August is the busiest month of my year and the calls are remarkably consistent. Here they are in order, with what usually turns out to be the cause.
1. "It will not make it through the day any more"
Almost always a lead acid pack that has been run down too far too often, usually combined with low water through the heat.
Worth checking before you call: water level in the cells, and whether the charger is actually completing its cycle. A charger that has quietly stopped working will let a pack drift down over weeks.
If the pack is four or five years old and it has had a hard summer, this may be a replacement rather than a fix. I will load test it and tell you which.
2. "It is really slow going up the hill"
Same underlying cause most of the time: a tired pack sagging under load.
The other common cause is bigger tires. If somebody fitted taller tires and did not think about gearing, the cart has effectively been geared up and it will struggle on grade. That one is physics, not a fault.
3. "There is a grinding noise"
Brakes, usually. Shoes worn into the drum. See the earlier post on brakes, but the short version is that this gets more expensive every mile you drive it.
Occasionally it is a bearing, which is more serious.
4. "It just stopped"
Could be a lot of things, but in August the most common are a solenoid that has given up, a corroded connection at the pack, or a controller that has overheated.
The first thing I will ask is whether you get a click when you press the pedal. A click means the solenoid is trying and the problem is likely downstream. Silence means the problem is upstream, often power not reaching the solenoid at all.
Also check the tow/run switch has not been knocked.
5. "The charger will not start"
Frequently the pack is too low for the charger to recognise it, which happens after a cart sits partly discharged in the heat for a couple of weeks.
Sometimes it is the charger. Sometimes it is a blown fuse on the charge circuit.
What to do in the meantime
Do not keep driving something that is grinding, and do not leave a flat pack flat. Sulfation starts immediately and gets harder to reverse the longer it sits.
Peak season means I am prioritising breakdowns over preventive work, so call as soon as it starts rather than when it stops.
406.270.9346. Tell me what it is doing and I will tell you what I think it is before I come out.