96 CC DS Fuse Link Smoking--HELP

[TROPHYMAN]

I have a 96 CC DS 36V converted to 48V. I inherited the car about a year ago and until today it ran great. After running for a few minuets it started to slow down. I checked the battery pack and the Pos cable on #1 bat was loose. After I tightened it up I noticed that there was a little smoke coming from the fuse link attached to the solenoid. It actually got pretty hot by the time I got the cable disconnected.

Cleaned everything up and reconnected, same thing. The little fuse link on the solenoid, connected between large posts, is still heating up and smoking. Anybody tell me what’s going on? Battery pack = 6 Trojan T875 3+ years old, reads 52.6 across pack.

Thanks
Pat

[tlr6334]

Which solenoid do you have? A 36 or 48 volt?
Tommy

[shadowman]

thats a diode i beleive heating up.....is the solenoid itself getting hot?............................

[TROPHYMAN]

No idea on 36/48V solenoid. How would I know??

SHADOWMAN:

After checking with my VOM, I think it is a diode. The solenoid, itself, is not getting hot. I've put everything back together and it runs, no smoking, but the solenoid is clicking (fwd & rev) and sometimes the cart just stops. Moved selector to reverse and it moved, then back to fwd and it's moving again. Solenoid still clicks but it seems to do it only when I first start out.>>>>>>>>>>>>>Time for a new solenoid?????????????

[shadowman]

Originally Posted by TROPHYMAN

No idea on 36/48V solenoid. How would I know??

SHADOWMAN:

After checking with my VOM, I think it is a diode. The solenoid, itself, is not getting hot. I've put everything back together and it runs, no smoking, but the solenoid is clicking (fwd & rev) and sometimes the cart just stops. Moved selector to reverse and it moved, then back to fwd and it's moving again. Solenoid still clicks but it seems to do it only when I first start out.>>>>>>>>>>>>>Time for a new solenoid?????????????

i don,t think it would hurt to put a new solenoid in, they go bad in so many ways you just never know.....................................

[TROPHYMAN]

Originally Posted by shadowman

i don,t think it would hurt to put a new solenoid in, they go bad in so many ways you just never know.....................................

Any idea how I tell if it's 36 or 48 volt solenoid? From the pictures online mine looks like it's probably a 48 volt.

[delagem]

If it's connected between the large posts on the solenoid, it's a resistor. Mine reads about 130 ohms using a Fluke Multimeter.

Check that resistance. Remove it from the lugs to test. If it's way low, it may have failed, and is shorting internally; thus the heat.

I have another theory on why these get hot. The purpose of the resistor is to pre-charge the solenoid terminals, to prevent arcing when you step on the go pedal. However, if the contacts in the solenoid are becoming compromised due to corrosion, arcing, etc; no power flows thru the solenoid, and then the cart is attempting to run using power drawn thru that resistor.

Obviously, this isn't going to work, and the resistor is going to heat up, and the cart isn't going to go anywhere.

That's what happened to mine, the solenoid was intermittently not working, and the resistor got really hot. A new solenoid and resistor fixed the issue.

[TROPHYMAN]

Mine measures 123 with the Fluke. Getting ready to order new solenoid and resistor. Anybody know the purpose of the resistor?

[Speedchaser]

Originally Posted by TROPHYMAN

Mine measures 123 with the Fluke. Getting ready to order new solenoid and resistor. Anybody know the purpose of the resistor?

Someone posted this in another thread:

Pre-Charge Resistor is a device that slowly charges the capacitors inside a electronic speed controller before it is powered up. Without this resistor, closing the contactor would generate a large amount of inrush current causing the contacts to arc. This arcing can permanently weld the contacts in the "on" position. The inrush current from not pre-charging can also cause the contact tips to get pitted resulting in a poor connection and diminish vehicle performance.

[delagem]

Originally Posted by TROPHYMAN

Anybody know the purpose of the resistor?

...

Originally Posted by delagem

The purpose of the resistor is to pre-charge the solenoid terminals, to prevent arcing when you step on the go pedal.