Need input

[erict]

Not sure if this is the correct area to post this so please move if necessary. Golf carts are all new to me and my owner of the company I work for has three club cars. I have an opportunity to purchase a 2005 club car president that was his mothers who never really used it. It looks brand new and has the original batteries, mirror, headlights and taillights and is programed for a higher speed. He would sell it to me for $2,100.00 and wonder if this is a good deal. When I say not used much, it looks brand new so mint condition would be a better word. I also assume since it has four batteries it would be a 48volt cart?

[gaminde]

Not sure if this is the correct area to post this so please move if necessary. Golf carts are all new to me and my owner of the company I work for has three club cars. I have an opportunity to purchase a 2005 club car president that was his mothers who never really used it. It looks brand new and has the original batteries, mirror, headlights and taillights and is programed for a higher speed. He would sell it to me for $2,100.00 and wonder if this is a good deal. When I say not used much, it looks brand new so mint condition would be a better word. I also assume since it has four batteries it would be a 48volt cart?

There are variable factors and one is the area you live in. I have seen 06's for $1000 to $1500 your going to need batteries soon $1000 light kit $200 and $150 for speed mod.

[erict]

There are variable factors and one is the area you live in. I have seen 06's for $1000 to $1500 your going to need batteries soon $1000 light kit $200 and $150 for speed mod.

Thank you for the reply. I live in Michigan. It has been sitting alot and not sure if he has done regular charging of the batteries at all. Even though they are 6 years old, is it worth to have them tested or is it near then end of their cycle because of age?

[dougmcp]

to GCF erict!
Sounds like a nice cart and a privately owned one IMO is way better than a thrashed out retired golf course cart.
Regardless of how much it was used the Precedents from 2004 to 2009 have a weak point, the batteries tend to last only 2-3 years.
The price is probably OK for a mint cart but if you purchase it count on replacing the battery pack which will cost $800+ depending on where you shop.

[erict]

to GCF erict!
Sounds like a nice cart and a privately owned one IMO is way better than a thrashed out retired golf course cart.
Regardless of how much it was used the Precedents from 2004 to 2009 have a weak point, the batteries tend to last only 2-3 years.
The price is probably OK for a mint cart but if you purchase it count on replacing the battery pack which will cost $800+ depending on where you shop.

Thank you for the welcome. So every 2-3 years I will be sinking $1,000 each time Why the short battery life during these years?

[gaminde]

to GCF erict!
Sounds like a nice cart and a privately owned one IMO is way better than a thrashed out retired golf course cart.
Regardless of how much it was used the Precedents from 2004 to 2009 have a weak point, the batteries tend to last only 2-3 years.
The price is probably OK for a mint cart but if you purchase it count on replacing the battery pack which will cost $800+ depending on where you shop.

Good call on the private owned versus golf course cart. I had to replace the whole front end on mine a lift kit replaced everything for about the same price as repairing it. You need to check craigslist, ebay and the newspaper for prices in your area. Mine is an 06 original batteries and runs strong. Now that I said that I know they're going to die tomorrow

[dougmcp]

Thank you for the welcome. So every 2-3 years I will be sinking $1,000 each time Why the short battery life during these years?

It has been such a problem for Club Car that in 2010 they changed the battery configuration from the 4x12v set up to a 6x8v set up that they had been using on the DS model for over 10 years.
Club Car makes a conversion kit for about $350 that will convert to the 6x8v set up. It includes battery racks, new OBC, cables, instructions etc. and IMO is well worth the investment if you are having to buy new batteries.
You can get 6x8v batteries from Sam's Club for less than $500 and would put your conversion costs at less than $1000 and have a battery pack that should last 5-7 years.
If you buy the cart I can get you the CC part numbers for the conversion.

[dougmcp]

Now that I said that I know they're going to die tomorrow

and probably true.
As you know maintenance of your batteries is key to their longevity and you take care and have the knowledge to do so. The odds of yours failing prematurely are slim.

[erict]

It has been such a problem for Club Car that in 2010 they changed the battery configuration from the 4x12v set up to a 6x8v set up that they had been using on the DS model for over 10 years.
Club Car makes a conversion kit for about $350 that will convert to the 6x8v set up. It includes battery racks, new OBC, cables, instructions etc. and IMO is well worth the investment if you are having to buy new batteries.
You can get 6x8v batteries from Sam's Club for less than $500 and would put your conversion costs at less than $1000 and have a battery pack that should last 5-7 years.
If you buy the cart I can get you the CC part numbers for the conversion.

That is good info to know, thank you. I will present this to him tomorrow and based on the age of the batteries I will see if he will drop the price or at least give me some insurance that if they do fail he will help me with the cost of them. When it comes time for new batteries I will highly consider the conversion kit.

On a side note, I will see if he will at least have the batteries load tested and test each cell with a hydrometer.

