Powerwise II max charge of 37.3V

[outlaw383]

I have a powerwise II charger that is maxing out at 37.8V while in charge cycle and only charging my batteries to 37.3V. I used a friends charger and it charges at 42V which charged my batteries to 37.8v the first time I used it. I have them charging again now hoping to reach 38.22V. Can any one tell me what is wrong with my charger?

[gaminde]

could be a battery problem also charger should be going to 42 - 43 volts at end of charge cycle not in the middle

[gaminde]

is this for the cart in the picture or is it for a 36 volt cart I have a hard time with all the different names give the year and voltage of your cart then ill have a good idea what's going on

[outlaw383]

Yeah this is the cart in the picture. It is a 2009 EZGO TXT 36V. The charger I have at the end of the charge cycle was only reaching 37.8V the other charger I used clibmed up to 42V at the end of the charge cycle. Batteries are Trojan T-605 and only about a 18 months old.

[gaminde]

Is this charger the one you have

[outlaw383]

I will open the charger up later tonight and reply back but here is the info on the charger I could find until I get a chance to take apart.
EZGO Powerwise II
date code: 4506
serial #: 450001380
36v 21A
Has gage on front for 0-30 DC Amperes(which I have never seen past 5-10 range) Not sure what it should read while charging.

[gaminde]

if above charger is correct my money is on the capacitor or one of the diodes. Capacitor

[gaminde]

both Jameco and WW Grangers have capacitors for around 6 bucks
they are motor run capacitors so whoever would sell something like that
maybe even home depot for garage door openers

[outlaw383]

I do have the same charger as the one in the diagram above. I did find the (negative side) connector on the plug-in to be somewhat discolored and the plastic housing was melted to the prong itself. The bolt holding the wire to the prong was loose, not sure if this is my problem but I feel it may have been. I will do a test charge tomorrow and see, if not I will perform testing on the diodes and the capicator.

[Larry1950]

I agree with gaminde.
My bet is one of the diodes is bad. It is possible the capacitor is bad, but when the voltage is low and the charge current is low its usually a bad diode. Charging current should be 18 to 20 amps as charge increases the current should drop back to 5 to 10 amps and the batteries get closer to full charge. Yep a poor connection can cause all sorts of problems

[gaminde]

yep sounds like it to me take it apart wire brush it put back together

[outlaw383]

Wanted to update on what the actual problem was. Although the plug being corroded and melted somewhat it was not the overall problem as I thought it was. After cleaning the plug connections and testing the charger out I still was not gettting over 37V at the end of the charge. Tested the capacitor and found it to be bad, Had to order one off ebay due to now where in my town having one. Just installed the new capacitor and the charger is running like new. Thanks for all the help.

[gaminde]

Thanks for the update!!

Now what I think happened, this is for the next person having problems and actually reads through the threads

The capacitor is in the primary circuit and throws the two half's of the transformer primary out of phase thus giving a slightly higher voltage out of the transformer

If you go to Grainger's or jameco and get them for 5 to 8 dollars it would be worth replacing as a precautionary repair. Any value up to 30 MFD would work and maybe even higher.