Charger

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

I have a 1995 Club Car with Trojan batteries purchased new in August 2008. I check them and re-fill them with distilled water monthly. I am losing power after playing 14-15 holes of golf. Could this be a charger issue or could a battery already be bad. If it's a bad battery can I just replace the bad one?

Thanks for your help!

[gaminde]

Could be caused by either, is your dash light coming on

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

It comes on when I stop.

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

Yes - It comes on when I'm stopped

[gaminde]

When the light comes on It means that battery voltage has droped below 48 volts when is not in use. generally being bad batteries, bad connection dirty connections, and possibly charger not charging batteries. Unplug charger from cart wait 1 minute plug it back in meter should go to a 15 amp does this happen.

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

Yes - it goes to 15 and then slowly starts moving back.

[erict]

Sounds like the charger is working normally. Next would be to charge the batteries back up and after they are charged, let the cart sit for a least 12 hours, then check each battery with a volt meter and also the complete pack voltage and post your readings.

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

Thanks - I'll post the results tomorrow

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

Here are the results from fully charging my batteries and then unplugging for 12 hours.

Complete Pack 50.2 volts, Battery 1-8.40v, Battery 2-8.30v, Battery 3-8.35v,
Battery 4-8.33v, Battery 5-8.46v, Battery 6-8.28v

[gaminde]

Great now jack up the cart and put your meter on each battery and then push the go pedal and measure with motor running. post each battery while running

[Michael Eddie]

Here are the results from fully charging my batteries and then unplugging for 12 hours.

Complete Pack 50.2 volts, Battery 1-8.40v, Battery 2-8.30v, Battery 3-8.35v,
Battery 4-8.33v, Battery 5-8.46v, Battery 6-8.28v

Looks good, but like gaminde said, time for a load test

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

I will post tomorrow - thanks!

[dougmcp]

I'm not so sure that I would jack up the cart and run it wide open for more than a second or two, series motors have no limiting device and it may blow up the motor from over RPMs.
A safer way for the motor is to take the cart for a 1/2 hour drive and burn off some energy, then test the voltage again.
If I could hazard a guess your #6 looks low and will likely be way lower on your return. Any of these that is below 6.0v is really suspect as to condition.
Waiting for you to post up the numbers.

[andy4639]

Here are the results from fully charging my batteries and then unplugging for 12 hours.

Complete Pack 50.2 volts, Battery 1-8.40v, Battery 2-8.30v, Battery 3-8.35v,
Battery 4-8.33v, Battery 5-8.46v, Battery 6-8.28v

#6 is a bigg drop. #2 - #4 - #3 are all low.
Are the lights are any other 12 volt accessary hooked to those 4 batteries?
If so charge them with a 12 volt charger. See if you can get them to charge up to the other 2 which are a little low. 8.49 is 100%
8.41 is 90%.

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

So the batteries are not supposed to lose any charge after taking them off the charger and sitting idle for 10-12 hours?

[gaminde]

Absolutely never run full speed with cart jacked up you just want to get the motor running and you can apply a little brakes while doing this.

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

Are the batteries not supposed to lose any charge after taking them off the charger and sitting idle for 10-12 hours?

[gaminde]

They will settle some

[dougmcp]

Are the batteries not supposed to lose any charge after taking them off the charger and sitting idle for 10-12 hours?

When your charger is in it's finishing stage it gets up to between 61v-63v and as gaminde mentioned above it takes some time for the batteries to settle down after charging. They don't continue to lose the charge and it you don't use the cart, they should have a good charge of around 51v for weeks after a full charge.

[Michael Eddie]

Are the batteries not supposed to lose any charge after taking them off the charger and sitting idle for 10-12 hours?

That is incorrect, they will loose charge within the first 24 hours after a full charge but settle. As Doug said.

[erict]

When your charger is in it's finishing stage it gets up to between 61v-63v and as gaminde mentioned above it takes some time for the batteries to settle down after charging. They don't continue to lose the charge and it you don't use the cart, they should have a good charge of around 51v for weeks after a full charge.

Provided they are a set of good batteries, correct Doug?

[Coltf1991]

Yes, a "Good" set of batteries will have around 51 + or -.

Your batteries will start settling down in the first 12 hours. Everyday the batteries are left unattended, on AVERAGE they lose about 1% SOC.

Colton

Edit: After the batteries have set for 12 or more hours, is when you will get accurate readings on whether or not your batteries are good, thus removing the "surface charge."

[Coltf1991]

Here I have attached a SOC(state of charge) Chart.

Hope this helps,

Colton

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

I have determined that battery number 6 is bad. It was clear when I tested the batteries under a load as described above. Would it be ok to just replace the one bad battery? I have heard that this will affect the other good batteries and was not recommended. Thanks again for all your help!

[gaminde]

Read the date code stamped on the - terminals lead pad.

[dougmcp]

I have determined that battery number 6 is bad. It was clear when I tested the batteries under a load as described above. Would it be ok to just replace the one bad battery? I have heard that this will affect the other good batteries and was not recommended. Thanks again for all your help!