[dougmcp]

They are likely Trojan Batteries in the cart the date code stamped into the lead on the neg post is a letter and a number which is the month and year they were produced (eg: H-7 is July 2007).
Take a voltmeter and test the voltage, a perfect, older 12v battery with a full charge will be 12.73v.
State of charge for a 12v battery is:
100% - 12.73v
80% - 12.50v
50% - 12.10v
30% - 11.81v
10% - 11.51v
If the batteries are charged and any of the voltages are under 80% they are likely done.
You don't need to disconnect anything to do the voltage test.
Keep us informed and let us know how it's going.

[gaminde]

I'm looking into lithium ion half the weight and over three times the distance have not costed it out yet.

[Michael Eddie]

I'm looking into lithium ion half the weight and over three times the distance have not costed it out yet.

$$$$

there was a company, I am not sure if it was completely legit or not, who emailed me through this website a few months ago I will see if I can bring it up if you would like.

edit, just looked I cant seem to find the company. I will let you know if I happen to remember where I got the email.

[gaminde]

$$$$

there was a company, I am not sure if it was completely legit or not, who emailed me through this website a few months ago I will see if I can bring it up if you would like.

If there out of San Diego I found them also look at the thread programming Curtis controller clubcarsw posted a china company, well see also need charger. I'm looking at adding a cell or two 3.2 or 6.4 xtra volts 53 or 54 volt system.

[erict]

If I do the battery conversion and change the OBC, does this effect anything else like the spped adjustment that was done on this cart? Remember this is all new to me.

Also, is there a chart that shoes me what the readings should be if I do a hydrometer test of each cell?

[dougmcp]

If I do the battery conversion and change the OBC, does this effect anything else like the spped adjustment that was done on this cart? Remember this is all new to me.

Also, is there a chart that shoes me what the readings should be if I do a hydrometer test of each cell?

Your speeds shouldn't change, the program is in the controller and nothing changes there.

Here is your chart with voltage and hydrometer readings:

[erict]

Your speeds shouldn't change, the program is in the controller and nothing changes there.

Here is your chart with voltage and hydrometer readings:

Thank you Doug. Well he won't budge on the price and we are going to charge it up and load test the batteries. I would just hate to let this basically mint cart go by and buy something else.

[dougmcp]

Maybe after he sees the batteries are done or close to it he may come down a little in price or offer some concession for replacement of same.
It all depends on what your plans are for a cart, if you are looking for trouble free with little or no repairs other than the obvious batteries, you would be hard pressed to find a cart for $2K that is in mint condition.
IMO golf carts are not like cars that change from year to year, they stay pretty constant until they introduce a new model.
There is really no difference between Precedents made from 2004 to present other than in 2010 they changed the battery configuration.
The Club Car DS model has remained virtually the same since 1981 with the exception of the electrical, little has changed. This is true with Ezgo as well with the TXT cart that has been in it's current form since 1994.5 with only changes in the electrical systems.

[erict]

Maybe after he sees the batteries are done or close to it he may come down a little in price or offer some concession for replacement of same.
It all depends on what your plans are for a cart, if you are looking for trouble free with little or no repairs other than the obvious batteries, you would be hard pressed to find a cart for $2K that is in mint condition.
IMO golf carts are not like cars that change from year to year, they stay pretty constant until they introduce a new model.
There is really no difference between Precedents made from 2004 to present other than in 2010 they changed the battery configuration.
The Club Car DS model has remained virtually the same since 1981 with the exception of the electrical, little has changed. This is true with Ezgo as well with the TXT cart that has been in it's current form since 1994.5 with only changes in the electrical systems.

I agree Doug. If I pass on this deal I will just be disappointed that I did not buy it and end up with a cart with no knowing history. This cart has only been used 6 to 8 times.

[dougmcp]

Good luck with the battery test and negotiations.
Keep us posted.

[erict]

Good luck with the battery test and negotiations.
Keep us posted.

I just walk over to the building where it is and he has just a regular battery charger hooked up to it. The CC charger is there but not sure why he did not use that one. If I lift the seat he has the charger connected to the driver side front battery neg and pos. Is this correct?

[dougmcp]

If the battery level of charge is too low, the CC 48v charger will not engage. What he is trying to do with the 12v charger is to bring the individual batteries up to a point that the CC charger will come on.
He may not even get it to charge if the batteries are seriously done.
If you load test these batteries they will fail.
I wouldn't say too much to him about batteries let him find out by himself the cart won't charge or run.......I can hear the price dropping as I type.

[erict]

If the battery level of charge is too low, the CC 48v charger will not engage. What he is trying to do with the 12v charger is to bring the individual batteries up to a point that the CC charger will come on.
He may not even get it to charge if the batteries are seriously done.
If you load test these batteries they will fail.
I wouldn't say too much to him about batteries let him find out by himself the cart won't charge or run.......I can hear the price dropping as I type.

