Club Car ('03?) Battery Question

[MJBakken]

Okay, so my golf cart is slow. Noticeably slow, slower than other Club Cars of the same design that I see riding around my town. I refilled the batteries with distilled water, keep it charged, and don't run it down to its death. I know golf carts are notorious for going slow up hills, but after a mile or two it feels like it's going to literally stop, and I have yet to see another golf cart in the same situation. Before sending it to where it was purchased, I'll ask here.
Does this look like it could be a factor in the problem?

Notice the (melting?) wiring, yeah that doesn't look normal. Here's a picture of the rest of the batteries unlike the previous

Any information would be helpful.

[sonicj]

a quality 4awg wire kit will make a huge difference in your hill climbing performance! in the interim, clean that one crusty terminal with a stiff brush & some baking soda mixed with water. make sure all connections are tight. test batteries with a single float hydrometer to identify any bad cells. good luck!
-sj

[MJBakken]

Thank you very much!
And 4awg wire kit, is there a specific type for batteries or could I use ones with a description "for amps"..?
And for the hydrometer, would that be readily available at a store, as in WalMart?

[sonicj]

a amp kit is more like for installing a amplifier in a car stereo system. you want a 4awg battery cable set make specifically for your cart. these are composed of fine strand welding cable, tinned lugs & shrink sealed ends. check out genuinedealz.com. link. they can build & terminate your cables properly.
-sj

[trigger1937]

MJ,...In looking at your pictures I'm not sure you really have "Deep Cycle" batteries. I see that you have a couple of Trojan's and those are fine but the others don't look so. Can you confirm what you have. Have you check to see that you are really charging the cells to a good level. Do you have a Hydrometer. If so then check the water in each cell and lets hope you don't find one or more cells that are very bad or dead.

[erict]

MJ,...In looking at your pictures I'm not sure you really have "Deep Cycle" batteries. I see that you have a couple of Trojan's and those are fine but the others don't look so. Can you confirm what you have. Have you check to see that you are really charging the cells to a good level. Do you have a Hydrometer. If so then check the water in each cell and lets hope you don't find one or more cells that are very bad or dead.

Those are Pacer batteries and where made by Trojan. They where Trojans low end batteries. Not sure if they even offer them anymore.

http://bestbatteries.co.nz/batteries/golf-cart-batteries/pacer-trojan.html

[sonicj]

Those are Pacer batteries and where made by Trojan. They where Trojans low end batteries. Not sure if they even offer them anymore.

i was thinking the same thing... the plastics look like they came out of the same molds.
-sj

[MJBakken]

I'll be getting a hydrometer shortly; these batteries are all of what were installed when I bought the cart. If the hydrometer tells me what you're thinking, I'll definitely have to invest in some new batteries..

[dougmcp]

I would start by cleaning and tightening all your cables, the one on the second battery looks iffy.
You can test your cart without a hydrometer, attach your voltmeter to the pack voltage (it should be in the 51v range) and take the cart for a drive. You will notice the voltage sag when you step on the throttle, any sag of more than 15% (43.5v) would leave your batteries as suspect.
If you find that to be a problem you will then have to isolate the bad battery (s) by attaching the voltmeter to one battery at a time and do the same test 6 times. The 8v batteries should be about 8.49v at start and sag no more than to about 7.23v.
Your batteries are mismatched and you may or may not be due for a complete change out.
There is a state of charge chart located here for you to give you an idea of where your batteries are at: http://www.golfcartsforum.com/golf-c...rge-chart.html

[tombdavis]

Great information about the 15% drop on the 48 volt cart. Is 15% a good number for the 36 volt cart. Would be a sag of anything less than 30.6 v? Correct?

[dougmcp]

Great information about the 15% drop on the 48 volt cart. Is 15% a good number for the 36 volt cart. Would be a sag of anything less than 30.6 v? Correct?

You are correct Tom, 15% is a good number regardless of the voltage.