Cart is slow

browningwd

New Member
I have a 94 ez-go textron 36 volt electric cart. It has gotten slow.Once out of about every 50 times we use it , it seems to do fine , but the other 49 times it is super slow. I replaced all the batteries, which the local repair shop suggested,and no difference. Slow even on a full charge. Has alot of trouble backing up an incline and going up hills. Took to shop again and they said they would have to start replacing things starting with the computer , then the motor , & etc.. I don't think they may know what they are talking about. It has the F-R lever down by my knee ( which was replaced by the shop because it wouldn't move at all). Can it be put in diagnostic mode, and if so, how do I do that , and what do the codes mean? PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

dougmcp

New Member
Sounds like your repair shop just wants to start throwing parts at it until it runs, not my idea of the way to do it.

Your problem sounds connection oriented.
Post up you individual battery voltages.
Put a voltmeter on the battery pack and take it for a drive and post up the voltages as you drive, full throttle, cruise and stopped.
You likely have a series cart, if the battery cables have not been replaced for along time now is as good as any to do that.
Replace all the cables including the ones from the F-N-R switch and the controller to the motor, you should be able to get these on ebay for less than $50.
 
Doug will be able to step you though to help insure that you get going for the least $$$ possible. Not all that work on carts or anything else are good at trouble shooting in a logical common sense fashion. If they are making good money selling parts that can cloud their trouble shooting skills in some cases too.

My cables looked OK for the most part but when I went to replace them some were swollen due to the build up of fine green powder. I think they were OEM cables on our 2007 Ezgo PDS.

Take your time and get Doug the info that he is/will request and when it is over you better know when a shop is shooting straight or giving you a snow job. Carts are not complex.

Have you downloaded the owners/repair online manuals?
 

browningwd

New Member
Thanks, I will replace all the cables and see what happens. Thanks again for your advice. Also, is there a way to diagnose my cart with the beeps? I tried switchng from neutral to reverse 5 times and driving it , but noyhing happened. Where do I go to , to download the manuals for my cart? Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!! cCan anyone recommend a good repair shop near Smithfield , N.C. zip code 27524. Thanks.
 

dougmcp

New Member
You mentioned earlier that the cart ran real slow, are you saying it doesn't run at all now?

Do you have a voltmeter?
 

browningwd

New Member
It does run , but it is slow , especially in reverse. I don't have a voltmeter. I am going to change the cables and if that does not fix it , I will borrow or buy a voltmeter or should I check it with a voltmeter first? Where do I connect the voltmeter and what do I set it on and how do I check it? Thanks , Donald.
 

dougmcp

New Member
IMO, I wouldn't buy or do anything to the cart until you get a meter. You are basically flying blind with an electric cart and no meter and it's nearly impossible to troubleshoot. Meters are available from places like Harbor Freight for as little as $3 or you can get them from a hardware store or automotive supply for less than $20.
If you start changing parts now you may end up with more problems than you started with, not counting a waste of time and money.
 

browningwd

New Member
I went on ebay and saw numerous cables for sale in all price ranges. Do I need a set for a series cart or will any complete set work. Also , I saw all different gauges from 0 - 6. Do I need to go any bigger than 4 gauge? I saw a complete set on there for around 100.00 . Does that seem correct. Thanks , Donald Browning.
 

browningwd

New Member
Thanks , I will buy a voltmeter. Not sure how to use it.what do I set it on and where do I connect it and how do I check my cart with a voltmeter? Thanks , Donald.
 

dougmcp

New Member
4ga cables can be had for around $30 on ebay.
Are you sure it's not a bad charger, bad battery, solenoid, ignition switch, F-N-R switch, loose/corroded connection?
 

browningwd

New Member
Just had the charger checked and they replaced the end you plug into the cart and said it was working fine now. At the same time they replaced the F-R component because it would not move either way. Shortly after that we replaced the batteries with new T-605 batteries. I have visually looked at the cables and finger checked all the connections but have not replaced the cables. What would you suggest next? And again , thanks very much for your help! Donald Browning.
 

browningwd

New Member
Oh bye the way . The reason we replaced the batteries , is that the repair shop said they were bad , so we replaced them. My son has a cart and his batteries were bad and he decided to put my old ones in his cart and try them. His cart will fly now and runs along time on a single charge , which lets me know that there was nothing wrong with my batteries. I have had another problem I think all along. I just got ripped off , but I was going by what the shop said. Will not be carrying back to that shop again. Thanks , Donald.
 

dougmcp

New Member
We'll teach you how to use the voltmeter, they're pretty simple.
Here's something like what you should be looking for:

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Donald do get a VOM (volt-ohm meter) as Doug suggested. Google how to use it and read other materials then ask here. Check the volts of a flash light battery if you are concerned about using it correctly.

Actually to check voltage it would be hard to do wrong with a digital volt meter. If you reverse the leads on a 36 volt battery bank you will just read -28, -36, -39 volts, etc. There will be no sparks either way.

Being new to carts it seems there are shops more into selling parts than fixing carts. A VOM is the basic tool when working with any electrical vehicle.

Let us know when you get a meter. I just picked up another one at Walmart in the automotive area for $12 and they had another one just under $30 but the $12 will tell you all you need to know.

Looking at Doug's top photo you just set it to DCV 200 and you should be good to go to read the voltage of your battery bank. You can also do this when driving the cart to see the voltage decrease when under load.
 
EZGO Electric Diagrams | Cartaholics Golf Cart Forum

This EZGO repair and service manual can take a while to download so there is time to get a cup or two of coffee, etc.
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On page E-2 is a photo of how to use a VOM to check your cart battery voltage. Note this manual is for both the series and shunt driven electric carts.

This repair and service manual may enable you to understand and fix any problem on your cart or at least to know what the shop should have to do. These carts with this manual are not hard to trouble shoot.
 
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