Club Car DS

jeremy7226 · 04-30-2022, 04:06 PM

Hi, not sure if this is the right place, but it was a club car originally.

I came across a club car DS someone had cut in half, no idea why they cut it, but I thought I could use the parts to build a kart for the kids to play with. Turned out it had the dreaded T shaped controller and wouldn't run in forward, it still works in reverse. So I switched the field wires and it only runs in forward now, but slowly, which I'm fine with. The problem is after running for 10 or 15 minutes the motor heats up so hot you almost cant touch it. Does anyone know if a new controller will fix that? Or is it a problem with the motor? Thanks.

kart1.jpg

kart3.jpg

motor.jpg

CP241 · 04-30-2022, 04:10 PM

Sounds like a navitas 5kw kit is in order.

But really, sounds like a motor problem if it’s getting that incredibly hot. Have you pulled the motor apart and inspected the internals?

Looks like a fun toy!

retiredtech · 05-01-2022, 01:36 PM

just the look of those cable connections on the motor tell me that you have a voltage drop problem. first thing i would do is clean everything and check voltage drops to make sure that you arent creating excess heat.

CP241 · 05-01-2022, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredtech

just the look of those cable connections on the motor tell me that you have a voltage drop problem. first thing i would do is clean everything and check voltage drops to make sure that you arent creating excess heat.

If the terminals on the outside are that rusty I can’t imagine what the inside looks like.

I think that motor is gonna take a bit more than a wire wheel to the terminals

jeremy7226 · 05-04-2022, 06:56 PM

The picture of the motor by itself was from before it was installed, I did clean the terminals before wiring.
I haven't taken the motor apart yet, I guess I'm having a hard time imagining what could go wrong inside the motor that would cause that kind of heat? Too much heat for it to be bearings, and if its windings you'd think the motor would either quit or let the magic smoke out. That's why I thought maybe the controller was doing something funky with the coils that would cause it to heat up? I was going to buy a new controller but I hate to throw that much money at a guess.
What's the best way to check voltage drop? block the tires up and check voltage at the motor terminals when running? How do these things control speed? Pulsing the current? So I'm looking for 48V at the motor?

CP241 · 05-04-2022, 08:00 PM

Corrosion and worn parts creates heat. So any corrosion inside the motor between the brushes and commutator can do that. Worn or damaged brushes or worn/damaged commutator bars can create excessive heat if something is wrong there too.

I’m not saying there’s no chance it’s in the controller, but before spending the bucks for a new controller it doesn’t cost anything to pull the motor apart and if nothing else, give it a good blowing out inside.

Volt_Ampere · 05-04-2022, 08:46 PM

Clean those motor terminals with a wire brush! Dirty terminals can cause lots of heat and loss of performance.

04-30-2022, 04:06 PM	#1
jeremy7226 Not Yet Wild Join Date: Apr 2022 Posts: 2	Club Car DS Hi, not sure if this is the right place, but it was a club car originally. I came across a club car DS someone had cut in half, no idea why they cut it, but I thought I could use the parts to build a kart for the kids to play with. Turned out it had the dreaded T shaped controller and wouldn't run in forward, it still works in reverse. So I switched the field wires and it only runs in forward now, but slowly, which I'm fine with. The problem is after running for 10 or 15 minutes the motor heats up so hot you almost cant touch it. Does anyone know if a new controller will fix that? Or is it a problem with the motor? Thanks. kart1.jpg kart3.jpg motor.jpg
jeremy7226 Not Yet Wild Join Date: Apr 2022 Posts: 2

04-30-2022, 04:10 PM	#2
CP241 Nincompoop village idiot Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Michigan Posts: 9,690	Re: Club Car DS Sounds like a navitas 5kw kit is in order. But really, sounds like a motor problem if it’s getting that incredibly hot. Have you pulled the motor apart and inspected the internals? Looks like a fun toy!

05-01-2022, 01:36 PM	#3
retiredtech Not Yet Wild Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 23	Re: Club Car DS just the look of those cable connections on the motor tell me that you have a voltage drop problem. first thing i would do is clean everything and check voltage drops to make sure that you arent creating excess heat.
retiredtech Not Yet Wild Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 23

05-04-2022, 06:56 PM	#5
jeremy7226 Not Yet Wild Join Date: Apr 2022 Posts: 2	Re: Club Car DS The picture of the motor by itself was from before it was installed, I did clean the terminals before wiring. I haven't taken the motor apart yet, I guess I'm having a hard time imagining what could go wrong inside the motor that would cause that kind of heat? Too much heat for it to be bearings, and if its windings you'd think the motor would either quit or let the magic smoke out. That's why I thought maybe the controller was doing something funky with the coils that would cause it to heat up? I was going to buy a new controller but I hate to throw that much money at a guess. What's the best way to check voltage drop? block the tires up and check voltage at the motor terminals when running? How do these things control speed? Pulsing the current? So I'm looking for 48V at the motor?
jeremy7226 Not Yet Wild Join Date: Apr 2022 Posts: 2

05-04-2022, 08:00 PM	#6
CP241 Nincompoop village idiot Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Michigan Posts: 9,690	Re: Club Car DS Corrosion and worn parts creates heat. So any corrosion inside the motor between the brushes and commutator can do that. Worn or damaged brushes or worn/damaged commutator bars can create excessive heat if something is wrong there too. I’m not saying there’s no chance it’s in the controller, but before spending the bucks for a new controller it doesn’t cost anything to pull the motor apart and if nothing else, give it a good blowing out inside.

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05-04-2022, 08:46 PM	#7
Volt_Ampere Gone Wild Join Date: May 2012 Location: Rio Verde, Az Posts: 7,191	Re: Club Car DS Clean those motor terminals with a wire brush! Dirty terminals can cause lots of heat and loss of performance.