Yale forklift forward/reverse electrical contact stuck

[Elevatorernie]

Hey all
I’ve got an electric Yale forklift that keeps getting stuck in reverse. I can hear the click of the electrical contact when it works normally.

I’ve circled in red the metal plate that makes electrical contact with a piece behind it to put it in reverse, releases to go drive. I can see someone’s previous attempt to replace the braided copper cable (?)

Now I know a bit about cars but not much about forklifts. What are these metal assemblies called? (A circuit breaker or switch of sorts?) What’s typically the root cause of them going bad? And can I fix it myself without getting fried?



Cheers,
Ern

(I’ll get the model number tomorrow morning)

 

[BillG]

That's called a contactor, you have a forward, reverse, 1A, and two pumps.The discoloration is the first clue. You have a poor connection, either due to improper mating between the contacts, a mechanical restriction, worn contacts, foreign material in the contact area.It is possible that the shunt is causing the problem but I don't know how stiff the conductor is. If you look at the shunts on the other contactors you can see the point of flex, it's very small. I would look at getting the correct shunt and good contacts in there first.

Also because of the way this system works you are carrying the same current in the fwd and rev contactors at the same time, just a different path. So if a problem exists elsewhere it would affect both. It may be cheaper to replace the entire contactor rather than the contacts and armature plate and shunt.

Unplug the battery before starting on this, also on some models holding the horn down will discharge the capacitors in the controller. just pay attention to all the connections and how everything fits and you will be ok.