Help Line - Welcome to Golf Cart Stuff Hodgepodge

First, awesome site. Now my issue is I have an Ezgo 36 volt golf cart that was intermittent in reverse and now has quit in both directions. Using trouble shooting guide from internet I started at the beginning and first thing I found was the precharge resistor had failed. On this cart I found that the resistor and the diode were connected together on the main terminals of the solenoid, not like the drawing on this site which appear to have the resistor in this position but the diode across the coil post of the solenoid. I know this cart has been worked on before so I am uncertain if it got changed up incorrectly or not. I understand that probably this is not my only issue but plan to work through the troubleshooting sequence step by step. The manuf. code is J0395 and so far as I know it is stock with no modifications other than the tires. Thank you for any guidance you can offer.

Thanks for the comment. The Resistor goes across the large connecters of the solenoid, but not the diode. The purpose of the resistor is to keep the electrolytic capacitors in the controller charged at all times. The diode’s role in life is to protect the system from a reverse charge of energy that is produced when the solenoid dis-energizes, and it definitely belongs as the drawing in the book on the website indicate. The diode has a cathode (the end with the line around it) and an anode, and it is very important that it is installed correctly. Someone may have damaged it if they installed it incorrectly, so you really need to test it and get it in the right place before you go on.
Your Mfgr. Code indicates that it is a 1995 E-Z-GO. Therefore I think it should be like the drawing in Chapter 17 of the “A Book About Electric Golf Cart Repair” that is located at the top of the site and has a drop-down menu to get to the chapters. E-Z-Go made some model changes right around the end of 1994 and the beginning 1995, so it is possible that it could go with Chapter 16, but in either case, the chapter will pretty well walk you through how to pin down the problems.
As all of the chapters indicate, the first step is to verify whether or not the Main Contactor (solenoid) is being energized or not. If it isn’t, you need to go through the logic switches and if it is, the next place I would look would be at the F/R switch, especially if it was intermittent in reverse at the beginning. Hopefully, if you continue looking around, you’ll be OK. Let me know if I can help, after you get the wiring straightened out and pin things down a little.

Hey Ron, thank you for your thorough response on my question. I have been intermittently working on this cart with other stuff going on and waiting on parts to arrive. I found the wire from the charger receptacle had corroded off in the quick connector in the battery compartment was keeping the solenoid from energizing, after installing the diode and resistor as you instructed. Replaced the contact blocks on the direction selector, reverse had a high restive connection when activated as well as when not activated. Thinking it may have fried my controller, cart goes reverse in both direction selections. Haven’t checked any further, got dark on me so will check some voltage points later. Thinking the selector switch and then controller is all that controls the direction as nothing else has been disconnected for a mix up. Thank you again for clearing up the diode question.

I have a 1994 electric ezgo 36 volt txt cart it ran great and then I had something replaced I think the torrid and it is running poorly it’s getting power but won’t go forward or backwards yesterday it started working out of the blue but it only went forward in reverse and forward then it stopped and went back to not moving please help I think the wiring is backwards or mixed up somwhere

Hey Brandon
Tell me more about the part replacement that you mentioned. I don’t know of a part called a “torrid” so I’m a little confused. The fact that it worked as it did (wrong direction and all of that), makes me very suspicious of the motor speed controller. How expensive was the part? The motor speed controller would have been at least a $500 part. Also, the motor speed controller is about the only thing that can “change its mind” about the direction of travel. Everything else is pretty much “hard wired” into place and doesn’t just change all of a sudden. Wish I could be of more help, but it sounds like you need to have someone with quite a bit of electronics training take a look at it. When it acts up, you or he, needs to be right there with a good meter, a schematic, and a lot of experience to diagnose the thing. I don’t think is going to be a real easy one to figure out.

Mr. Ron, I am the Philip that order your books last week. The reason I am wring to you is my Fluke meter my father give me has bit the DUST. I am hunting another one and I just want the basic meter. I need one to check out my EZ-GO the one that has the low and high voltage on the spark plug when you are testing the cart. Will the Fluke 101 meter would that serve my purpose. My wife Mary and I have to watch our pennies and I just want the basic meter that I can learn and understand. Please help and you can publish my Email if you think someone would need your help, thank you Philip Taylor.

