Another battery QUESTION

[Rod]

I am new to this forum, new to owning a golf cart and trying to have fun with my kid in the neighborhood.

I recently did some horse trading for a used ezgo electric golf cart. it looks to be in very good condition. it drives and runs fine,..."for about an hour" So i charge it all nite and the same thing, one hour, no juice.

So before I buy 6 new batteries here is what I have done. I have checked the batteries after a full charge and it read 6.34 I notice the battery charger "total charger III" charges about 2 hours and then indicates he has fully charged the batteries.

After the cart is barely moving, I unhooked every battery from one another and checked them and they all read "5.88 ish" within a couple of numbers.

The batteries are Trojan and yes, I have learned from this website how to look up the dates of manugacture they are 07.

Am I done? Is it time for the 800.00 battery purchase???

[dougmcp]

to GCF Rod!
Congrats on the new cart.
At only one hour of use, it's sounding like your batteries are just about done, at 5.88v they are at about 20% charged.
It is important to charge the batteries after each use and let the charger finish it's cycle and shut off automatically.
Depending on care, batteries last 5-7 years but if they are not looked after, they can die even sooner.
A full charge on the batteries is 38.2v for the pack or 6.37v each, there is no need to disconnect to measure the voltage, just put the meter across the posts.

I would suggest you look at Sam's Club for batteries, you should be able to get a complete set of GC-2 batteries for about $450.

Here is a state of charge chart to help you assess your batteries:
Click to enlarge.

[Rod]

Hello Doug,

Thank you very much for the advise,......could I ask you one last question,...I have a EZGO 36 (thats what I learned they call it,..LOL") is there a particular battery you recommend from Sam. A certain size, brand...ect. Thanks again, I can go the 450. ish,..the 800 + is kinda rough right now,...thanks again,....

[dougmcp]

Sam's Club sells lots of automotive batteries but only sells 2 Golf Cart batteries the GC-2 (6v) and the GC-8 (8v).
All 6v GC batteries generally have the same number, do not buy any other kind of battery than a GC-2.
The GC-2 is very close in specs to the Trojan T-105 battery.
GC-2 batteries will have 3 fill holes and generally look like this:
Click to enlarge photos.

[Rod]

Wow!,......You must know me,...LOL! When I fix something, I always bring the broken part with me to compare,..with these pictures you sent, I cannot mess this one up,...the pictures are great,...I mean that,...and I really thank you for the help. I will be at Sams Monday after work..

Again, I appreciate it!

Rodney

[dougmcp]

Take a photo of your old batteries and wiring before you change them out so you have a reference if something doesn't work in the end.
I know you will likely want to try it after you install the batteries, it's OK for a few minutes but new batteries should be charged before using them.
Lead acid batteries do not have a memory and you should charge your batteries every time you have more than 15-30 minutes of pedal time.
Let us know how it goes.

[Michael Eddie]

So THAT'S who that weird guy was taking all those pictures of batteries in the store!

[dougmcp]

Yup, it was me. I was doing a comparison of batteries awhile ago and it seemed easier to shoot a photo than write anything down, that way if I forgot something I could always refer to the photo.
So I guess that was you I had to crop out of the photos, some people are glory hounds.