EZGO Electric 36v Clicks but doesn't go

[Irish Wake]

Hi everybody. I have an EZGO 36v elecric cart serial # 852658, Manf code A 2095 Batteries are fully charged but all I get when I push the pedal is a click from the selonoid. I get a buzzer when in reverse. I cleaned allthe connections but I am stumped. Amy help would be great.
Thanks
Randy

[mikesmotortoys]

You could have a number of problems. Was the cart operating fine before this? You could have a burnt wire on your motor, bad motor, bad controller, yada, yada, yada. More "prior to" info needed to assist!

Also, just because the solenoid 'clicks', doesn't mean that is is properly opening. Have you tried to "jump" the solenoid?

PLEASE do not attempt this without elevating the rear tires off of the ground!

[Irish Wake]

Mike, thanks for the reply. The cart had brand new batteries last year but was allowed to completely discharge over the winter. It ran fine before the discharge. I charged the batteries and they read 6.3 each If I touch the negative on the front battery and the pos. on the rear battery I get 38v If I touch the pos. of the front and the pos of the rear I get 40v I don't know the proper way to read pack voltage.

Any ideas would be great.

[qwerty77]

I see this allot at work. There are 3 basic kinds of EZGO electrics, the most common being solid state controller w/resistor input for accellerator pedal. This should help with that type:
Start w/ battery voltage, put the cart up against something solid so it can't roll forward, have the F/R switch in forward and the key switch on. Read the voltage at terminals that have the battery charger wires going to them, there should also be two heavy wires that go to your solid state controller. Anyway if that voltage is less than about 33v the controller will not run until batteries are charged. At the solenoid measure the voltage across the two heavy wires. It should be fairly high (~30volts or more) Now lightly press the "gas" pedal until the solenoid does pick up. The voltage across the solenoid should drop very low (less than 0.5 volts or so) If it doesn't you have a bad solenoid. Now check the voltage at the controller, it should be near battery voltage with the solenoid picked up. If the voltage going to the controller is dropping out when you try to run you most likely have a dirty battery terminal or a dead cell.
Assuming all that didn't get you going, we need to check the enable switches. There are two. One microswitch at the F/R switch (opens when cart is in neutral) and one at the throttle resistor, quickest way to test them is at the solid state controller you have a blue wire at one corner, pull it off and press the "gas" pedal, measure it's voltage compared to the negative end of your batteries, it should come up to battery voltage when your solenoid picks up. If not trace it back to figure out where your losing the 36v to the controller.
Assuming all that didn't get you going: Check output voltage from the controller, if it comes up as you step on that "gas" pedal you got a motor problem, could be a bad wire connection, or your F/R switch has a bad contact (all that switch does is reverse the current to the field windings on your motor).
If that controller voltage does not come up you need to look at your throttle resistor. Just below that blue enable wire on the controller is two wires that go to your resistor. Pull them off, noting their colors so they go back on right.(if you flip them wrong when you reinstall the cart will go fast in reverse and slow in forward and the battery voltage compensator circuit will be off a bit)
Put your meter in resistance mode, measure to the two wires. It should be close to 0 ohms. If it's more that about 25 then the controller will not allow the cart to run. When you apply "gas" it should slowly come up to about 5000 or 5K ohms. If it goes up more than that the controller should "kick out" but that's not one of your symptoms.
Anyway that's a good start toward the most common of the EZGO's. If that's not your style EZGO describe what you got and I'll give you more ideas.

[dirtysouth]

Originally Posted by qwerty77

I see this allot at work. There are 3 basic kinds of EZGO electrics, the most common being solid state controller w/resistor input for accellerator pedal. This should help with that type:
Start w/ battery voltage, put the cart up against something solid so it can't roll forward, have the F/R switch in forward and the key switch on. Read the voltage at terminals that have the battery charger wires going to them, there should also be two heavy wires that go to your solid state controller. Anyway if that voltage is less than about 33v the controller will not run until batteries are charged. At the solenoid measure the voltage across the two heavy wires. It should be fairly high (~30volts or more) Now lightly press the "gas" pedal until the solenoid does pick up. The voltage across the solenoid should drop very low (less than 0.5 volts or so) If it doesn't you have a bad solenoid. Now check the voltage at the controller, it should be near battery voltage with the solenoid picked up. If the voltage going to the controller is dropping out when you try to run you most likely have a dirty battery terminal or a dead cell.
Assuming all that didn't get you going, we need to check the enable switches. There are two. One microswitch at the F/R switch (opens when cart is in neutral) and one at the throttle resistor, quickest way to test them is at the solid state controller you have a blue wire at one corner, pull it off and press the "gas" pedal, measure it's voltage compared to the negative end of your batteries, it should come up to battery voltage when your solenoid picks up. If not trace it back to figure out where your losing the 36v to the controller.
Assuming all that didn't get you going: Check output voltage from the controller, if it comes up as you step on that "gas" pedal you got a motor problem, could be a bad wire connection, or your F/R switch has a bad contact (all that switch does is reverse the current to the field windings on your motor).
If that controller voltage does not come up you need to look at your throttle resistor. Just below that blue enable wire on the controller is two wires that go to your resistor. Pull them off, noting their colors so they go back on right.(if you flip them wrong when you reinstall the cart will go fast in reverse and slow in forward and the battery voltage compensator circuit will be off a bit)
Put your meter in resistance mode, measure to the two wires. It should be close to 0 ohms. If it's more that about 25 then the controller will not allow the cart to run. When you apply "gas" it should slowly come up to about 5000 or 5K ohms. If it goes up more than that the controller should "kick out" but that's not one of your symptoms.
Anyway that's a good start toward the most common of the EZGO's. If that's not your style EZGO describe what you got and I'll give you more ideas.

