Got a Ford think given to me after the guy won a boatload of money, it doesn’t run but he has sunk like 4000 with buying new batteries, rims/tires and custom doors. Just charging up batteries with a charger before throwing them in but I noticed on the contactor that there was a homemade board looking thing that looks burnt up. Now to me it looks like a small piece of micarda board with the two internal contactor wires soldered with the black and red that attach to the harness. But on the board it looks like he put a resistor connecting the two but now it’s burnt up to a crisp. On the ones online it has a cover on the contactor with the wiring. Does anyone know how to fix this? If it needs resistance, do you know how much?
Would not normally need a resistor to work. The contactor should be marked with a pn or coil voltage.
It’s not unusual to see a diode or snubber across coil but it will work without it.
Thanks but what’s normally in that little in located on the side of the contactor where the two wires are heading in and out of? I’m assuming they are coming from cluster which is from the ignition switch telling contactor to pull in?
Nothing that I know of.
+72v from the cluster and B- from controller.
If you have 72v, contactor is bad.
If no +72, something in cluster.
If no B-, controller or wire from controller bad.
Can you see a white band on the burned part?
A diode snubber to protect cluster possible. It would not burn however.
Can’t think of any reason for a parallel resistor.
And am I just measuring the across the contactor? If there is 72 volts across that means cluster isn’t pulling it in I would think. I’ll look through the circuitry a bit more in book since I really just got this thing.
b- is battery negative. The point from which 72v is reference with meter.
If you have no B+ its cluster.
B- is from the controller.
Check from battery neg to coil for battery + voltage.
Just wanted to welcome you to the world of the few… and am interested in what you eventually find. Sorry for your trouble and the haywire certainly didn’t help.
Once running and cared for properly, I think you will revel in owning (caring for) this cart.
Yeah sorry guys for no response from me yet but I’ve been so busy.
I wired up batteries after charging and fired it up. Only thing that happened was the charger made a hum sound for about 2 seconds and that was it. Haven’t had a chance to run through troubleshooting quite yet but cluster didn’t light up. Will
update later
So did a couple things here. Checked coil voltage coming from cluster and controller. So I got 36 volts to b+ and 0 to b- I measure on both leads to chassis and got like 30 volts on both leads?
So I have 75 bolts at batteries. Only thing that happens when I turn on disconnect is the charger gives a acknowledge him for like 3 secs. The cluster doesnt light up, nothing clicks when i trun the key. I try the turn signals, flashers, horn. Horn I can here the relay clicking but nothing else from other options.
Between the red and black going to coil of contactor I get 0 volts between them.
Next step in testing anyone? I’m thinking cluster but I’d like to narrow it down since I don’t have really any cash to spend on this thing but am willing to come up with it if I know the correct solution.
Measured voltage at fuses at service switch. All had 36 volts. Measured incoming voltage at cluster and measured 75 straight off connector. Got 12 volts leaving but yet I don’t have lights. Is it the cluster that is getting the info from the blinkers and horn and then it relays the voltage to the relays then off to the lights?
Do not use the chassis as a ground as you will get false readings. Go to page 30 of the electrical manual and perform the pinpoint tests for the switch.
There are three fuses. The charger fuse should have battery pack voltage all the time and the other two are turned on and off by the service disconnect switch under drivers seat. If you don’t have battery pack voltage at fuses it should be easy to trace it back to the service disconnect switch or where it hooks up to the contactor or a wire itself. Also check for a bad connection within the fuse holder. I wouldn’t be surprised if you just didn’t have your volt meter hooked up to a good ground and were getting false readings.
So done some of the pinpoint tests. Finally got some time this weekend to do them. Appears to be the cluster that is buggered. I then took the screws off to look at the back of the board and seen some work that has been done to it by somebody and it definitely is not factory.
I’ve chatted with the cluster guy from Florida about options. I’m in Canada and he doesn’t ship up here once repairs have been made but I have a buddy in Seattle who I can get it too and it can go from there. I found a electronics whiz in my cut and having him look at it and possibly change some components (the obvious ones that looked either fried or replaced before. I should get a call back today from him.
Does anyone know anyone else in Canada that does repairs on these?
Had anyone dealt with this guy from Florida and if so, is he a good choice to go with if my current guy doesn’t?
I talked with a guy in California who rebuilds them and he says the Florida guy doesn’t have a good track record. He said he has had to repair a bunch of the ones he screwed up. He said the Florida guy uses cheap Chinese parts. If you can’t get it fixed in Canada I would give him a call. Do you have snow tires on your Think lol.
