solenoid

[johnnyj]

I have an 07 club car iq 48 volt. I was checking the cable connections and noticed both nuts on the solenoid was loose. I tried to tighten the nuts and when i did i heard a crack that sounded like it broke. Without removing it i can't see anything wrong with it. Now i am having charging problems, i don't have a meter yet so i can't check the batteries. Is the solenoid nuts supposed to be loose and where is the best place to buy one. I was reading a thread on here about auto parts matching up. Is there a matchup for this cart in auto parts store? (remember i'm new)

[dougmcp]

The nuts on the solenoid should be tight as all the power to your motor runs through it.
Best place and price I know for a 48v solenoid is EV Drives: http://www.evdrives.com/index.html
I doubt you will find a 48v continuous duty solenoid at an auto supply.

[johnnyj]

Thanks Doug, i'll check it out.

[johnnyj]

Doug, if you add water once per week how much would it take for 4 12 volts? (just a guesstimate)

[dougmcp]

You shouldn't have to add water once a week. If that is happening then I would guess your batteries are getting older and the charger is driving them so hard that the water is boiling off.
Precedents with the 4x12v battery set up are known to have a short battery life, if yours are the originals from 07 then you are like due for new batteries.
Normally batteries only require watering once every couple of months unless the cart is used for 36 holes of golf a day.
There is no usual amount for batteries but when they need water it is not unusual to use about 1 quart/litre to fill the 6 batteries.
Get a digital voltmeter and post up your individual voltages.

[johnnyj]

Hey Doug, just installed the new solenoid, i'm waiting for the charger to shut off. I ordered it from Indianagolfcart.com for $50.00 delivered to my door in 2 days. I was happy about that purchase. I will get an voltmeter in a couple of days.

[dougmcp]

Good stuff! Keep us posted when you get your meter.

[johnnyj]

After the batteries charged i took it for a test ride. I now have very little power. On an incline it just barely will pull it's self but on a flat surface it act's normal. I am getting a meter today to check batteries. Will i have to remove cables to seperately check batteries? Thanks

[dougmcp]

You do not have to disconnect anything to test battery voltages.
Please post the voltages from each battery after taking the readings.

[johnnyj]

I had plenty of power before the solenoid cracked. Does it sound like i have another problem?

[johnnyj]

I was wanting to say do i have a problem besides the batteries?

[dougmcp]

I'm guessing batteries or connections to the batteries but we won't know or can't go much further until we know what your voltage readings are.

[johnnyj]

Ok here are the readings
battery 1 12.1
battery 2 12.4
battery 3 12.8
battery 4 11.9
I know # 4 is low but is it enough to lower the power that much? Like i said earlier it happened after i changed the solenoid.

[johnnyj]

Does anyone think i may have a bad speed sensor.

[dougmcp]

If the numbers are after charging and resting for at least a few hours I would say you are nearly due for new batteries.
The total should be in the 51v range and yours are 49.2v which is around 60%.
The 2 low ones are only 30% and 50% charged.
Now that you have a meter, take the cart for a drive with the voltmeter attached to the complete pack and if under full acceleration, the voltage drops below 42v on the pack or any battery below 10.5v you likely have 1 or more bad batteries.
The solenoid will not cause it to slow down it merely transfers power from the batteries to the controller.
I would check the batteries under load before I would start to suspect the speed sensor or MCOR throttle.

[johnnyj]

How do i attach the meter to the complete pack?

[erict]

How do i attach the meter to the complete pack?

Connect to main pos and main neg. The pass front battery is your main neg and the drivers front battery is your main pos

[johnnyj]

Thanks Eric, i'm glad someone else chimed in, i didn't mean to pick on Doug. Thanks to both of you. I'll check the complete pack tomorrow.

[erict]

Thanks Eric, i'm glad someone else chimed in, i didn't mean to pick on Doug. Thanks to both of you. I'll check the complete pack tomorrow.

No problem. Doug has been educating me so I am glad I can pass on some info I have learned from him

[Michael Eddie]

Thanks Eric, i'm glad someone else chimed in, i didn't mean to pick on Doug. Thanks to both of you. I'll check the complete pack tomorrow.

Don't worry, if you dont pick on him, we will.

[johnnyj]

Lol, He has been a lot of help to me. Actually this entire site has been a lot of help .

[dougmcp]

Hey, I was cooking dinner and watching the world series game.
Glad you're being well looked after by Eric and that other guy.
Let us know how the testing turns out.

