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In the middle of a round the other day, my cart lost power and I heard sparking. On the way into the barn, the throttle stuck, which I am thinking has to do with the wiper and contacts melting and sticking together. After a bit of investigation, I found that when the switch wiper reached the third and fourth contact, blue sparks shot out. . I checked all contacts and saw no corrosion as well as the coils. There did not appear to be any damage to the resistor coils. Is there anything else I should check before purchasing a new switch board and wiper? Did this happen because of the age of the cart, or is there something else I should be on the look out for? Thanks in advance for any help.
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It’s actually quite common for the switch wiper and contacts to wear down over time. Age definitely plays a part in this type of issue. Over the years wear and tear on the wiper and contacts are expected. The constant flow of electrical current across those contacts combined with heat and resistance can cause the metal to degrade and create sparking. When the wiper contacts hit that third or fourth spot, blue sparks are is a sign that there's excessive resistance or a poor connection in that area. The contact points may be pitted or even melted. This can lead to the throttle sticking as the wiper struggles to slide smoothly over the damaged area causing it to catch.
You mentioned you've already checked for corrosion and inspected the resistor coils and it sounds like you're on the right track. Even if the coils look fine visually, double check the connections between them for any signs of looseness or excessive heat marks as this can sometimes lead to electrical issues further down the line. Also, make sure that the contacts are properly aligned. Even a slight misalignment can lead to uneven wear and sparking. When you’re fixing it, buy a new switch board and wiper that are good quality, lower grade replacement parts can wear out faster especially if your cart sees heavy use.
Before replacing, try using some fine grit sandpaper or a small wire brush to gently remove any potential buildup or pitting and corrosion from both the contacts and the wiper. Be careful not to over sand the surface, you just want to get down to the clean metal. After that, use some electrical contact cleaner to flush out any remaining debris or dust from the cleaning process.
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