2000 Western (EZGO TXT) Golf Cart 36 Volt Controller Issues?

Jay Burger

Member
Im finally getting back to working on my 2000 TXT 36 volt...all of the wiring diagrams show 4 lugs on the controller but mine only has 3...i have a new controller which also has 3 but i want to make sure i had the old one wired correctly before i install it...the diagram shows an A2 terminal which i dont have...should i just wire the way the diagram shows and ignore the missing A2 lug ?....Thanks JD
 

HotRodCarts

Cartaholic
E-Z-GO used both Curtis controllers with and without the A2 terminal. The A2 terminal was used for "Plug Braking" and EZGO stopped using it at some point. You're better off with the controller without an A2 terminal but either controller will work. Here's the difference in the wiring.

E-Z-GO golf carts that came from the factory without the A2 terminal on the controller have the cable from the A2 terminal on the motor connected to the "C" terminal on the forward and reverse switch.

E-Z-GO golf carts that came from the factory with the A2 terminal on the controller have the cable from A2 terminal on the motor connected to the A2 terminal on the controller and a separate cable connected from the A2 terminal on the controller to the "C" terminal on the forward and reverse switch.

If the 4 terminal controller is replaced with a 3 terminal controller the two cables can be bolted together to make the cable long enough to reach from A2 on the motor to the forward and reverse switch. Or a new longer cables is needed to reach fron the F/R switch to the motor.

The rest of the wiring will be the same as shown on the wiring diagram.
 

Jay Burger

Member
Thanks for the info but im still having speed issues with this....its driving me nuts....From the beginning....This has batterys less than 6 months old and they all load test fine....New Battery Cables....New solenoid..New Fwd/Rev Switch and i just installed an upgraded controller..and it still runs about 50-60% of what it used to....I removed the cables from the Fwd/Rev and the motor and reinstalled one at a time to assure they were on correctly and i believe they are...one question on the Fwd/Rev switch...Diagram Photo shows A lug on the bottom and C on the top but the switch assembly mounts upside down from the photo so that would put A lug on the top as you are looking at it mounted in the cart, correct ?...I checked the ITS Switch and it has .5 volts as the solenoid clicks and 1.62 volts at full throttle which seems like its working fine to me...This is stumping me...Dont know what im missing here ? Could the motor be going bad under a load ? Is there anyway to test the motor in the cart ?
 

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HotRodCarts

Cartaholic
The A, B, C and D layout on the forward and reverse switch will depend on which way the switch is mounted in your golf cart. On a EZGO TXT the A contact stud is on the bottom like your diagram. Is your Western Golf Cart faster in reverse?
There's is a motor test but it would only test if the motor spins when power is applied so that wouldn't help you at all.
 

Jay Burger

Member
Ill have to try to figure out a way to test the speed, seems about the same to me in forward and reverse. The switch assembly mounts upside down from what the photo shows wide part is up in the cart
 

Glen Batchelor

Active Member
Check the fwd/rev switch for continuity as shown in the PDF that Diode posted. MS1 should be on when either fwd/rev but MS2 should only be on when in rev. If the diode in the switch is fried you won't get power on MS1 when in rev.
 

Jay Burger

Member
Ok guys. I marked off point A and point B on a nice long flat road. Went A to B and had a buddy run a stop watch. Ran it in reverse and used the stopwatch again. We did this 3 times. Each time reverse took 3-4 seconds longer. So no, it’s not faster in reverse than forward. Thanks
 

HotRodCarts

Cartaholic
Use a GPS or something so you can see how many MPH the golf cart is actually running now. Also look on the motor tag and post what make and model it is. If this Western is using a series controller and a stock 2.5 HP motor the cart is only going to run 10-12 MPH top speed. I know you said originally that the Western was faster than all the other 48 volt carts so it must have a high speed motor.
 

Jay Burger

Member
Not sure how to use a gps to determine MPH. I’ll have my buddy run behind me in his car and see if we can figure it out. I only have a small street inside the park I can test it on. Don't want to take the chance on getting it impounded outside the park. I used to run the entire park in about 15 minutes , now it’s almost 30 minute ride. I’m pretty sure it’s a stock motor but it was a heck of a lot faster than it is now. thanks
 

Jay Burger

Member
OK folks....Im Back...Still having issues with my speed...Recap; 2000 Western 300 ( TXT ) 36 volt....When i first got her , she needed new batteries...after installing new batteries, it was running 13.4-14 mph...had a loose contact on Fwd/Rev switch and had a slight meltdown....Installed new switch and i was back in business....couple days later im running slower than ever ( 9.4-9.9 mph )....Ive been working on this for a few months trying to figure it out....Batteries Load check fine...New 4 ga cables from battery to battery....new 4ga cables from fwd/rev to motor and new 4ga cables to controller...New 350 amp upgraded controller...new solenoid...New ITS switch... I finally decided that the motor may be weak under a load as it seems to run like a bat outta you know where when it on jack stands !...So i bit the bullet and dropped $500 on a "Speed /Torque" Motor..Seller said it should run 20mph....after installing it , im now running 11.4 mph...WTF ? What the hell am i missing ? Im not a dummy, i've been a mechanic for 40 years and have done a lot of electrical work on cars and trucks ! But this is driving me nuts ! One thing i was asked before, was, " does it run faster in reverse than it does in fwd ?" It seems a lot faster in reverse than it does in fwd but i checked the times from point A to B with a stopwatch 3 times each in fwd and rev and the times are pretty much the same....Is there a motor internal wiring diagram anywhere ? still trying to wrap my head around why the Motor has 4 cables ? I know how Window Motors , Starters, Alternators, Seat Motors, Wiper motors Ect work but just cant grasp how this works....Thanks.....JD
 

Glen Batchelor

Active Member
One set of posts energizes a coil around the rotor instead of using magnets. The other set goes to the brushes for the rotor. Sounds like you hooked the motor up backwards to me.
 
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