[Michael Eddie]

Hey, I was cooking dinner and watching the world series game.
Glad you're being well looked after by Eric and that other guy.
Let us know how the testing turns out.

[johnnyj]

Hey guys, i'm afraid it's bad new's. The complete pack was 49.2 and under load at full accelateration droped to 38.1.

[dougmcp]

Bummer!
I'm afraid to say it but your batteries are 4 years old and sound like they are due for replacement.
To make sure it's not your charger or OBC, place the batteries on charge and read the voltage on the pack after a few hours and note the voltage, if it is up around 63v, your charger is doing it's job.

[johnnyj]

Thanks Doug, i'll check and let you know.

[johnnyj]

After 4 hours of charging meter was reading 57.6. Any idea's?

[dougmcp]

Did it ever get any higher than that?
It should peak at about 62v-64v.
Also, you may have 1 or more batteries holding it back, try checking each battery while it is charging.

[johnnyj]

complete pack still same, all four batteries now reading 13.4. Number 4 was low on water. It's been charging about 8 hrs.

[johnnyj]

It's actually 54.5, what do you guy's think?After 8 hr's on the charger.

[dougmcp]

If that is after the charger has shut down and the batteries are rested, it's OK.
If that is while the charger is still on then there may be something wrong with your charging circuit/charger.
Check out the charger manual and do some of the test procedures it call for and see what you think.
The charger manual for your cart is here: http://www.golfcartsforum.com/golf-c...accupower.html

[johnnyj]

It's actually an aftermarket schauer charger. I wish i had orgional charger, this thing boils the batteries every charge. I realize it's suppose to do that but is that good for the batteries?

[johnnyj]

I had one of those pro fill water system's and for some reason number 4 wasn't getting any water. The battery was allmost dry before i realized it. Needless to say it's for sale. I went back to caps. It was on the cart when i bought it. The battery seems to be responding well so, i'm hoping i can get by till spring.

[dougmcp]

It's actually an aftermarket schauer charger. I wish i had orgional charger, this thing boils the batteries every charge. I realize it's suppose to do that but is that good for the batteries?

It shouldn't hurt the batteries, they will normally gas for a couple of hours when charging.

[johnnyj]

After a lenghty ride today my total pack reading dropped to 30.5, barely made it home. I don't think i will make it till spring.

[Michael Eddie]

After a lenghty ride today my total pack reading dropped to 30.5, barely made it home. I don't think i will make it till spring.

Yep, if you are not going to be using it during the cold winter months I would wait until spring to do the swapout. It will save you charging it up every 2-3 weeks while in storage.

[dougmcp]

After a lenghty ride today my total pack reading dropped to 30.5, barely made it home. I don't think i will make it till spring.

Sure it will, take shorter rides.

[johnnyj]

I would like to use it till new year's anyway. I use it for my hunting outings so, i'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[johnnyj]

Sure it will, take shorter rides.

Hey guy's, should i rule out any thing else before i buy new batteries? When the batteries go it's instant and then it's barely moving.

[dougmcp]

You may have just one bad battery.
When your batteries get down to the slow stage take a voltage reading of each one and post the voltages.
If you have only one bad one, for about $25 you could buy a used one from one of the cart people in your area and you could breeze through your hunting season.

[erict]

Yep, if you are not going to be using it during the cold winter months I would wait until spring to do the swapout. It will save you charging it up every 2-3 weeks while in storage.

Provided you pull the batteries and keep them in a warm environment. I will be getting new batteries in the spring but will still be charging them through the winter as I do not want one to freeze and crack open and spill acid on my cart and floor.

[johnnyj]

Thanks Doug, i"ll give that a try. Until then i"ll just keep it on charge and unplug when i need it. Will it hurt anything else besides batteries to unplug before charger shuts off?

[dougmcp]

You won't hurt anything unplugging the charger before it shuts off.

[johnnyj]

Thanks Doug, i appreciate all your help. Like i said before i've learned so much from you and this forum.

[dougmcp]

Will you be checking the battery voltages after a run down and posting the numbers soon or are you just going to chance it?

[johnnyj]

I will post after the run down. Hopefully it's only one battery and i can find a used one. I'll let you know!

[dougmcp]

With any luck you will have all the batteries at around 6v each (30%charged) and one at 5v (dead), that will be the bad one.

[johnnyj]

Thanks i'll let you know. I have a hunch number 4 is bad.