I went out to re- check the controller outputs.
the Armature side has 0 volts in any condition. The field poles are showing about 3.5. to 4 volts, and the polarity changes with reverse switch.
I will be ordering the input kit, and check the motor side when it comes in for the condition of the brushes etc.
I am fairly mechanically inclined so the motor, oil change, etc dont bother me at all, but the magic boxes tend to beat me every time, and I prefer not to just start throwing parts at it.
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I looked at google photos, it was right at two years ago. maybe 1,000 miles, but not more. I canât check for blue fire since she dont go tho.
Assy: I checked the pedal voltages at P7, it was easy to get 0 volts, but not 5v⌠I also checked p7 to p8, same deal, and then checked P9, and had 4.5 volts. looks like this is the correct area to be looking. Are the accelerator switches available?
I look out for safety, but like I said, the wife is awayâŚ
one foot on the brakes for easy tests. I have to finish repowering the ZTR to take the GEM to my shop, no space. (or perhaps too many projects
Happy Friday all.
I removed the accelerator pedal assembly, there is some light green corrosion on the pins for the plug. On the two wires that should go from the controller to the accelerator, the resistance goes from 500 ohms to 2.14 K ohms in the full travel of the pedal, and it looks like the manual says that should go from 0 to 5k ohms. I feel like this may be (the GEM part) of my problem.
These do not look serviceable, are they available or is there a substitute or replacement? As the masochistic Lucas electrics tech i can try to disassemble and clean it, but as with british electrics it seems unlikely to work.
Thoughts?
@Inwo might have a replacement throttle assy on hand.
I know the earlier years had throttle pot issues but I didnât think a 09 would be wearing out this quick. Even at 2.14k Iâd think youâd get something out of the controller.
Can you test for voltage at the controller wires? Either slide a couple of straight pins into the back of the plug or the more brutal method would be to push them straight through the insulation.
Just for reference, 2005 - 2009 pedals fail all the time. I have had two fail on me and currently have someone with a 2008 that is bad now. Donât know if that is truly the current issue but a bad pedal is not uncommon. Sometimes its the footswitch in the pedal, either way, it means a replacement.
Hey AssyRequired, I used straight pins like you said. There is 4.5 v at Pin 9, and 0 at pin 7 regardless of pedal position.
I saw where Inwo or oldhouseboat had a pic of the inside of one, maybe exploratory surgery is in order. I also thought I saw a thread in which someone was building replacements in this forum.
If the front wheels are up, and I turn on the cart, then hit the pedal to close the contactor, would a jumper between 7 and 9 make the controller go as a test? I could even rig a resistor to go between 0 and 5k ohms, but a simple wire would seem to replicate 0 ohms resistance, correct?
BTW, I really appreciate the advice, assistance, and even the humor. CB
Thanks Mike - for jumping in and correcting me on which ones had habits for failure.
Aha! At least is seems we are headed in the right direction.
The only other thing would be a bad wire between the controller and the pedal or a bad contact at the pedal. Easy enough to check.
I wouldnât be so keen on doing a direct jump on p7-p9 (0 Ohms) as it might lead to some pretty severe accel and could over-rev the motor. (Story for later). A 5k pot would probably work tho-
You are right- Inwo is they guy that found a cheaper alternative for the pedal assy. He might jump in here in a sec if he has one ready to go.
You can check pin3 on the 23p connector, that is the FS1 or Footswitch. It should go to ground or continuity (canât remember which) when the pedal is pressed, If not then the FS in the pedal assembly is bad.
Welll ,it seems that the throttle is at least not working properly. The potentiometer is only gong to 2k ohms, and it seems to not carry enough voltage to signal the controller to go.
Since P9 is a little low, the manual says 5v, my meter says 4.5v. I think the signal is not sufficient.
(I am not an electrical genius, see note regarding British car above)
I took the cover off the accelerator and it didnât look too bad, but lots of black dust on the sliders, carbon maybe? the area around the solder joint to the plug pins is a little brown, not sure if thats from the original soldering or something getting too hot.
The switch part seems ok, the contactor will close if the key is on, brake down, and you touch the go pedal, it stays closed for ~30 secs with no activity.
Looking at Google University, i found this foot pedal assembly, looks to me as if it meets criteria for a switch and a 0-5k potentiometer, but I do not know what the 6 wires on the OE pedal assy are for, and the linked pedal only has 5. The modular and simple style of the alternative would seem to make an easy install, if you were so inclined you could reuse the OE pedal for appearance with little effort.
Looking at the GEM manual, page 5-37, there are only 5 wires being used in the foot pedal, (i cant figure how to screenshot the diagram, it looks like the linked pedal assembly meets all of the needs of the controller, for the ~$100 cost it shirley seems like it would work. (Dont call me shirley)
Since I will be waiting for the input bearing for a bit, it seems like I have time to experiment if I can avoid harness hackingâŚ
What say the GEM gurus?
Ok, it has been a minute, but First, great thanks to all for the help.
I found a impedance matching potentiometer with the switch integrated, which met the controller needs. the tip in is a little hot, which is hard on open beverages and grass until you get used to it. I bought a (female?) matching receptacle for the harness, so no cutting and splicing, just crimp on the molex and snap it in.
Second, I received the input shaft setup from Rodney, and that was a major easy task to install, and corrected the horrible growl on decel.
Lastly, I stitched the splitting seams on the seats, and now I can return a happy GEM to an even happier octogenarian in Pinellas county for his birthday!
Thank you all again, I appreciate all of the help.
