Have you seen this charger??

[tealsmill]

Club Car Model 11340.
All the LED's light up and the charger will not turn off.
According to previous owner, it never has turned off during a charge cycle.

[dougmcp]

That charger was an OEM charger made for Club Car by Lester Electrical.
The owner's manual and wiring diagram are at this link: http://www.lesterelectrical.com/search/pdf/00870_E.pdf

[tealsmill]

Thanks, but that's not it.
Wrong model.

[dougmcp]

Thanks, but that's not it.
Wrong model.

That should be the correct charger information based on the 11340 number, what makes you think it is wrong?.
It is a Lester 36v ferroresonant charger with the Accupower timer assembly.
It could just be the timer relay which are about $20.
If the problem is the timer, they are about $350 and it looks like this:


You can get the one with no lights for about $100:

[tealsmill]

Maybe I have an odd model or something- I read in the manual specifics about the ammeter readings during charging- No ammeter on this charger.
Looking at the lights- they have voltages beside each LED- No ammeter in sight.

I just want to be sure. I plan on getting new batteries and I sure don't feel too good about plugging this bad boy in.

[dougmcp]

I understand your concern about new batteries with an old charger.
Does the charger work OK now?
Use your voltmeter and check the battery pack voltage before you start charging, I'm guessing it should be somewhere between 35v (10%) and 38v (100%).
The charger can run up to 16 hours depending on the state of the batteries with the last couple of hours at the highest voltage.
Amperage is at it's highest at the beginning of the cycle and tapers down as the voltage of the pack increases.
Near the end of the charge cycle your charger should get the pack up to between 44.3v and 46.8v and may continue this for a couple of hours, this is the equalization stage.
After the charger shuts off and the batteries rest for a few hours your pack voltage should be 38.2v or better for a good set of batteries.
If all of this happens you're good to go with your charger.
Post up your questions and/or measurements when you're done.

[tealsmill]

Not so much the age of the charger- just uncertainty about it's current state.
I think it is charging- to a point- I have not verified voltages, but I have heard slight bubbling in the batteries- and the charger ran for 20+ hrs without shutting off.
I will verify and post results.

The front panel lights- according to the print on the front of the charger case- should gradually light up as the pack charges- to the top bulb which is 46V. What I see now is that ALL the lights come on as soon as it's plugged in. This cant' be right.

In addition, the manual "stop charging" button will not turn off the charger.

As I stated in 1st post- according to previous owner the charger never has turned off. So, either batteries never reached full charge- or, the charger has been flaky for some time now.

[dougmcp]

Sounds like it's charging by your description, obviously you can confirm with a meter.
If shutting off is your biggest problem you can probably add a 12hr manual factory timer to yours. It would just be wired into the main power in circuit. The part number for the timer is 02002S and the knob is 02003S.
They also have an electronic timer PN 24925S or 24840S that may also work.
I have spoken to Lester on occasion and found them to be extremely helpful with all my charger inquiries, give them a call and they will be more than helpful.
You can contact the technical service department by phone at 402.477.8988 or by email at Service@LesterElectrical.com.

[tealsmill]

E-mailed Service@Lester- got a response today with a detailed troubleshooting checklist.

Thanks for the tip. Can't wait to get home and begin the testing.

[dougmcp]

Good luck on the troubleshooting! BTW the guys at Lester are great to talk to and from what I know, actually prefer conversations as opposed to emails.
Please post your findings and what you have done so others may benefit from your experience.
Doug.

[tealsmill]

Funny you point that out- the tech that responded actually said he preferred to talk over typing.
And sure- I'll post up the findings.
Again, many thanks.
Jerry

[typz2slo]

I have a 94 Club Car with a charger that looks like this one. Is the loud hum normal when charging?

[dougmcp]

I have a 94 Club Car with a charger that looks like this one. Is the loud hum normal when charging?

It's pretty common, as chargers get older the coating on the windings of the transformer from heat and age tend to shrink a little and cause the vibrating sound you refer to as a hum. Bottom line, it won't hurt anything.

[tealsmill]

Went through the list supplied by Lester - relay checks good- battery "sensing voltage" good- pulled the control board (timer) and it has 2 huge burnt spots on it.
This may be the problem- not allowing the high current charge- as you would expect at initial plug in, but a higher voltage/low amp as you'd have near the end of a charge cycle. Guess this explains all the lights coming on at once.

Looks like at least $100 for a timer.

[dougmcp]

Lester is a good charger and should give years of service.
If it's just the timer board it may be worth your while to fix it.

[samsonone]

If I remember right isn't there a way to force the timer to come on. something with the two little post on the timer board by jumping them.