On my 2002, the BDI (Battery Discharge Indicator) alternates between battery status and MPH as it should, but MPH is always “000”, so something is not right…any input on how to diagnose the issue?
Not sure which motor you have, but they are all pretty similar.
Check the magnet, pickup and the wiring going to the controller. Likely a cracked magnet, but could be as simple as a bad connector or wire.
The magnet & pickup are on the back of the motor, centered on the shaft. You should be able to pull the magnet cover off without taking the motor out. It’s like 2 screws holding it in. Cracked, out of round, other damage, all very obvious, You can order replacement magnet and pickup kits from NEVA, or various golf cart shops on the internet or maybe ebay. I forget what is needed to install though depending on what is busted, I can’t remember if you have to take the motor out and pull the back cover to repair.
The connector is the triangle shaped plugset. Check for damage.
If it’s too much of a production, like having to pull the motor and take it apart, just get one of these GPS spedometers that @grantwest posted about a year or so ago. I have one and It’s stellar. Easy to read, uncomplicated, accurate and just freaking works.
Thank you for the great information. Appreciate it.
Before I do anything stupid, can I assume behind the center plug on the end of the motor is where the “magnet” is and the 2 screws on either side are what holds this plug in place and I should remove them and pull that plug out?
Yes, that’s how I remember it. The screws on the cap NOT the screws all the way out at the edges of the motor.
It should just come right off. There is no danger to the motor. The end bearing is on the other side of the end plate.
What motor do you have installed?
Ok. That’s what I figured. Tag says GE Motors. 5hp.
If GE, then there may not be any screws holding the cap. Is it big and flat, almost flush with the end? This just pops off with a screwdriver.
Or does it stick out the end of the motor like you could knock it off if not careful?
Yes- leave those two screws in place.
Follow that flange around to where it drops down and you can catch an edge of the sensor with a screwdriver. Gently pry it out a bit and go over to the other side and pop that up too.
Ok. Thank you very much!
This is true for the “long” GE.
The short GEs from the 99-04 years, as you can see, are different. The R$F 7hp blue upgrade motor for those same years also uses screws on the speed magnet
Admittedly, I did make some ̶a̶s̶s̶u̶m̶p̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶ scientific pioneering deductive reasoning (that sounds so much mo better) here… 
Hey T,
Feel up under your motor (phrasing!). See if there is any oil around where it meets the gearbox. All of that oil on the end cover around the magnet & shaft makes me suspicious that you might have an oil seal leak on the input shaft to the gearbox.
If it’s minor, then no biggie. If it’s bad, you might hurt the motor eventually. Or worse, damage the gearbox due to low oil. Your gearbox is worth way more than that motor btw.
Post some photos of the magnet and pickup once you have them out. I think I might still have a brand new replacement magnet and pickup for a short GE somewhere. I’ll never use it, so if you’re interested, I’ll make you a better deal on it than you can buy it for online.
Will do! Thank you very much!!
You will see something like this. There is a ring magnet tapped on the end of the motor shaft. Look at it closely. If it is intact, then leave it alone. They break very easily.
The problem is most likely your sensor.
Thanks for the tip. I’ll have to go see if I can find an old/short GE to see what it looks like. I usually try to ID them via Flat sensor or Top hat sensor.
I know the blue motors use the more common top hat and disc magnet vs the “wedding ring” magnet.
So viewing the picture, it looks like you were correct about the screws and I was remembering things incorrectly for the short GE.
Other note, you want a short 5 to fiddle with? I got one that’s in pieces I no longer give two shits about. They ain’t worth rebuilding unless you can do it yourself and want the fun and adventure of it.
The story behind it is that before I bought the '02 cauck, some nimrod didn’t use a jam wrench on the lower bolt of one of the posts split the insulator base. When I pulled it apart to replace the end bearing, everything fell apart. Because Nimrod McBusMechanic had not only cracked the dielectric, he spun the bolt around a few times, the wire spot welded to the head of the bolt snapped. I wasn’t successful in reattaching it. It would be easy with a TIG and Si-Bronze rod, but that’s not an option I have right now. Plenty of brush life left.
Output coupler might be clapped out. Not sure. Rodney asked for a picture, I’ve been kind of slammed and haven’t had time to dig out the armature to take the photo.
I have new insulators, I think I have a new end bearing, I should have new magnet and pickup (Tjim1 gets dibs on those two first though).
Yours if you want it buddy. Just pay for shipping (not going to cost much on my GSO account going from me NorCal down to you in LowCal). If you don’t mind, throw me a couple bucks for the new insulators and bearing.
Hurm. I wonder if there is an easy way to test these? I think they are just hall-effect sensors.
Inwo had a method but it was in car. I have a couple on my bench I can play with. Let me see if I can duplicate.
Yes, red to black is about 12 volts. Less is ok. Measure black to green. Should also be pulled up to near 12v. (If not add a 4.7k pull up to help out)
Slowly roll car and green will go to zero volts 4 times per motor rev.
For some reason the pull up resistor is a failure point and adding another can fix it.
Testing out of car is difficult unless the same magnet is available. A 9v battery will work for black and red.