Golf cart running hot

Closed Thread
Thread Tools
  #16  
Old 12-05-2018, 07:10 AM
Arctic Fox's Avatar
Arctic Fox Arctic Fox is offline
Soaring Eagle member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,073
Thanks: 10
Thanked 962 Times in 370 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulDenise View Post
Please do get back to us about what he finds.
Will do, but while we're waiting for Willie's expert opinion on Monday, let me run this past the electrical engineers out there:

It is the controller that is running hot, and the controller "meters out the battery voltage and current to the motor based on some type of operator input such as a throttle. This allows for the operator to control the rate of acceleration and deceleration as well as the rate of speed the vehicle moves at."

Assuming that the recently-installed replacement motor is too powerful (draws too much current) for the existing electrics, could it be that Mrs Fox's going at a reduced speed is actually causing the controller to have to do too much work?
  #17  
Old 12-05-2018, 09:06 AM
PaulDenise PaulDenise is offline
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 216
Thanks: 0
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Default

I am not an electrical engineer, but...

the controller is like a water valve that you can open and close or leave someplace in the middle. A 1/2 inch water valve can supply between 0 and 20 gallons of water per minute. a 3/4 inch water valve can supply between 0 and 40 gallons of water per minute.

Similarly, a controller can be small or big. A small one might provide between 0 and 100 amps, while a large one might provide between 0 and 200 amps (made up numbers).

A 'too powerful' motor cannot draw more power than the controller is designed to supply. If you have the same old small controller, a new 'more powerful' motor will only run as fast as the old one because it is only getting the juice that the old one got.

If your controller is getting hot, it is possible that it is dying or that the connections are indeed corroded or loose or something. All the juice from the batteries to the motor goes thru the controller.
  #18  
Old 12-05-2018, 10:10 AM
Arctic Fox's Avatar
Arctic Fox Arctic Fox is offline
Soaring Eagle member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,073
Thanks: 10
Thanked 962 Times in 370 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulDenise View Post
If your controller is getting hot, it is possible that it is dying...
Thank you for the explanation, Paul

The cart is 18 years old so it is quite possible that the controller needs to be replaced.

(Mrs Fox is even older, but I'll hang on to her a bit longer)
  #19  
Old 12-05-2018, 08:04 PM
TechGC TechGC is offline
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 120
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Default

Your only as strong as your weakest part. A motor can try and pull a lot of amps, but the weakest link in the chain will show up. Controller can and will get hot with the wrong combo, but does have whats called, "thermal shutdown" built into it. Thus, if it gets internally to hot, it will shut down. See it way to often that a motor is put in, not for the good of the customer, but good for the installers pocket.
Now you could get talked into a controller that has more amps, and that will end that issue and the issue may go to the next weakest link. Controllers do fail over time, but not the way you are describing.
  #20  
Old 12-13-2018, 07:41 AM
Arctic Fox's Avatar
Arctic Fox Arctic Fox is offline
Soaring Eagle member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,073
Thanks: 10
Thanked 962 Times in 370 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arctic Fox View Post
We have Willy Willcoxon coming out on Monday to cast his expert eye over it
I know you are agog with indifference, so here goes:

Willy found a couple of loose wires in the controller so tightened them up, and checked all of the battery connections.

Unfortunately, what we all thought was going to be the quick fix turned out not to be the case, and the smell of hot electrics came on quicker and stronger next time we went out in the cart.

Willy returned and replaced the solenoid in the controller. That seems to have done the trick. There is still a slight smell of hot electrics (but only when you lift the seat, so maybe that is normal) and the covers on the fwd/rvs and the controller are only warm, not hot.
  #21  
Old 12-13-2018, 08:34 AM
PaulDenise PaulDenise is offline
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 216
Thanks: 0
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Default

Thanks for the follow-up. Interesting, and, as usual, it was not one clean thing but two.

Also, at 18 years old and with only 36 volts, it might be time to keep an eye out for a good deal on a newer 48 volt cart.
Closed Thread

Tags
hot, motor, fox, mrs, running

Thread Tools

You are viewing a new design of the TOTV site. Click here to revert to the old version.

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:24 AM.