battery issue

[btcdc]

I have a 07 PDS 36v with 06 batteries per the ground post, along with a Power Wise qe charger. this has no gauge just a light indicator (long green=<80% short green>80% solid 100%, red blink default code.

Heres my problem, from full charge i can take a 10 minute ride come back and plug it in for the night, it will blink green for days and finally turn red. at this point the batteries and wires are super hot. I was told by one of the local guys that I have a week battery in the pack and I need to equalize them. this is done by disconnecting them and take voltage reading on each. find the weak one and charge up to full. hook them back up and run for a while and charge as normal. well i disconnected and took volt readings and here is what I had; 6.32, 6.31, 6.37, 6.35, 6.31, 6.36. so none really seemed out of the box. so i left them disconnected for a day and rechecked at 6.09, 6.19, 6.24, 6.24, 6.15, 6.25.

didn't see the need to charge one battery seperate. I connected them back up and while making the last connection it has a pretty good draw due to the spark. so i flipped the run/tow to tow and no spark while making last connection. back to run and pretty good spark again.

so it is on charge again with a long green. oh all the batteries have water as required.

I tried the dionastic code check and no beeps.

what else can I check?

[Michael Eddie]

You need to fully charge the pack, and then take a reading of each battery. Then do a load test. Ride the cart until the end of its charge cycle or around 30 minutes, jack up the rear of the cart and test each battery while running.

[btcdc]

I will charge it over night and check it. I will take before/after/runnig readiings. I'll let you know how it turns out.

thanks

[Michael Eddie]

yep I'll wait let me know.

[dougmcp]

I was told by one of the local guys that I have a week battery in the pack and I need to equalize them. this is done by disconnecting them and take voltage reading on each. find the weak one and charge up to full. hook them back up and run for a while and charge as normal. well i disconnected and took volt readings and here is what I had; 6.32, 6.31, 6.37, 6.35, 6.31, 6.36. so none really seemed out of the box. so i left them disconnected for a day and rechecked at 6.09, 6.19, 6.24, 6.24, 6.15, 6.25.

There is no need to disconnect your batteries for any reason other than to clean the terminals. Your battery charger automatically equalizes them each time it charges and shuts off.
If you are getting no trouble codes your charger is likely working fine and your problems are with the batteries themselves.
Your battery readings after sitting for a day indicate they are getting weak.
The best one in the pack (6.25v) is only 80% charged and the worst one (6.09v) is just over 50% charged. The 6.09 battery is causing the charger to run long and heat up the pack.
I'm guessing that your batteries are getting tired and may need replacement if you can't get the run time out of them.

[btcdc]

I hooked them back together last night flipped it into TOW mode to eliminate extra draw, let them charge for 12 hours, still have a long green blink, < 80% charged and the batteries and wires were extremely hot, along with the batteries boiling. I unplugged it to allow everything to cool before continuing. Once this is done can I connect two batteries together and charge with a 12v charger due to the fact my car charger does not have a 6v setting.
And if I do charge all separate what is the reading suppose to be at fully charged per battery?

[dougmcp]

Although there is a little parasitic draw from the controller, changing to the tow mode is basically only for towing, long term storage and removing your batteries.
The reason your cables are hot and your batteries are boiling is because you have one or more bad batteries.
To determine your battery condition, charge and rest for 8-12 hours before you take your voltage readings.
Here is a chart I did to help determine your state of charge:

[btcdc]

I will post results tonight, Im going to give them a chance to settle out.
Thanks for all your help.

[btcdc]

so here are the results. intitial reading of pack was 39.02 running volts 35.5. individual battery
batt before/run
(1) 6.29/5.89
(2) 6.22/5.80
(3) 6.24/5.92
(4) 6/25/5.92
(5) 6.22/5.86
(6) 6.24/5.85
looks like they all drop below the desired level, so could it be one battery draging them down or
do I need to cut back to 1 meal a day and purchase a whole pack

[dougmcp]

Your battery voltages are only coming up to about 80% of a full charge but your batteries seem to be leveling out.
If the low readings are from when you are cruising, they are at an acceptable level with nothing to worry about except the batteries.
If you are not satisfied with the run time on this pack, it's time to budget for a new set.
IMO the best batteries on the market are Crown, Trojan and US Battery followed by Exide.
If price is your concern, Sam's Club has GC-2 Energizers that have virtually the same specs as Trojan T-105's and are 35% less in price.
I did a 48v conversion to my cart and although I had 6 year old Trojans, I replaced them with Energizers as I couldn't justify the 40% cost difference. I've had them for only 5 months and they have been flawless, time will tell if I made the right choice.
As far as battery performance and life expectancy is concerned, I find that maintenance is more important than the brand.