I started reading this yesterday... I still ain't done.

[scottyb]

Originally Posted by Irish Wake

Mike, thanks for the reply. The cart had brand new batteries last year but was allowed to completely discharge over the winter. It ran fine before the discharge. I charged the batteries and they read 6.3 each If I touch the negative on the front battery and the pos. on the rear battery I get 38v If I touch the pos. of the front and the pos of the rear I get 40v I don't know the proper way to read pack voltage.

Any ideas would be great.

Does anybody else see this as a RED flag?

[crownman]

Originally Posted by qwerty77

I see this allot at work. There are 3 basic kinds of EZGO electrics, the most common being solid state controller w/resistor input for accellerator pedal. This should help with that type:
Start w/ battery voltage, put the cart up against something solid so it can't roll forward, have the F/R switch in forward and the key switch on. Read the voltage at terminals that have the battery charger wires going to them, there should also be two heavy wires that go to your solid state controller. Anyway if that voltage is less than about 33v the controller will not run until batteries are charged. At the solenoid measure the voltage across the two heavy wires. It should be fairly high (~30volts or more) Now lightly press the "gas" pedal until the solenoid does pick up. The voltage across the solenoid should drop very low (less than 0.5 volts or so) If it doesn't you have a bad solenoid. Now check the voltage at the controller, it should be near battery voltage with the solenoid picked up. If the voltage going to the controller is dropping out when you try to run you most likely have a dirty battery terminal or a dead cell.
Assuming all that didn't get you going, we need to check the enable switches. There are two. One microswitch at the F/R switch (opens when cart is in neutral) and one at the throttle resistor, quickest way to test them is at the solid state controller you have a blue wire at one corner, pull it off and press the "gas" pedal, measure it's voltage compared to the negative end of your batteries, it should come up to battery voltage when your solenoid picks up. If not trace it back to figure out where your losing the 36v to the controller.
Assuming all that didn't get you going: Check output voltage from the controller, if it comes up as you step on that "gas" pedal you got a motor problem, could be a bad wire connection, or your F/R switch has a bad contact (all that switch does is reverse the current to the field windings on your motor).
If that controller voltage does not come up you need to look at your throttle resistor. Just below that blue enable wire on the controller is two wires that go to your resistor. Pull them off, noting their colors so they go back on right.(if you flip them wrong when you reinstall the cart will go fast in reverse and slow in forward and the battery voltage compensator circuit will be off a bit)
Put your meter in resistance mode, measure to the two wires. It should be close to 0 ohms. If it's more that about 25 then the controller will not allow the cart to run. When you apply "gas" it should slowly come up to about 5000 or 5K ohms. If it goes up more than that the controller should "kick out" but that's not one of your symptoms.
Anyway that's a good start toward the most common of the EZGO's. If that's not your style EZGO describe what you got and I'll give you more ideas.

So if I start with 38.6 volts & then step on the gas about 1/2 way the voltage goes down to 28/30 volts. Then after 1 min. or so the pack voltage is about 34.4 v.

[cgtech]

Originally Posted by crownman

So if I start with 38.6 volts & then step on the gas about 1/2 way the voltage goes down to 28/30 volts. Then after 1 min. or so the pack voltage is about 34.4 v.

Batteries are shot. (or at least one is)

[crownman]

So before I pull the trigger on a new set of batteries, is there anything else that would make the batteries do what they are doing. Like something to do with the go pedal??

Thanks!!

[Volt_Ampere]

A bad cable connection can do this. Put your DVM on one battery at a time and repeat the test and get the no load and load voltage.