Club Car V-Glide Switches (Troubleshooting Guide)

What is a v-glide on a golf cart?

V-glide is the part of the speed controlling system of a Club Car golf cart.  A switch attached to the v-glide, controls the resistance and connects the flow of current from the resistors to the v-glide. 

Many people still have resistor carts, and one of the most crucial parts of these carts is the v- glide. It is essential to keep an eye on the v-glide arm and troubleshoot the problems before they completely stall the cart. 

There are two types of carts out there, which are the new style and the old style. In the old-style carts, the resistors controlled the speed, and in the modern carts, it is controlled by the controller.

Things to keep in mind 

• V-glide should be properly set up
• It controls the speed of resistor carts
• The pads and the wiper arm of the v-glide should be aligned

 

How do you fix melting club car v-glide switches?

If the v-glide switches are melting, then the chances are that the v-glide is sucking up a lot of current from the batteries. This can make the switches hot, and it can start melting. 

Some of the reasons why this can occur are: high amperage of the cart, low voltage, system getting overloaded, and improper connections, to name a few.

1. First, check the circuit and see if the connections are well done.
2. Then check the volts of each of the batteries with a voltmeter.
3. Now check the solenoid and resistor. If they are not working well, then they may require a replacement.
4. Align the wiper arm and the contact pad properly.

 

Club Car V-Glide Switch Is Burning Hot

It is quite common in the club cars that the v-glide switch starts getting too hot and, in extreme cases, can start melting. This can be if the v-glide is damaged. 

The v-glide switch in a Club Car golf cart can get hot or melt because too much amperage is pulling from the batteries. 

Some reasons why the v-glide switch burns hot can be: the v-glide is damaged or improperly set up, the tires are too big which can cause too much power to pull from the batteries, the cart drives on a partial throttle, and the v-glide wiper arm is not touching the pad, to name a few.

Things that can be done to avoid heating:

1. First, change the tires if they are too big.
2. Make sure that the cables are attached and connected properly.
3. Make sure that the resistors are well-connected.
4. Align the pad surfaces.
5. Change the v-glide to controllers, if needed.

 

How Do You Test A Club Car V-Glide?

In the older models, the v-glide is a very crucial component. It controls the speed of the cart, and without it, the resistor coils will not work. This can cause speeding and can render the cart useless.

One of the most important signs that will tell if the v-glide fits properly or has a problem is if the contacts and switch arm of the wiper are parallel to each other. 

To check whether the v-glide is working perfectly: 

1. First, remove the cover of the wiper switch, but before that, remove the battery no. 5 and 6. 
2. Now take removable ink and cover all the contacts to check the parallelism.
3. Next, swipe the arm of the wiper switch up and down across all the contacts. Make sure that the wiper arm is obtaining at least 39% of the swipe of the contacts. If not, adjust accordingly.
4. For adjusting the wiper arm, remove the cotter spring pin. Now carefully turn the crew of the wiper arm and check if the surfaces are parallel. This screw is present in the v-glide wiper arm center.
5. Now that the adjustment is done. Put Loctite (thread-locking compound) on the screw, on the hex nut, and then put the cotter spring pin in the adjustment screw.  
6. Also, check if the wiper arm brush and fixed contacts are damaged or worn out, and if so, replace the housing of the v-glide.

 

Club Car V-Glide Micro Switch

The club cars have micro switches. Theses switches are installed to keep the carts safe while starting and powering up. The microswitch of the v-glide is connected to the solenoid and triggers the same.

The microswitches are connected, so to power up one of them, the predecessor microswitch should be triggered first. To powerthe v-glide micro switch, the forward/reverse microswitch should be powered up.

The FR microswitch should be working in order for the v-glide micro switch to work.

When the pedal is pressed, the v-glide microswitch sends the message to the solenoid that the cart should move. Therefore, it is crucial to make sure that the microswitch is working and has the wires connected to it; otherwise, the cart will not move forward or in reverse.  

 

Club Car V-Glide Replacement

In some cases, if the cart is old and it still runs on the v-glide, then it may show problems like slow speed. If the cart is slowing down and needs to speed up, you need to press the pedal twice. All this can be a sign of a damaged v-glide and may require a replacement. 

Check If the V-Glide Needs To Be Replaced

• First, check the copper pad on top of the v-glide. If the plastic has melted and/or if the copper pad is oxidized, it can cause trouble with the v-glide.
• Now check the wiper arm of the v-glide. It should come in contact with the top pad. This can be checked by pressing the pedal completely. 
• Check the jam nuts and readjust and tighten them, if loose. These nuts are present under the pedal and near the pivot rod. 
• Check the contacts that are present in the v-glide housing. If the contacts are bad, then it can cause heating, and that can cause problems.

In none of these issues exist, then it is quite clear that the v-glide requires a replacement. If you don’t want to replace it, you can directly upgrade and eliminate the v-glide with the controller.

 

Club Car V-Glide Resistors Upgrade

Older club cars used to have resistors with increasing resistance. When the gas pedal is pushed, the power flows, and resistance controls the speed. But the problem with this is that the speed is less and the power gets eaten up, even if the throttle is wide open.

Therefore, to make the club cars more efficient, they can be upgraded into a solid-state cart. Now, these carts have a controller installed in it.

These controllers use only that much of amperage from the batteries that are required. No extra amperage is pulled and wasted. This will not only increase the speed and performance but also increases the efficiency of the batteries. 

To upgrade the club car, a conversion kit is used. 

 

Steps for upgrading the club cart

1. Cut the cables and remove the resistor coils and heat shield of the drive system. 
2. After this, remove the v-glide from the frame. For this, slide the retention collar back and pull the linkage to disconnect the gas pedal. 
3. Join the charge receptacle wires directly to the battery unit.
4. Install the voltage suppression diodes and keep in mind the polarity of the diodes.
5. Remove the motor.
6. Now, install the controller on the cart’s driver side. Make sure that the controller is joined to the mainframe and also where the coils were mounted. 
7. Now mount the solenoid under the passenger seat in a vertical mount. 
8. Mount back everything else like the motor, the F/R switch, the pedal, etc.

 

Club Car DS V-Glide Switch Case Assembly

When it comes to switching cases, it is quite often seen that it might require a replacement. The DS model of the club car means that the voltage power of 48V. Therefore, it is crucial to find a switch case that fits the requirement easily.

Usually, the switch case assembly tends to fit the club cars with resistors perfectly. Also, they are more required to replace the models up to 1989. These are also used in the electric club cars and not in the gas club cars.

Things to keep in mind 

• Make sure that the make of the switch case assembly matches the make of the car
• It should have a proper guarantee on it
• It will weigh around 0.7 lbs.
• It should be compatible with the club car model and year.

 

Club Car V-Glide Wiring Diagram

The wiring diagram of the club car v-glide is one of the most crucial components if a person is trying to check or make a club car. In the club car wiring diagram, you can notice various components that are connected through wires. Different wiring and components are marked separately for better understanding. 

You can find a very elaborate club car v-glide wiring diagram that includes some significant parts:

• Speed switch
• Fuse and receptacle
• Limit switch
• Forward and reverse switch
• Motor
• Battery bank
• Solenoid
• Resistor board
• Bullet connector
• Reverse buzzer

This elaborate wiring diagram helps the user determine what parts are there, what needs to be substituted, and what is crucial.

One of the main things that are observed is the circuit connection. That is whether it is series connectivity or parallel connectivity.

• With series, the voltage increases, as all the batteries combine to make one big battery.
• With parallel, the current increases along with the amperage/hour.