[btcdc]

my bud put a set of energizes from Sams and has had to change out a couple to get a good set. he did say he saved a pile by going with them though. that may be the better option if you get 4 years from a set that cost half the price of a set that last for 5 years.

As painful as it will be i guess I'll price them and see. is there a place on the world wide web that you can puchase them cheaper that doesn't kill you on shipping?

[dougmcp]

When you get new batteries, regardless of the brand you buy, charge them before you drive the cart.

• New batteries will take about 25 charge cycles to come up to 95% of their potential and an additional 75 charges to get to 100%.
• Monthly maintenance is the key to battery longevity.
• Recharge after any more than 15 minutes of pedal time.
• Never run the batteries below 80% discharged, for maximum life, 50% is even better. Lead acid batteries have no memory effect.
• Never let batteries sit uncharged, when you are done for the day recharge immediately. Batteries with less than 95% charge will sulfate and shorten their usable life.
• Use only distilled water and fill only 1/4"-1/2" above the plates. Only add water after charging unless the plates are exposed, then just enough to cover the plates.

[btcdc]

I am religious about checking water level and I keep it chaged. I was told that you should always keep it charged. if you cruz around when you return no matter if it is slowing or not plug it back in when parked. the charger will shut off when full. best to keep it over 75%.

I bought this at a local EZ GO dealer used at Christmas, so I don't know the history on the batteries. I'm sure it was a golf course cart at on time so who knows.

I called him and will drop it off next week to see what he says. I'm sure he will not say it needs a whole pack since I'm going to hit him up for it.

if the cart gets a new pack I will need the ins and outs to maximize my charge.

[dougmcp]

Seems like you have a pretty good knowledge on battery maintenance.
Whenever you talk to a battery person or even a dealer they will always tell you to replace batteries as a pack whenever possible.
The dealer may look for the least expensive fix for your batteries and replace 1 or 2. I would remind him of his own advice and see if he will do the whole pack and offer to pay a reasonable portion for the upgrade.

[btcdc]

well if I get out early enough, it is going back to the dealer today. got my fingers crossed on him doing me right on the pack. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thanks again for all of ya'lls help.

If I go in showing a little bit of knowledge he will be less likely to blow smoke.

[btcdc]

so i ran the cart to the dealer on Monday. going to see what he will cover. he stated that there probably was one battery low and he will look into it. I told him that I have done several checks on the pack and on eack individual battery, I didn't see one that was really lower from one to another. the bateries are 5 years old I would like to have the whole pack replaced at this point.
I'll let you know what he says..........
Thanks Guys.......

[dougmcp]

I would guess that you got a better deal on your cart because the batteries were 5 years old so it boils down to what warranty was placed on the cart and how benevolent the dealer is going to be. Did he load test the batteries or just use a voltmeter?
If you are satisfied with the run time, possibly replacing one battery may give you a couple more years of use. I have seen batteries last up to 8 or 9 years if they are taken care of.
I have a pack of 6x6v on my boat that are from Feb 2002 and still test out at about 85% but they have been on a smart charger since day one.

[btcdc]

not really a better deal, all the carts were around the same price, pending accessories. It would be wise for a expective buyer to join the forum prior to purchasing a cart. this will tell them how to know the age of your Batteries and other important info. prior to making the sale.

[dougmcp]

You're correct about being informed before you make a purchase but that's rarely the case, at least it was with me when I bought my first cart.
Well, the least I can say is good luck with your dealer negotiations.

[Retired Jim]

Dougmcp, I was floored with your comment that it will take 100 (75 +25) charge cycles to get my new batteries fully charging at 100%. Since I will use my cart about 8 days a month (camping resort) that will take me almost a year. Does this mean I will finally see a Faster running and/or longer running cart from my new batteries at the end of a year? I usually see about a 25 to 30 percent used indicater light on my guage (having maybe 60 to 70 percent remaining on the guage. This pattern of usage is about 1.5 to 2 hours of riding per day of usage. I guess I am not riding that much.