you cart?

I was not happy with the performance. Probably new batteries would have helped but it would still be a slow, old technology 36v cart. I then made the decision to upgrade not only to solid state but to 48v. Yes, I have sunk a lot of money, (at least for me), into the cart. But it has been a fun project. Back up in time and as a wiser consumer I don't even buy this cart. But being stubborn I decided to make lemonade out of my lemon. Your check book will take a whipping so be advised.

[89electric_cc]

I checked the voltage on each individually again. They are all between 6.3 and 6.4 volts. What is load testing?

[Speedchaser]

Couple comments: 1. Make sure volt meter is set to read two decimal places when checking individual bats and check say 12 hours after it is off the charger. 2. write down each measurement. You will see that a battery measuring 6.3 could actually be at 80% and the volt meter is rounding up when reading 1 decimal place.

If you have some bats at 80% and some at 100% that could be why the charger is continuing to run.

Load testing: Alligator clip volt meter to one battery at a time and drive the cart and write down what voltage each bat starts at and what it drops to under load (while driving). This could isolate if you have one or more bad bats.

Write it all down and report back.

[SD70ACe]

36V resistor carts are very slow uphill, just a fact. If you're keeping everything stock, make sure all the components are in working order. My 87 has 3 year old NAPA batteries, and when I got it in Dec 2011 I replaced all the solenoids, the micro switch pack and resistor coils which helped the speed just a tiny bit. BUT it is still comically slow going uphill. On some of the really steep hills around here it is so slow you could walk faster. If going fast uphill and on flat ground is what you're after, I know scottyb has solutions for that but it certainly isn't cheap. On the plus side, the resistor carts are rugged and dependable, incredibly simple to work on and the electrical components are readily available.

I may consider upgrading it to solid state and 48V when the current battery pack goes, or we could just buy a new cart...