Thanks for the inquiry. Yes on the Fluke 101. I have a couple of Fluke meters including a 101 and it is all you will ever need for golf cart repair.

currently working on a 1987 club car and would like to know if i can install digital and get rid of the solenoids and resistors and that throttle system

Anything is possible, but boy, what a project it would be. Any cart that has batteries, and a series motor could be wired to a series controller, a typical Forward and Reverse switch etc. but the issues are with the mechanically locating and mounting of speed control components and their linkages to the accelerator and all of that. On this website, near the top is a drop-down menu of “A Book About Electric Golf Cart Repair”. If you drop down the menu and click on “Contents” it will give you a list of chapters in the book. The two chapters you should look at are Chapters 8 and 10. 8, is what you have and 10 is where you would be taking it. After considering all that is involved in making a Chapter 8 cart a Chapter 10 cart, most people would just take 2 aspirin and lay down until they got over it. However, if you are bound to try, do yourself a favor and go look at a Chapter 10 cart so that you can see all of the mechanical differences. You could probably still buy most of the marts to do the job, but you will see when you look at a Chapter 10 cart, it would be a tough build. You would have so much money tied up in a 1987 cart, that it would never be worth what you have in it. Thanks for visiting our website.

Hello,

I am working on an EZGO Model 960 Beverage Cart. I am trying to find any information on the factory forward/reverse assembly, which doesnt match anything used on the regular carts of the same era. Do you have anything on those? As of now I am trying to make the directional switch for a TXT work there. All new solenoid and resistor assembly along with batteries. Ohh yeah, am also upgrading to 48v.

Thanks in advance,

Jorge

Hello, I am working on a 1981 EZGO Model 960 Beverage Cart. I am trying to find any information on the factory forward/reverse assembly, which doesnt match anything used on the regular carts of the same era. Do you have anything on those? As of now I am trying to make the directional switch for a TXT work there. All new solenoid and resistor assembly along with batteries. Ohh yeah, am also upgrading to 48v. Thanks in advance, Jorge

Hey Jorge
Unfortunately, I don’t have anything on that exact model. You will undoubtedly have to improvise, but I tried to include a couple of drawings that might be helpful, only to find that the software for the blog won’t let me add drawings to this reply box. But that is ok. I created a page that includes the drawings that you can get to by dropping down the “Some Resources” menu item. The drawings are under the “Jorge’s Resistor Type E-Z-GO” entry.

I don’t have much experience with starter/generators. A customer brought a gas Ez-Go with a bad solenoid. I replaced the solenoid with one of the ones I use on mowers, but he said it burned burned out in 15 minutes or so. Are these solenoid supposed to be constant duty rated or are they standard starter solenoids? I read your page on starter/generators, but I still don’t know how this portion works. Is there a special solenoid I should be using? I really hope you can help because Ez-Go information is HARD to come by! Thank you!

Hi Derek
The type of solenoid that is used with a gas golf cart is unique in that it is a “continuous duty” solenoid. It is energized the entire time that the engine in running, not only when it is starting. The ignition components and the generator part of the starter/generator depend on their energy for operation “coming through” the solenoid. Most mowers and similar equipment use the type of solenoid that is only designed to be energized during the starting of the motor. The continuous duty solenoids are much more rugged and are designed to be able to dissipate the heat that is produced during the operation. The other type aren’t. That type won’t last long at all in a golf cart. You can get the correct solenoid from lots of places on the internet, including Buggies Unlimited. Good luck, Ron.

Hello and thank you for being open to questions from a rookie. I’m a first timer with golf cart maintenance and I ran into a problem that I can’t figure out. My starter/generator was not charging my battery anymore and probably only needed new brushes but I went the extra mile and bought a new s/g, voltage regulator and battery. After installing all, it feels and runs beautifully with perfect forward and reverse. The the problem is that the new s/g is super hot within 5 minutes of driving. I’ve tested the solenoid(correctly, I hope) and checked all connections and can’t find anything wrong. The only change I made was off the voltage regulator, I realized I had two female quick connects for DF so I cut them and used a Wago. Also I was wondering if the belt was too tight, I don’t think so but I’m not sure because my dumb self didn’t pay attention to it before I took the old one off. Any insight or idea of what the problem could be it greatly appreciated.