Does he have to connect the charger to the other three batteries individually as well to charge them or is he charging them all at once from the front left battery since they are still connected to each other?

[dougmcp]

He is only charging 12v so he will have to connect to each battery one at a time until the voltage comes up. You do not need to disconnect anything to do this.
The seller is not familiar with the CC charger. If the pack voltage is below 34v, there is a procedure to use the CC charger to recharge depleted batteries. It involves removing the cover on the charger and jumping the relay so it will come on and charge the batteries.
I have the manual on this for later reference.

[erict]

He is only charging 12v so he will have to connect to each battery one at a time until the voltage comes up. You do not need to disconnect anything to do this.
The seller is not familiar with the CC charger. If the pack voltage is below 34v, there is a procedure to use the CC charger to recharge depleted batteries. It involves removing the cover on the charger and jumping the relay so it will come on and charge the batteries.
I have the manual on this for later reference.

Got it Looks like I will take it home with me tomorrow as it's just to good of a deal. Showroom new

[dougmcp]

Congrats on the purchase.
Well, did it run?
Did you have to pay the full asking $?

[erict]

Congrats on the purchase.
Well, did it run?
Did you have to pay the full asking $?

I will take pics. We are still charging the batteries and will give it a test. Regardless, I want it as the odds of running across a cart in this condition would only be if I bought new.

[erict]

I didn't have time to check the cart after work and will tomorrow as far as how or if they charged. They have the Trojan batteries which I know are the best but cost alot of $$$$. I'm also aware as Doug pointed out about the conversion kit as an option. Is there any cheaper batteries that do a good job? Does Costco carry any?

[dougmcp]

Unfortunately 12v deep cycle battery choices are few, they are only made by a few companies and they are fairly expensive.
If you are going to do the conversion, now would be the time.
See if you can get the batteries up to a point of being able to operate the cart.
Can you post the voltages of each battery?

[erict]

Unfortunately 12v deep cycle battery choices are few, they are only made by a few companies and they are fairly expensive.
If you are going to do the conversion, now would be the time.
See if you can get the batteries up to a point of being able to operate the cart.
Can you post the voltages of each battery?

I will update tomorrow Doug

[dougmcp]

Will wait until tomorrow now get that camera out and lets check out this beauty!

[erict]

When cleaning the cart is there something one should be aware of when using a hose to rinse it off? What should I stay clear of?

[dougmcp]

You can safely wash your cart with a hose but I would avoid pressure washers.
If you are washing the battery area try to keep water off the electronics, they'll take moisture but don't like flooding.
To give you some basics on your cart and become a little more familiar, go to the Club Car site and download the owner's manual.
Here's the link:http://www.clubcar.com/resources/own...s/default.aspx
You will need your serial number that is located in the pass side glove box area and should look like this:

[erict]

You can safely wash your cart with a hose but I would avoid pressure washers.
If you are washing the battery area try to keep water off the electronics, they'll take moisture but don't like flooding.
To give you some basics on your cart and become a little more familiar, go to the Club Car site and download the owner's manual.
Here's the link:http://www.clubcar.com/resources/own...s/default.aspx
You will need your serial number that is located in the pass side glove box area and should look like this:

Thanks Doug. I have the original owner’s manual in front of me We only charged two of the batteries and was able to get the CC charger to turn on now even though the other two batteries are in a very low state.

[dougmcp]

Let the CC charger run and do it's job. It could take up to 16 hours to complete it's charge routine.
After it's done let the cart sit for a couple of hours then take the battery voltages and post the results.

[erict]

Let the CC charger run and do it's job. It could take up to 16 hours to complete it's charge routine.
After it's done let the cart sit for a couple of hours then take the battery voltages and post the results.

I want to take it home tonight since it's the weekend. I may have to continue charging at home.

Also, how do I know when it's fully charged?

[dougmcp]

Also, how do I know when it's fully charged?

The charger should shut down by itself. The CC uses a thing called an on board computer (OBC) which determines the charger function.
You can dance through the battery voltages with a meter while it's charging.
You will see that near the end of the charge cycle the amperage falls off and the voltage rises.
A 48v charger in it's equalization stage will be at around 60v to 63v before shutting down. Based on that, each battery will be 15v to 15.6v.
You don't need to disconnect anything and you won't hurt anything by taking voltage readings at any time.

[erict]

The charger should shut down by itself. The CC uses a thing called an on board computer (OBC) which determines the charger function.
You can dance through the battery voltages with a meter while it's charging.
You will see that near the end of the charge cycle the amperage falls off and the voltage rises.
A 48v charger in it's equalization stage will be at around 60v to 63v before shutting down. Based on that, each battery will be 15v to 15.6v.
You don't need to disconnect anything and you won't hurt anything by taking voltage readings at any time.

