Wiring diagram help

Hello, I am looking for a wiring diagram for a 2009 GEM EL. When I got it, it didn’t have any batteries and couldn’t verify operation. I have installed new batteries and it now turns on, but will not go. The brake light is on and I can’t get it to go out, I have bypassed the brake switch and would like to see what else could possibly be keeping it from going.

Thank you, Charlie

Which Brake light?
The little one on the dash pod display?
Or the ones on the back of the car?

The indicator on the dash is staying illuminated.

Bypassed the switch? Disconnected? or connected? -
My 09 has two wires on the top two flags. My mental notes say the switch needs to be closed to go.

Verify Brake switch operation.

Usually there is a beeper that goes along with this. Has that been yanked/pulled/thrown across the room?

It should go like this:

  1. Key (Off), Brake (ON) - Quiet - Park Mode
  2. Key (ON), Brake (ON) - Quiet, Brake light (ON) Dash pod Display- Car will not go.
  3. Key (ON), Brake (OFF) - Quiet - Brake light (OFF) - Drive mode - Car will go
  4. Key (OFF), Brake (OFF) - Beeeeeeeeeeee - Car may not be there when you return. Suggest listening for faint distant beep somewhere in lower elevation.

If the brake light is still (ON) in condition 3, and NO steady beep then check your brake reservoir fluid level. This throws many people off. You will find a sensor in the side of the plastic reservoir. You can unplug this sensor for this test.

  • Usually, this sensor will not keep a car from moving, but maybe they are doing something different in later cars. I will double check mine again.

One more thing to check
If Fluid level sensor is good and you still have a light - then you need to check two relays up under your dash. They are over on the passenger side up by the windshield. These both are related to the ebrake interlock and sometimes they need a skritch to clean the contacts on the spade connectors. One controls the beep, and the other sends power to the light and feeds the controller when good to go. You can switch the two relays You may even feel it click as you are plugging a good one.

When I got it the brake switch was not hooked up, I have tried with the wires connected and separated. All the warning sounds and lights seem to work as they should. I did get it to go out last time I messed with the relays, still wouldn’t go though. I got this and a couple others from a gov. surplus place, no idea how long they sat unused.

Fuse#10 is OK correct?

Not meaning to hijack the thread but carrying this odd e-brake light problem out a bit more I thought I’d share this personal new experience…

I was on a test run around the block and almost made it when my main contactor unclunked and the car stopped with a code 51 - motor controller voltage low electrical fault check voltage, see manual.

Since I had been just messing with the Motor Controller plug I dove in on that first. A quick remove, visual, and reinstall with an additional wiggle turned the 51 into a 64 - line driver input voltage low inspect controller. I went round and round for about 15 minutes flipping between these two codes with varied results. Since I had only minimal tools and a can of wd-40 I gave it a quick spritz and the codes cleared (yay!) but still wouldn’t go. I almost caved and thought about pushing it home but didn’t want to be caught in such an act by my neighbors and thought I’d keep working.

That’s when I barely caught the e-brake light was on (somethting new!?!?!). I checked everything related and could hear the relays up at the windshield cycling as I worked the brake lever up/down. I unplugged the fluid sensor at the reservoir and the brake light remained. I was till stuck.

With my bag of tricks fully emptied I went back to my controller plug. Some more agressive skritching could now get it back to a rotating cycle of 51, 64, and the e-brake light. I finally got results when I started to blow into the plug and socket to clear out all the crap I must have been smushing around. I got it running and scooted the car home. I flushed out the wd-40 with some REAL Contact cleaner and some blasts with my compressor because Inwo’s words were echoing in my head.

So far the trouble codes remain silent.

Moral of all this- If it doesn’t make sense, this 23p controller plug has a lot of trouble potential. It may look clean, but after 10-20 years(depending on the build of your cart) once you start moving stuff around, bad connections show up as really odd symptoms. This now gets filed into my mental bag of tricks. (are you catching any of this @CharlesW ?)

I’m going to have to study up how the controller can fake an e-brake light and refuse to kick the contactor.