Hey Donnie, thanks for the question.
I guess the first thing we’d have to do is define “super hot”. The starter/generator does run quite warm because of the energy it is using, but also because of where it is located (it absorbs heat from the engine). In order to try to help you figure out “what is normal”, I just took my old Yamaha G16 out for a cruise and put a meat thermometer on the S/G when I got back. It said about 136 degrees (F). I live in Central Florida and the outside temperature today is 90 degrees. This is with a known good S/G that I rebuilt a few years ago it has been working just fine. The belt needs to be tight enough so as not to slip, but don’t get too carried away with the tightening as you can put so much force on the thrust bearing to cause it to wear out way faster than it should. As general rule, just tighten the belt to where when you push on the belt half way between the pullies, you should be able to move it no more than about ½ to ¾ of an inch (with reasonable force). As to the connection of the charge winding (DF), as long as it is a good connection, it should work just fine. I’d sure start by making sure that charging voltage is correct. Just put a voltmeter across the battery and watch it as you rev up the engine. It should be limited by the voltage regulator to only go to about 14.5 volts at the most. At low speed, you will see it just staying above the batteries normal charge voltage of 12.9 volts (so you will see it fluctuate around 13 to 13.5 volts. If you see it jump way up to 16 or something like that, then there is a problem, but that is very rare. You probably don’t have a problem at all, but those are a couple of things you can look at. Good luck. Ron

Thank you so much. The voltage and temperature readings are spot on and now I feel comfortable to start driving it again.
I think I got scared when I heard some horror stories about buying the parts off Amazon after I bought my parts…off Amazon. Thank you again for putting my mind at ease.

Hi, Awesome, I have a Gas two stroke 80-88 ezgo golf cart, A charging problem , How to check voltage regulator, and how to check the green wire coming out of the engine, next problem is that it back fires when letting off the gas.

Hi Tim
Thanks for the inquiry. The green wire should be the wire that goes to the regulator. It should be labeled DF on the starter generator. All that the regulator does is short the DF terminal to ground (completing the charge circuit within the starter generator). It does it in “spurts” as required to maintain the proper charge-state for the battery. I would start by just connecting a meter across the battery terminals and monitoring its reading during operation. With the motor not running (provided the battery is properly charge), the meter should read around 12.9 volts. When you start the motor, it should not drop down to below about 10.5 and then as the motor starts to run, the meter should come back up to something over the 12.9 that it was at before starting. As you rev the motor up, the meter should climb up to around 14.5 or so. If it isn’t doing that, there must be a problem somewhere. To test the system, what I do is take the wire off of the DS point on the starter generator, and take a jumper (fairly heavy one around 12 gauge or so) and as the motor is running, short the DS terminal to ground in short bursts. As I do that, I expect to see the voltage at the battery jump up with the grounding in burst also (up to around 15 volts or so). If that happens, then it means that the starter generator has the ability to produce the proper voltage, but the regulator isn’t doing its job. If while touching the jumper to ground, the voltage at the battery doesn’t get higher than it was, then the starter generator must have problems.
As far as the backfiring, most of the time when you get that, it means that the throttle plate in the carburetor isn’t coming back to nearly enough closed when the throttle is let off on. Check for linkage for “hang ups” and check the minimum throttle position adjustment screw in the carburetor. A good rule of thumb is back the adjustment screw back off until the plate closes to where the screw isn’t doing anything anymore, and then advance it only about a quarter of a turn (clockwise) after it starts moving the plate open.
Good luck, Ron.

Hi, I have a 2003 ezgo gas golf cart and having a starting problem it will crack over but won’t start but if I disconnect the green wire on the voltage regulator and leave it off the cart will run all day long I have replaced the igniter the voltage regulator and the coil and still does the same thing any help you could give is much appreciated.
Thank you for your help, Tom

Hi and thanks for the comment. Sorry to take so long to get back to you, but I’ve had some issues that needed attended to. The green wire goes between the regulator and the starter generator. It is responsible for completing the charge circuitry. When you connect the green wire, it offers a bit of a load on the engine and therefore the starter/generator. My best guess is that your battery isn’t spinning the engine fast enough to start it with the green wire connected (because of the slightly increased load on the starter/generator). I would start by testing the battery, using the cart as the tester. A fully charged 12 volt battery should actually measure around 12.9 volts unloaded. So, put a meter across the battery before trying to start the cart and see what you’ve got. When you try to start the cart, the reading should not drop below about 11 volts (this is all with the green wire connected). If drops any lower than that, the battery is either bad, or not being charged correctly. You can test the system as described in the article here on the website: E-Z-Go gas cart Starter/Generator and Voltage Regulator – Welcome to Golf Cart Stuff Hodgepodge. It is in the menu under Gas Cart Stuff. You probably have already noticed that when you run the cart without the green wire connected, the battery is slowly discharging because the charging circuit is no longer complete. Let me know how you come out, Ron.

