G16E 36v rebuild in progress

[philphil311]

Yo guys! New to the forum. I just thought I would share the process of refurbishing my G16 and some issues I have come across, and hopefully, I could get some feedback on do's and don'ts. I read some threads and saw a lot of people having similar issues I had before I got mine up and running. Currently I am cleaning it up - paint, patching, etc...

First off, Batteries - Completely shot. very very low voltage. I opened all the lids to refill with distilled water, and all the gills were exposed. Of course, the charger wouldn't charge them after adding water, but worth the shot! Replaced all 6.

Now I had all new batteries, and what do you know... it won't go anywhere. So, I followed all the cables and cleaned all the terminals I could find with a wire brush. Boom! I hit my wrench across the terminals of the solenoid and had to replace that. So, I replace the solenoid (I don't know if the solenoid was actually bad). I continue tracing all the wires. I found one little wire attached to the charger port that looked a little kinked. I stripped it back and put a new clip on it. I check to see if the charger would charge. And what do you know we are charging!

After about 5 hrs of charging it stopped. So, I took it for a spin. Felt a little sluggish but it was moving. I actually had to replace a weak battery that was bad from the manufacturer after my test drives. Then, I started checking the voltage around the controls and motor. Everything seemed fine except one of the motor bolts on s2 was rusted like crazy. I couldn't remove the nut. I have it rigged now. Cleaned the terminal as good as I could and added a nut in front of the old one to hold the cable. Now it seems to run a little better. I am going to eventually drop the motor and replace the insert and get rid of the rusted bolts. I have a power loss on hills, and I know that with this year and make of the Yamaha and being 36v lifted, I don't think there is much you can do. I have replaced the battery cables which did help 6 Gauge to 4 gauge. I will update after fixing the bolts on the actual motor.

I will note this. I was having a huge power loss on hills at first. I jacked the cart up and noticed some bolts loose. Well, that is kind of scary! So, I decided to align the tires because I noticed they were a little off. Tightened all the bolts. Fixed a problem with tie rods (missing nut). This actually helped! I properly aired the tires up after the alignment. I noticed less lag up hills! I just feel like this is never addressed when discussing the power loss with these carts.

So, now that I shared the things I had to learn the hard way with getting the cart running I hope my experience helps! I will say this, make sure you go through your cart wiring to make sure all connections and wires look good! That was most of my problem.

Now, I have started unbolting the body and cleaning it up. I am using a black Rustoleum spray paint and gloss enamel. I am using a drill with a wire brush to help break loose a lot of rust (was used at my families ranch). I am hoping this will help protect the frame from rust and corrosion. Eventually, I will have the whole underbody clean and fresh coat of paint.

Painting - I grabbed some Bondo and started patching nicks and scratches in the body, and a couple cracks in the top. I pressure washed everything to break loose the dirt and mud. I used a 180 grit and then 500 grit on the body. After I felt that it was smooth I added a coat of primer. Sanded again with 500 grit lightly. Added a wet coat of primer to give a better bond. Then sanded again with 500 grit lightly. After that dried for an hour, I started lightly spraying with the first coat of silver that I want the cart to be. The paint is apparently taking a long time to dry, so I am doing one coat a day with 500 grit sanding between. After it appears to be coated nicely, I will apply the clear gloss enamel that looks sweet. I already clear coated some other parts, and it makes such a difference and protects the paint!

Having a blast with it so far, and l look forward to using the forum for tips and other useful stuff! I have never worked on a golf cart before, and I do not have the knowledge of working on vehicles past the extent of minor maintenance. So, It has been a lot of fun digging in and getting my hands dirty.

[cgtech]

Motor studs don't just "unbolt and replace", motor brush set is attached to the "A" terminals. The other terminals are welded to the field windings, destroy these and the motor will have to be professionally repaired. As long as the voltage remains at 36v, and the stock controller is used, it's gonna be a dog on hills.