The CC charger has been connected for 4 hours as of now. Here are the voltage readings.

14.08
13.09
12.89
12.71

The first two readings are the batteries that were first charged a little with a regular battery charger.

[dougmcp]

Based on your numbers, the batteries have a ways to go before they are charged if they even will fully charge up at all.
Usually the weakest battery will have the highest voltage readings while being charged.

Because batteries of different voltages are confusing to discern while charging, figures normally used by battery and charger manufacturers are expressed in volts per cell. 6v batteries have 3 cells, 8v - 4 cells and 12v - 6 cells.
A bulk charge stage is normally applied at about 2.4v per cell (14.4v for yours).
The finishing charge (equalization) is about 2.6v per cell (15.6v for yours).
If you have a 3 stage charger the float stage is about 2.25v per cell (13.5v for yours).

When your batteries all approach the 15.6v +/- each you will know the charger is ready to shut off.
If the charger shuts off early, unplug it and restart the charge cycle.

Anything over 2.5v per cell (15.0v for yours) will cause them to boil, this is normal so don't be alarmed.
Make sure the area is ventilated as there is also hydrogen gas being released and it is explosive.

[erict]

Based on your numbers, the batteries have a ways to go before they are charged if they even will fully charge up at all.
Usually the weakest battery will have the highest voltage readings while being charged.

Because batteries of different voltages are confusing to discern while charging, figures normally used by battery and charger manufacturers are expressed in volts per cell. 6v batteries have 3 cells, 8v - 4 cells and 12v - 6 cells.
A bulk charge stage is normally applied at about 2.4v per cell (14.4v for yours).
The finishing charge (equalization) is about 2.6v per cell (15.6v for yours).
If you have a 3 stage charger the float stage is about 2.25v per cell (13.5v for yours).

When your batteries all approach the 15.6v +/- each you will know the charger is ready to shut off.
If the charger shuts off early, unplug it and restart the charge cycle.

Anything over 2.5v per cell (15.0v for yours) will cause them to boil, this is normal so don't be alarmed.
Make sure the area is ventilated as there is also hydrogen gas being released and it is explosive.

I have a load tester from work (digital) but I need to enter the CCA which the Trojans don't show. How can I load test them correctly?

[dougmcp]

I have a load tester from work (digital) but I need to enter the CCA which the Trojans don't show. How can I load test them correctly?

Deep cycle batteries don't use cold cranking amps to determine their capacity. This is a measure of how many amps the battery can deliver for 30 seconds and maintain the voltage at 12V.
Deep cycle batteries are rated in Amp Hours (AH) or minutes of capacity at a specified amperage.
Rather than using a load tester, you may do better by noting the voltage and hydrometer readings after charging and a 6 hour rest.
Sorry I can't be of more help.
Try this tutorial from Trojan and see if it helps: http://www.trojanbattery.com/Tech-Su...nglish_003.pdf

[gaminde]

I have a load tester from work (digital) but I need to enter the CCA which the Trojans don't show. How can I load test them correctly?

Just enter 100 then 200 your just putting a load on them to see if they fall flat on there face don't worry too much about the setting you can keep upping the setting

[erict]

Off to go load her in my pickup

[dougmcp]

If it has a windshield, load the cart forward and either take it off, fold it down or don't drive over 60mph.

[erict]

pics

Cart 001.JPG

Cart 002.JPG

Cart 003.JPG

Cart 004.JPG

Cart 006.JPG

[Michael Eddie]

Wow, clean! I didnt notice to see if you purchased it new but it sure looks like it!

[erict]

Wow, clean! I didnt notice to see if you purchased it new but it sure looks like it!

Thank you. 2005 but only used maybe 6 times. I bought it from my companies owner and belonged to his mother.

[dougmcp]

Gorgeous cart and at first blush worth the price.

[erict]

Gorgeous cart and at first blush worth the price.

Thanks Doug. I am going to let the charger run tomorrow and do a battery test. The owner said if there is an issue he will work with me on batteries. I still need to pay him for the cart and he let me just take it home and test them. He is an honest guy and trust me as well.

I see the battery light on the dash and what is the purpose of it. It would light up when I had the cart in neutral I think. It was never on when running the cart.

[erict]

Took some underneath pics.


Cart2 005.JPG

Cart2 006.JPG

Cart2 007.JPG

Cart2 009.JPG

Cart2 010.JPG

[gaminde]

I think you're a proud papa, so when you gonna pass out the cigar's

[erict]

I think you're a proud papa, so when you gonna pass out the cigar's

Already did

[gaminde]

WTF

[Michael Eddie]

Took some underneath pics.


[ATTACH]312[/ATTACH]

You need to get that thing DIRTY

[erict]

You need to get that thing DIRTY

.......

[erict]

Does my 05 CC have Regenative braking system?

[gaminde]

Yes