Correction, it is not an 1996. It is a 1997 Ezgo gas tx. I’m sure it doesn’t matter., But wanted to be correct.

Most likely it is a spline that has stripped out in one of the hubs at the end of one of the axles. When you look at the end of the axles (take off the rear hubcaps) and try to move the cart and by starting the engine, you will probably hear a grinding noise and see one of the axles is actually spinning even though the wheel isn’t. The hub and the brake drum are all a part of the same assembly on that model. It is quite common to have one of the hubs strip. It is almost NEVER the axle, just the hub which is easily replaceable. When you replace the defective hub, be SURE to clean the spines on the axle completely and torque the hub nut to the specified torque (about 100 ft. lbs.). I always bring the torque up to about 100 ft. lbs. and then tighten it until the next hole in the castle nut lines up with a slot in the nut. Good luck, Ron.

Will both hubs need replaced?

They are both subject to the same age related wear and tear, but who knows? Perhaps one of them has already been replaced. Most people just replace the one that has the current problem. The repair is fairly simple, so they wait for the other one to show some problems before going to the expense and effort. I personally, would replace both of them and be done with it (if the money wasn’t and issue). I’ve worked on carts that are 30 years old that have never had to have one replaced, so it is not a big pressing issue to just replace them one at a time (as they present the need). Once I received your comment, I realized that I had never really addressed this problem on the website, so I wrote a more detailed description of the repair a couple of days ago and posted it. It is under “Electric Cart Stuff” in the menu drop down (they are the same hubs that are used on the gas and the electric carts). E-Z-Go Rear Hubs – Welcome to Golf Cart Stuff Hodgepodge. Thanks for the comment, Ron.

I am a newbie with an electric Hyundai purchased last year (no longer has identifying tags for year, serial#, etc.). It worked great the first few months then set it aside for winter and it wouldn’t start. I read your book and learned all about batteries, filling, etc. and cleaned them up, charged them and put new cables on. The solenoid was also very corroded so also replaced that. It looks great under the seat now – but won’t start, click or any sort of wake up noise.

I have a diagram and tried to wire the solenoid according that, and my drawings/photos from taking it apart. Still nothing. Replace diode and relay – still nothing.

I’m thinking I have wires crossed somewhere (or maybe it is something else?) but have tried to replicate what was there when it was working, as well as follow the wiring diagram on vintage golf carts. Still nothing.

How do I approach this now? My only mentor is the internet, manual, and your book. Since I am new to this (and not familiar at all with gas engine repair) I feel like I must be making a crazy simple mistake that an old hand would spot right away (but can’t find anyone in utah that can help me learn). I have no clue what was done according to the diagram and what was bypassed or routed differently, only that it worked great to begin with.

I would send photos but don’t see a place for that here. What do you suggest?

Hi and thanks for the comment.
I’ve owned several of the old Hyundai carts through the years and to the best of my knowledge they were all wired just like figure 44 (page 159) in the book. The most common problem to cause the solenoid (MC) not to energize (you said you had no “click” or anything) is that one of the logic switches is bad. That is the three switches on the left side of the diagram (KS, F/R MS and Acc MS). That is where a meter would come in very handy. You should connect the negative probe of the meter to the B- point of the battery pack and see if you have B+ (36 volts or so) on one of the small connectors of the solenoid with the Key Switch in the on position, the F/R in forward and the accelerator depressed. These three switches form a series “string” and must all be active before the 36 volts gets to the solenoid to energize it. As you can see by the diagram, when that happens the 36 volts is also applied to pin 1 of the motor speed controller (MSC). The other small connector on the solenoid is connected right to B-, so it will always read 0 volts, but the one you are looking for should go to 36 volts with all three switches activated. The fact that the cart was working when you put it away is a good thing and should eliminate any wiring problems unless you have accidently moved something to the wrong place. Be sure that the wiring matches the diagram and that the three switches are all working and you should be able to get it going. The old Hyundai carts were really a very good old cart and very reliable and pretty easy to work on. Good luck, and let me know if I can be of any more assistance, Ron.
Woops, I just got your email and I realize that you have already got it going. As far as the Hitch issue, I will email you back on that one. I still have a Hyundai in my driveway and I will go take a picture of how it is mounted and send it to you.

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