2002 DOA in San Diego after pothole hit

A bunch of bicyclists we’re spread across the road so I went to the far left side of a one-way street and hit a serious divot then it went dead. No display, no clunk on key or e-brake toggle. Was disappointed the 12V still worked…

After walking home and getting tools and DVM I removed the dash and nothing was loose. 84V, 13.1V and all fuses were ok. I pushed the main contactor in with the direction switch in Neutral and it lurched forward for a second then went to a beeping sound. Beeps when main battery cutoff switch is on, no matter anything else…

Controller failed?

Gotta get some friends and push it about 6 or 8 blocks to get it home.

What is beeping? BMS?
Which one are you using?
Check status of the FET’s?

There is a chance you triggered overload protect by manually pushing in the MC as it charged the caps.

Beeping is probably from the Controller.

No BMS, my system is monitor and top balance only and each battery monitor/balance module is mounted on each battery module(5 o them). First thing I checked was the battery state and then the overall battery voltage. 84VDC to the front.

Anyone in San Diego have a T1 I can borrow to get the cart home?

Hmm, I wonder if the key switch wire broke… Need to look at the schematic to see which wire on the controller is pulled to ground when the key is in the ON position.

Assume you are fitted with the DC Converter update?

I believe so, it’s the potted version. Way back when I had problems with the vehicle glitching and it turned out the 72V input to the converter had sealant in the connector and eventually what little contact was being made would not when a bump was hit. Once I pulled the dash off that was the first I looked at and then I put a meter on the 12V output. I have pulled 12V aux to my glovebox(xt30) and I pulled 72V into the glovebox(xt60).

I found this old thread and need to walk through it once I get the vehicle in the driveway…

I believe it is Pin 13 gets pulled to ground when the controller is happy. This goes to the white wire on the Main Contactor and closes it if the other side has B+ on it.

In the Key switch loop (PWB Recall applied) +12v goes through the key, then to the charger interlock, then to the delay-off timer and relay. Applying +12v straight to the Grn wire on the timer wire should bypass all the key/interlock mishmash and wake up the dash.

Don’t forget to check your -12v Gnds

Do your brake lights work?

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I’ve got a T2 in my attic if you want to try it.

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Wipers worked so 12v ground should be good.

I think the T2 is a different connector from a T1 so would not be a quick swap in for a test. Thanks though.

I think it would go, you just wouldn’t get the display.

The main plug (forget how many pins 24?) Is the same. It’s the smaller plug that has to be adapted… Polaris has a harness, I’m sure it could be made too. Believe all that’s doing is feeding the display. You should be able to swap them and go if it really is the controller that crapped out.

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I’ve had a wire fall off the back of the key switch before on my '02. They are just slip on connectors for the stock Medico tumbler.

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I’ll be pushing it back home in the morning and will then be able to do some troubleshooting. Thanks for the help guys!

The GEM is at the house, dash off and it’s the Piezo Buzzer above the PWB/Converter which is buzzing. It has red and black wires coming from the PWB left side row of spade connectors(pins 4 and 5).

My Charger interlock is wired to B-(green) and a red wire which goes into the main controller harness. It is bypassed since I would sometimes charge with 2 42VDC-4A scooter chargers or the replaced Zivan. The bypass looks ok.

I should have known the key works since it enables the 12V from the PWB/Converter and I knew that 12V was working yesterday. I still pulled the steering column cover and verified wires and connectors looked ok. On the schematic I’m looking at, the key goes through the Charger ByPass to ground(B-) and on the other side goes to the PWB pin 6 and that too verifies the key is working since the PWB/Converter is turning On/Off with key movement.

Brake lights, turn signals, etc work.

82.2VDC to the white wire on the controller through my row of diodes to step down 84V lithium conversion.

Controller P13 on the schmatic looksl like the Parking Brake switch wire. I can’t see how that would stop the display from working but it can cause the Piezo Buzzer to go when the key is on. But this Piezo buzzer is on no matter the key position after I had manually pushed the Contactor on for a moment.

Regarding the PWB/Converter:
I had talked to people at Polaris and at the local CartMart and they insist this GEM had the PWB recall applied. I even explained that the Polaris directions for installing the recall say to remove the PWB and showed a picture of the one I have… They would not do the recall and one of the guys said the potted metal box was one of the early recall units installed to replace bare circuit board units.

Show me a pic of the PWB and the Potted metal box.

It doesn’t sound like you have the “removal” update.

You are right. P11 is the wire that grounds out the MC when ready to go. My bad.

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There was a recall on the brake switch too, IIRC it was because the switches would crack and not make contact anymore.

It’s easy enough to bypass the brake switch to see if that’s why you are locked out of the BDI and the buzzer is going apeshit.

I’m a bit confused by what you are saying about your DC-DC. Is yours the correct replacement? Or do you have one of the replacements that was recalled?

If you need a DC-DC to test with or any of the other components in the vicinity of the main contactor, LMK, I’m cutting up an '02 and parting it out, I can send some parts down to you to borrow for debugging.

@Inwo posted that P1 and P2 are key to waking up the controller:

And I checked, my P1 is always at 81V and P2 goes to 81V when the key is turned On.
Is there anything else which would cause the controller to not turn on?

Tough to find without the display. But we can probe things out.

Still have the pod apart? I had one the other day where the plug pulled out of the back of the little round display.

If you are getting B+ on P1 and 2 then the display should be lighting up too.

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@JarJarJava , This is my PWB, Polaris and CartMart insist this vehicle has already had the recall installed…