EZ Go 1985

doug powell

New Member
I have a 6 seater limo type cart that has EZ GO running gear(I think about 1985 or 86). It's 36 volts and just a little slow to keep up with others. The cart is not worth spending a lot of money on. Could I replace the current batteries with 5 eight volters to get 40 volts and a little more speed? Will the motor handle the added voltage without damage? Or do you know of any other inexpensive way to get a little more speed? Thanks
 

doug powell

New Member
Thanks for the response. If I went to 48 volts I guess I'd have to rewire the lights, etc. to 8 volts instead of the 12 they work on now or get some kind of transformer to step 8 up or 16 down to 12. What would the impact be on my 36 volt motor and would I need to change any other components to handle the 48 volts(controller, solenoids, micro switches, etc.)? I have a 48 volt Club Car whose charger I could use. Thanks for your help!! Doug P
 

dougmcp

New Member
Running a 48v with a 36v motor is no problem at all for the motor. If you have a resistor cart the resistors will heat more and the breakdown factor rises. If yours is a controller cart, you need to make sure the controller will handle 48v, get a 48v solenoid and you're good to go.
The end result is 30% more speed and torque.
There are myriad ways to handle your lighting.
1) You can buy a 16vto12v converter. This is the best solution IMO.
2) You may be able to run your lights on 16v instead of 12v, they'll be brighter but they may burn out more quickly. Or 8v and they will be dimmer.
3) You could wire your lights in series, but if 1 light goes out they all go out.
4) You could buy 48v bulbs and wire across the pack.
 

Batman

Member
Or you could add 2 more 6 volt batteries and gain some run time along with the speed and torque and leave your lights hooked up like they are now.
 

doug powell

New Member
Thanks for the reply. I am really excited with the possibility of going to 48 volts. I think my cart has a controller if that is the box that is about 3"X 4"X 8" located between the batteries under the front seat with 4 fairly heavy duty electrical connections on top and three lighter wire connections. How can I determine if it will handle the 48 volts? The 36 volt solenoid is right there also and should be no problem to change out. Doug P
 

doug powell

New Member
I am converting a 36 volt cart to 48 volts. I understand that the motor will handle the added voltage and I can change the solenoid. Can you tell me how to determine if my existing 36 volt converter can handle 48 volts?? Thanks. Doug P
 

gornoman

Well-Known Member
There may be an ID label on the bottom surface of the controller. From your description I would guess it is a stock Curtiss controller and will not handle 48v.
 

doug powell

New Member
Thanks. Will check it out. Got any suggestions as to where I might aquire an inexpensive/used/trade-in controller that might work. Thanks. Doug P
 

gornoman

Well-Known Member
Check the For Sale area of this board as well as other GC forums. Someone is always selling a take-out controller from an upgrade project.
 

doug powell

New Member
I found a Club Car 48 volt 300amp Curtis controller part no 1204-412 that, connectionwise, looks like the one I have on my 36 volt EZy Go . I am upgrading to 48 volts. Will this work? Is 300 amps sufficient? Thanks. Doug P
 

doug powell

New Member
What's the diference in the Club Car throttle input? Seems like there's got to be some way to upgrade this cart to 48 volts??? Doug P
 

cartdr1971

New Member
Doug, what you are trying to do is not as easy as it sounds. Stock 36-volt controllers are not going to stand up to 48 volts. You will blow the controller the first time you hit the accellerator. Controllers use different throttle inputs. Club Car has used several different throttle inputs over the years as has EZ-GO. Changing controllers with different throttle inputs requires changing the entire electrical system of your cart. The best thing to do is to upgrade your motor to one with a little more torque and of course higher speed. Get advice from a dealer as to what motor/controller package will work with your system. There is no need to change to 48-volt for what you are trying to accomplish. Contact D&D Motors, they are one of the best and most informative companies out there.
 

doug powell

New Member
Let me back up and start over a bit. I have this mid 1980s Gates 6 passenger cart that I think is basically an Ezygo chassis with 2 ½ HP series wound motor. It’s 36 volts with a Curtis 1204 controller. It goes about 14 MPH. I want to go aprx 20 mph. Most of our travel is flat with an occasional 30 foot rise over a 500 foot grade. I don’t need to go more than 15 miles on a charge. What is the easiest and cheapest way to get up to 19/20 MPH so I can keep up with the traffic?? I will upgrade to 4 gauge wire, but what controller and solenoid do I need?? Anything else?? Suggestions??? Thanks. Doug P
 

HotRodCarts

Cartaholic
The easiest and cheapest way would be to have the motor re-worked be EMP. That will get you to around 23 MPH without any other upgrades and not a big loss in run time.
 
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