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Electric Club Car Electric DS, and Precedent golf cars |
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01-10-2015, 10:35 PM | #1 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Maryland
Posts: 18
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2004 48V DS has loss of speed/power going uphill
I've been a stalker on this site for about a year now since buying my first cart just over a year ago. I haven't had any problems until recently... Even after a fresh charge, the cart struggles to go uphill with or without a load. During last years hunting season, it had no issues on my farm going up and down our hilly terrain. This year, it has been a struggle. Even under a full charge it still slows to a creeping crawl when going uphill. It's a 2004 Club Car DS 48 volt.
Looking forward to hearing from you all on how to go about troubleshooting it and fixing it! Thanks in advance for your help! Dave |
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01-11-2015, 12:23 AM | #2 |
Old Sky Soldier
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 3,881
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Re: 2004 48V DS has loss of speed/power going uphill
Sounds like your batteries are worn down. They may charge good and show good voltage even after setting a while after charge. Put a volt meter on the pack and watch the voltage drop real low going up those hills.
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01-14-2015, 12:30 PM | #3 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Maryland
Posts: 18
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Re: 2004 48V DS has loss of speed/power going uphill
Thanks for the suggestion. I am traveling this week and will return home tomorrow. I will post the results as soon as I run the test.
Thanks again! |
06-03-2016, 06:42 AM | #4 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Maryland
Posts: 18
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Re: 2004 48V DS has loss of speed/power going uphill
So this problem is still haunting me and now that my busy season is over, I want to get it fixed. A few things I have noticed that might help some of you with more cart experience help me to figure this out...
When going uphill, it slows down almost a crawl and the voltmeter on the dash will go down about 4-6 volts during the climb. Once on flat ground, it will come back up to where it was originally. On flat ground, it's still reaching its top speed of 18MPH. As for charging, I thought I read somewhere that when charging my 48V system, it should read upwards of 58-60V. My charger shuts off after what I believe to be a full charge and it is usually around 50V. Hope this helps you guys to help me figure it out! I'm starting to wonder if my batteries need to be replaced? Thanks! Fletch |
06-03-2016, 07:14 AM | #5 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Sunset Bay, TN
Posts: 2,390
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Re: 2004 48V DS has loss of speed/power going uphill
Ok so first off if your static rested voltage after charging settles to "around 50" your batteries are only retaining 80 % state of charge... They likely need replacement... Good batteries will maintain close to 51 volts. There is roughly 2.5 volts spread in a 48 volt pack between GOOD and BAD...
2ndly you need to provide us with actual voltages while in operation not a 4-6 volt variance. On flat level ground at speed your voltage should be anywhere between 47 to 49 volts and not drop below 42 volts much at all unless climbing very steep hills or while under heavy load... Third during the charging sequence voltage may climb as high as 65 volts to which a battery then needs to rest 8 to 12 hours for the surface charge to settle and then you can get a reading of actual retained voltage... So as told 5 months ago unless your charger is not fully charging your batteries they sound as though they need to be replaced. Have you looked for a date code on the batteries? If you know their age you can figure 4 to 6 years service life... |
06-03-2016, 07:21 AM | #6 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Sunset Bay, TN
Posts: 2,390
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Re: 2004 48V DS has loss of speed/power going uphill
Also have you checked water levels in the cells?
Are your terminals clean, snug and free from corrosion? I "saved" a neighbors cart from going to the trash heap the other day by removing and scrubbing all connection points clean. One cable was so bad that my wire brush removed the eyelet from the end of the wire. It went from refusing a charge to fully charged and on the road again by the afternoon... |
06-06-2016, 10:24 AM | #7 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Maryland
Posts: 18
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Re: 2004 48V DS has loss of speed/power going uphill
OK, so here's some additional information to help troubleshoot this problem.
When charging, it did go up to 59.5 volts. Once the charger cut off and it sat for a few hours, it read 51 volts. Once I started driving it, it was at 49.9. When I hit the hill, it slowed down to a crawl and read 43.5 volts. Once I came off the hill and was back on flat ground, it went back up to 49.7 volts. Hope this helps give a better idea of what I should be working on to fix this issue. Thanks!!! |
06-06-2016, 03:55 PM | #8 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Green Valley, Az
Posts: 678
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Re: 2004 48V DS has loss of speed/power going uphill
Sounds like bad batteries to me.
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06-06-2016, 04:11 PM | #9 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Chestermere, Alberta - Canada
Posts: 1,146
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Re: 2004 48V DS has loss of speed/power going uphill
The best way to test your batteries (as a pack and individually) is described in THIS THREAD. The article describes a cart which may or may not be the same drive system as yours - but the proper battery test procedure is exactly the same for almost any cart.
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06-06-2016, 04:13 PM | #10 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Maryland
Posts: 18
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Re: 2004 48V DS has loss of speed/power going uphill
Thats what I'm guessing as well but as this is my first cart, I am actually guessing!
But I didn't think it was a battery issue because after a full charge it reads 51.0V. I saw a chart that said fully charged batteries would be 8.49V each, which would be 50.94V. Is this accurate? I'm just trying to avoid $700 in new batteries if thats not my issue. However, if there's a high probability that its the batteries I would make that investment as they are a few years old and my cart is pretty important to my work around my farms. Thanks! |
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2004 ds, loss of power, oss of speed uphill |
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