I need help with a Bad Boy Buggie

[gcs13]

Please forgive me for posting a question about Bad Boy Buggies here in the Club Car section. I posted another question about BBB in the electric golf cart section and didn't get a response so I thought I would try here.
Ok here goes it, I'm trying to help a buddy out with his Bad Boy. I've changed batteries and cables. The cables I changed was just the ones on top of the batteries, not the ones that goes to the motor and controller...When I went to hookup the last cable, it ark a spark like it had a short. I stopped to double check everything to make sure I didn't screw something up. I had everything hooked up right.
I went to put the cable back on, it didn't spark that time. I figured the first time it sparked that it must be charging up the solenoids. I went to screw the battery cable nut down, thats when I got a shock. I had one hand on the frame of the cart and the other hand on the negative side of the battery post. I got my volt meter and went to checking a few things.
The first thing I checked is the total pack volts, I got 51.3 volts. The second thing I checked was the negative side of the last battery and to the frame of the cart, it read 51.2 volts. I knew something wasn't right. I pulled the cable back off the ground side and checked again, I still the same reading of volts with the ground wire removed. Then I took the positive cable off and put the negative cable on and checked voltage again. I got 0 volts then. How can the frame of the buggie have 51.2 volts running through it with just the positive side of the battery hooked up and the ground not?
I'm sorry for such a long post but I've tried to explain everything I could. If anyone can help me with this it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Greg

[GLEEMO]

If it is using Chassis ground then anywhere on the frame is = to ground.
But that being said , the last battery must be grounded to chassis for it to be at FULL voltage.

If the 3rd were grounded to chassis then U would have 3 x 8 Volts or 24 Volts.
Do U have the diagram U could post ?

[OLD MEC]

If I am not mistaken you never want a frame ground? Digital meters will show some very low voltage but never full pack voltage?

[gcs13]

I've been thinking about this today at work, I must have a short in the cables going to the motors or controller. I'm going to check them out and go from that. This cart has ( 6 volt batteries and I took plenty of pictures before I even unhooked a single wire. I looked back and everything is correct as for the battery hookup. Thanks for the help guys, Greg

[GLEEMO]

so it has 8 6 volt batteries.

Just so U know the last time this happened it was a short to the controller which happened when the guy was connecting his last battery and had a massive arc
which fried the controller. He took it off and opened it up and it was COOKED.

BUT that being said , I don't see this here, because in your case it shows up as
the entire pack voltage , even with the last NEG disconnected .

In the other case it showed full voltage to ground with everything turned off
BUT the Last battery connected ???

[gcs13]

A little history with this buggie. I know it has been wrecked and turned over. When it turned over it shorted (2) of the batteries out. So they replaced the (2) batteries. Some time over the years that they had this buggie they also replaced a couple of the battery cables with automotive cables. Now I replaced all of the batteries and the cables on top of the batteries with 2 gauge welding cable. I know the buggie made a buzzing sound before I ever did anything to it. The order I unhooked the cables was just like I've done with my Club Car except this buggie doesn't have a run/tow switch. I unhooked the negative first, then the positive. When I hooked them back up, I put the positive on first and the negative last. I don't know if all this I'm trying to figure out is something I've done or preexisting. I inspected all of the cables that runs to the controller/solenoids/motors and I didn't find anything wrong with them. Now I'm thinking it just might be the controller. The problem now is finding someone to check the controller out.

[GLEEMO]

Don't know what to tell U except be thorough and persistent .

with Neg disconnected Run your POS+ Battery cable down , to as far as U can trace it , disconnect 1 thing at a time , motor , solenoids ...etc until you
loose the 51 Volts , that where the short is .
Or disconnect all motor cables , if U get 0 Volts to ground, then connect
back 1 at a time until U find which cable is the culprit. If no change move on to next component up the string ...etc , U'll find it.

[roady89]

Heres the diagrams Badboy sent me...not what you'd think but will work. I don't know what to tell you other than what been posted. You can send the controller out to be tested. The controller will spark, its charging the caps. It won't spark right afterwards because the caps are already charged. If you hook it up wrong in any way and spark its probably toast.

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/series-small-wires.pdf

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/series-big-cables.pdf

[langstonjones]

Originally Posted by roady89

Heres the diagrams Badboy sent me...not what you'd think but will work. I don't know what to tell you other than what been posted. You can send the controller out to be tested. The controller will spark, its charging the caps. It won't spark right afterwards because the caps are already charged. If you hook it up wrong in any way and spark its probably toast.

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/series-small-wires.pdf

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/series-big-cables.pdf

Finally some diagrams that make sense to me...

[gcs13]

Originally Posted by GLEEMO

Don't know what to tell U except be thorough and persistent .

with Neg disconnected Run your POS+ Battery cable down , to as far as U can trace it , disconnect 1 thing at a time , motor , solenoids ...etc until you
loose the 51 Volts , that where the short is .
Or disconnect all motor cables , if U get 0 Volts to ground, then connect
back 1 at a time until U find which cable is the culprit. If no change move on to next component up the string ...etc , U'll find it.

I'm going to try what you said this weekend when I have more time to work on it. Thanks for the help, Greg