1998 G16 Electric Cart power/torque loss

[jspen]

Hey everyone, first post here and I am somewhat familiar with golf carts but a novice for sure. We just bought a new to us 1998 G16 Electric Cart with 4 yo batteries, this is 36v. When I test drove I noticed by the seat of my pants the cart was slow, flat land turned out to be about 8mph via an app I downloaded. Going up a steeper hill it would CRAWL at about 3mph. The seller didn't know when he charged the cart last... so I talked down the price. Fast forward two weeks later after charging the cart etc and it helped but still only getting about 10mph flat and it still really struggled on hills of any kind. Installed a volt meter to the cart and would see 37v, drop to 30v up some hills. Installed brand new batteries and it helped very minimal... not worth the $637 minimal. Brought to a local dealer and it is still there... nothing wrong but noticed the connection wires from battery to battery got warm. They are changing and claim factory is 6 gauge and the ones they install are 4 gauge. I am not hopeful this will be the magical fix.

Sorry, post is getting away from me! Want to hear peoples thoughts on solenoids and controllers. Can a solenoid be going out but still operate? The cart hauls when going down even the slightest decline, not even a hill, just a decline so my thought is torque is an issue.

[jspen]

got a call from dealer, no change in operation after new wires installed... kicking myself for even agreeing as I can install new wires just fine between the cables. Back to the drawing board...

[cgtech]

Inspect F&R for any signs of heat damage. Drive it around and see if the F&R is getting hot. F&R is a notorious weak link on G16e. What is voltage drop with the new batteries in there?

[jspen]

Originally Posted by cgtech

Inspect F&R for any signs of heat damage. Drive it around and see if the F&R is getting hot. F&R is a notorious weak link on G16e. What is voltage drop with the new batteries in there?

F&R? Novice here...

Bought the cart about 3/4 weeks ago, would maintain about 37v and on inclines, depending on how steep would drop to 30-34v with the existing batteries that were 4 years old and it was apparent the cart wasn't very well maintained.

Replaced batteries, holding same volts of 37v, has a slight better pep in the step but still dropping 32-35v on inclines. Had the cart looked at by "stealership" and they claimed the battery cables were hot, replaced those at dealership and they said no change. "It is an older cart, does not have the power of newer cart". I agree, this is not a spring chicken and is a 36v, not 48v. <y campground I drive it around is pretty flat but even the slightest incline kills the power and max speed on flat is 10mph and that is floored.

[jspen]

F&R...forward / rev switch? This has a lever, calf level against the batteries.

[jspen]

Also, if the F&R is heating up etc would this cause the voltage drop? My buddies 2003 EZGO 36v has about the same drop up the same hills, he passed me up like I wasn't even moving up a gradual hill and I had the head start. He has a 2.75HP Electric 36v and I think the G16 is a 2.5HP Electric 36v.

Cart has standard 8" wheels, set at 20psi. Has a longer top that covers the back seat and I think the suspension is HD for the weight of the backseat/passengers.

[jspen]

Also, is it possible for a solenoid to be somewhat working but not completely? I wont have time to look at the cart until this weekend or Friday and I found some easy troubleshooting on the solenoid with a meter. I just don't want to keep tossing parts at it unless it is the fix it needs. Putting in a new motor or controller is kinda spendy given the age of the cart and would rather sell it and buy a 48v (which I know I should have done then entire time).

[scottyb]

Since you asked I can tell you this about older 36v series carts and I'm sure GCtech will agree;

Slow 36v series carts top the subject list of common cart performance complaints. These carts were designed for golf. Compared to modern 48v sepex drive darts they are both slower and weaker. By design speed upgrades are hard to come by for these carts. They make more torque than speed. The 36v series motor can produce 30-33% more torque and speed on 48v but this requires upgrading all of the system components.
Probably not the way you want to go based upon your disgust with the cost of having a few wires installed. Sell it and get a YDRE