Based on your previous voltage posts 8.40, 8.30, 8.35, 8.33, 8.46 and 8.28 your batteries are only at 70%-80%, nearing the end of their lifespan and should probably all be replaced.
Although the recommended practice is to replace the pack as a set, you can replace just one if your budget won't allow anything else. Try to get another used battery of the same manufacturer, roughly the same age and similar condition to your good batteries and you may be fine for awhile.
Do not put a new single battery in this pack as it will ruin the new battery in a very short time from overcharging it.

[jpalmer51]

hmmm. i had a problem similar however i found my charger was defective, would charge the first hour then i didnt notice it would shut off so i assumed it was charged

[jpalmer51]

btw it took me a month to realize it was the charger not the batteries

[dwsesic]

Hi all, remember to make sure your battery cables are not part of the problem too !
I experienced 1 out of 5 cables with a high resistance reading of a wopping 4 ohm and it killed the entire battery pak , cart would do anything other than turn on. After replacing cables POW took off like a rabbit !

Sometimes it is the simpliest over looked item, not likely though here3 to 4 battery readings are off.

[Coltf1991]

Batteries are shot unfortunately. One thing you can try, and it has helped me with old/bad batteries, is charge the daylights out of them I have charged batteries back to back unmolested 6 times in a single day. Put them on the charger, when it kicks off wait 5 minutes and do it again over and over until the charger will no longer kick on because the batteries are full. Desulfators and Epsom salt and all that crap rarely work and never work good.

Colton

[gaminde]

Hi all, remember to make sure your battery cables are not part of the problem too !
I experienced 1 out of 5 cables with a high resistance reading of a wopping 4 ohm and it killed the entire battery pak , cart would do anything other than turn on. After replacing cables POW took off like a rabbit !

Sometimes it is the simpliest over looked item, not likely though here3 to 4 battery readings are off.

agree. Anyone who has worked on early 1900 vehicles or tractors with a 6 volt system will testify to that fact.

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

I've heard that individully overcharing your batteries might help bring them back to life. Is there any truth to this? Can you super charge an 8 volt battery using a 12 volt charger? Will it harm the battery or is it just a waste of time.

[dougmcp]

It may ruin the battery and/or the charger.
Batteries fail for many reasons like lead loss, shorted cell and sulfation. The only one you have a hope of bringing back is a sulfated battery and your battery charger reconstitutes minor sulfation during the charge cycle.
People have used desulfators but in reality they will only give you a short extension to your lifespan.
8v batteries are already pushed to about 10.5v during the equalization (final) stage of the charge cycle.

[gaminde]

I've heard that individully overcharing your batteries might help bring them back to life. Is there any truth to this? Can you super charge an 8 volt battery using a 12 volt charger? Will it harm the battery or is it just a waste of time.

Yes in the old days they did lots of things like this putting high volts onto 12 volt batteries for short periods, and high current, and I do not know if they really worked or not. Like Doug said if there is no lead then ????
If there shot then try it.

yes you can use a 12 volt charger on 8 volt batteries for short periods of time
this can also be done to balance your battery pack, much more so for the new types of batteries.

keep us informed

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

Back to the drawing board! I bought new batteries and it didn't solved my problem. I also had new #4 SAE gage copper wires put on the cart. After fully charging the cart over night, I was able to play only 15 holes of golf before the cart died. I charged the cart over night and got the following readings:

Battery #1 - 7.75v, #2 - 8.43v, #3 - 8.43v, #4 - 8.43v, #5 - 8.36v, #6 - 8.36v

I also decided to take another reading while the cart was charging and got the following reading:

Battery #1 - 7.76v, #2 - 10.75v, #3 - 10.79v, #4 - 10.77v, #5 - 8.83v, #6 - 8.83v

When charging you batteries are you supposed to get a reading of 10.00 volts or better on every battery?

Could the voltage regulator cause this problem.

Thanks!

[gaminde]

You have maybe 1 or 2 things going on here, the batteries are not hooked up correctly or there's a problem with your charger to me it looks like only 3 batteries are being charged follow all of your wires you will find some are hooked in the middle of the pack. And it is possible you got a couple of bad batteries. That number 1 battery is not being charged at all put an automotive charger on that battery 4 a couple of hours and then you put on the last 2 for an hour each let's see if they're voltage will pull up.

[dougmcp]

Gaminde is more familiar than me about CC chargers but it sounds to me like there may be a bad diode in the charger.
All the batteries should be about the same +/- when charging.

[rickpiontek@yahoo.com]

Whlie charging the cart, should I get a reading of 10+ volts on each battery?

[gaminde]

Whlie charging the cart, should I get a reading of 10+ volts on each battery?

When charging really good batteries the voltage per cell can get as high as 2.6 volts, so on an 8 volt battery yes 10.4 volts.
Now above is with a charger working correctly and really good batteries you can always put higher voltage on batteries using a charger that is not working correctly or one with variable output but this may not be the best for the batteries.


give us some pack readings with and without the charger running, and get a auto charger on the 7 volt battery soon or your going to be buying a new one.

I still think the charge wires are not connected to the pack correctly.

Whenever I'm working on something and it messes up I go back to what I did last and start from there. One of the last things done on this cart is wires so lets start there. you have three batteries reading 10.7 this is toooo high one battery reading 7.76 this is way toooo low it is out of the charge loop and the 8.83 ones I have no idea what there doing at this point but one step at a time .
Charger the low one or loose it.