2007 Precedent not charging

[martyf]

My 2007 club cart precedent gas cart is not charging the battery. It will run perfect for about 20 rounds....gradually the battery gets weaker and weaker...I went out yesterday and stepped on the accelerator and it just clicked..like the battery was dead....brought the battery home put it on my charger...the charger showed about 40% charge...so I charged it, and putit back in, and it works fine....fought with this last year too...thought we had a run of bad batteries from Napa, but i think its not charging.....

Is there maybe one specific part that I should look at changing?? What actually charges the battery???

[Larry1950]

With the cart in neutral and running check the voltage at the battery with a meter it should over over 13.5v at a fast idle. Anything less than 13.5v its not charging. Could be anything from the voltage regulator to a fuse or bad connection.

[martyf]

Sounds good....thanks!!
I will check it tomorrow...i'm hoping and thinking its the voltage regulator...seems to be other info out there directing this problem to that part....Cool!! now I know what a voltage regulator is and what it does!! lol

[Larry1950]

Probably not the starter/generator. What happens is the starter becomes the charging generator as the rpms increase, so is if starter is working pretty much the generator is working. The regulator senses the voltage coming from the generator when the voltage goes high from the generator it dumps off the excess to ground. What I would do is first make sure the connections to the regulator are good, I believe your cart has a plug reg. pull the plug apart and give it a shot of DW40 wiggle it around and see what happens. Another easy to check the charging system is if the cart has lights. Turn on the lights, with the motor not running they should be dim, start the motor, as the motor increases is rpms the lights should get brighter, if not t'aint chargin'

[martyf]

12.54 volts when not running....15.07 volts when running...so the charging system seems to be working....i forgot to test if there is a power draw occuring...i will test that tomorrow....

[Larry1950]

Charge is a bit high, keep an eye on the battery water level.

[martyf]

I tested for a power draw today....it registered 0 on my multi meter....the battery is new and has seen 1 - 18 hole round and 1 - 9 hole round so far...would that be why it is high?? is the 15.07 high??

[timflury]

15+ volts is kinda high for charging. I doubt that the regulators on these are adjustable, once upon a time, they were.

I would start pointin my finger at the regulator.

Check your charging voltage when the cart is cold, versus warmed up and see if there's a difference.

13.7-14.2 volts should be nominal for charging.

[gaminde]

[QUOTE=timflury;14920]15+ volts is kinda high for charging. I doubt that the regulators on these are adjustable, once upon a time, they were.

I would start pointin my finger at the regulator.

Check your charging voltage when the cart is cold, versus warmed up and see if there's a difference.

13.7-14.2 volts should be nominal for charging.[/QUOTE


for golf this might be just about right all the starting that you're doing I mean 6 to 8 strokes per hole times 18 thats a lot of starts. For driving around the neighborhood it's definitely a little high. but that should not kill the battery in a year or make the voltage drop.

I wonder if sometimes you're leaving the key on and the coils droping it down. do an ammeter check with the ignition on.

[timflury]

I wonder if sometimes you're leaving the key on and the coils droping it down. do an ammeter check with the ignition on.

I've seen this on older heavy equipment when I was a mechanic.

Ignition coils get VERY hot when the key is left on.

[wthompson]

The regulator should have 14.7 to 15.3 volts DC output.

[wthompson]

i edited my previous post. here is what i have from the service manual.

NOTE: Keep the battery connected while performing this test procedure.
1. Place the neutral lockout cam in the MAINTENANCE position, put the Forward/Reverse handle in the
NEUTRAL position, and chock the wheels.
2. Ensure that the wires are connected correctly and are tight. If they are not, rewire or tighten as necessary.
3. Check the engine RPM setting to ensure that it is correctly adjusted. See Engine RPM Adjustment,
Section 14, Page 14-9.
4. With the battery in good condition and fully charged, run the engine for several minutes to bring the voltage
regulator to operating temperature.
5. Turn the key switch to OFF, killing the engine. Using a multimeter set to 20 volts DC, place the red (+)
probe on the large post of the solenoid with the red and white wires crimped together from the voltage
regulator attached. Place the black (–) probe on the negative (–) battery post (Figure 11-21,
Page 11-23). Turn the key switch to the ON position. Press the accelerator to start the engine and run
it at full governed speed. If the reading is between 14.7 and 15.3 volts, the regulator is good. If the reading
is lower than 14.7 volts but rising steadily, check battery condition. See Hydrometer Test on
page 11-12. If the reading is lower than 14.7 volts and not rising, and the starter/generator is good; or if
the reading is over 15.3 volts and continues to rise, replace voltage regulator.

[gaminde]

Good post wthompson