Hot Battery and Forward Reverse Switch

[Diode]

I presume I leave all the cables connected, Now using the forward passenger battery as an example, I connect one lead to the negative and the other to the positive terminal and record the voltage. Then do this to each battery.

This is all correct and you may see one battery sag under load

It seems that since the batteries are in series, they would all give the same voltage reading, particularly under load??

not when the meter leads are only on one battery

 

[Zman]

Diode, Maybe the solenoid has bad contacts inside causing heat build up on passenger side batteries. I believe that solenoid if hidden behind seat area next to controller and Oletimer may not be picking up on any heat back there also.

 

[Diode]

Zman

Anything that has resistance, will cause heat, so yes the solenoid needs to be checked also.

 

[OleTimer]

OK, I finally got a chance to check the batteries



Battery- N/L - Load - Position
^^ Volts Volts
1 - 8.48 - 7.83 - Passenger side rear
2 - 8.58 - 7.95 - Passenger side forward
3 - 8.50 - 7.82 - Passenger side middle
4 - 8.50 - 7.83 - Driver side middle
5 - 8.48 - 7.91 - Driver side front
6 - 8.49 - 7.82 - Driver side rear

The #2 battery is the one that has been heating up

I have used the CC battery numbering system

Woody

 

[OleTimer]

Sorry the columns didn't line up

 

[OleTimer]

Well while I was in a working mode I decided to swap the batteries around. I did that and took the cart for a ride. Once again the passenger side front got hot but this time it was the POS terminal not the negative. One thing I did notice that before I made the change, the voltage indicator was down a bar, after I made the switch the indicator read full charge ?? To someone else's point the solenoid was not hot nor has it ever been.

So then I thought it would be a good idea to check the voltages on the batteries now that they had changed position. So I did the batteries on "no load" and then when checking the second battery under load. I heard a big bang. I looked under the cart and there was shrapnel all over the place. The Plum Quick MOTOR had exploded!

Could the Plum Quick motor have been the problem all along?
Anybody got a suggestion for a more reliable motor

 

[HotRodCarts]

That sucks about the motor. It's very possible that the motor was the problem all along.

On the cable thats getting hot what's in connected to on the other end?

I would go with EMP for a motor. Here's a link to their website.
EMP Golf Cart Motor

 

[Diode]

That really does suck, hoping that was the problem all along you can also talk to a local motor re builder and see what they can do for how much. no shipping costs

 

[OleTimer]

The motor is toast. The commutator?? blew up. There are pieces of copper all over the place. The covers and frame are all bent out of shape. Pretty impressive explosion. I sure am glad I wasn't under the cart when it happened.

As for the hot battery it was connected to batteries 1 and 3, not to the motor, controller, switches, etc.

I will give EMP a look.

Woody

 

[dougmcp]

I wouldn't be too quick to focus on the motor as the problem, if this is a series cart and you were running on jack stands, the motor blew up because it over-reved and probably exceeded 8000 rpm. Most motors will crater at that speed.
As far as the hot connections continuing to move around, IMO you either have a bad battery or a bad cable/cable connection. If the heat is following the battery that would be the one I would look at.

 

[OleTimer]

Well until I get a new motor, it looks like this problem is on hold. The heat problem did not follow the battery. The battery moved into that passenger side forward still heated up but it was the positive terminal this time rather than the negative. Previously it had been in position #3 and had stayed cool. The cables didn't change location, so I am baffled.

Mean while I will start shopping motors. I haven't heard back yet from EMP. Hopefully I will hear from them tomorrow.