I am a 73 yo male in South Mississippi. I own a '05 GEM car. It is currently in the shop seeking to find a fault that has thus far eluded us.
Have been having the experience of my normally perfectly running '05 Gem to begin losing speed rapidly then finally dying. Letting it cool a while will again allow it to run for a short distance then dies again. New batteries all charging up and holding 72 volt. Motor checked, controller double checked. If car is charged up, it will run normal now, but when plugged in again to recharge… will not run again … then later will. Ready to buy new charger recommended by some, but then an interlock was mentioned as being the suspicious culprit, since the batteries to charge up with the charger. Wondered if anyone else had such experiences.
What charger does it have?
Not likely the interlock if it dies slowly.
What is the pack voltage after charging?
Check the motor for stuck brushes. This is a fairly common problem. Pretty soon it will start to shudder and skip when starting out. If you keep on running it when it shudders it will eat the controller…
Take the armature wires off and unplug the tach sensor. Remove the 2 bolts holding the back of the motor to the case and pull out the armature assembly.
You can then service the back end of the motor on the bench.
[quote=Inwo;30426]What charger does it have?
Not likely the interlock if it dies slowly.
What is the pack voltage after charging?[/quote]
Has the original charger
72 volt I’m told after charging
The dying seems to stop now after it is charged and then allowed to sit a while…like something is overheating and shutting down the power.
72 volts is very low after charging.
The interlock relay in charger could be failing.
Just connect the interlock wire direct to 72v thru a small fuse.
I think I have a picture of mine.
[quote=kingdom;30442]Has the original charger
72 volt I’m told after charging
The dying seems to stop now after it is charged and then allowed to sit a while…like something is overheating and shutting down the power.[/quote]
If car is dead after charging and unplugging from 120ac, tap the charger to unstick the relay.
Btw, is cord icon still lit?