Second opinion OBC, charger?

dlhoag

Before I proceed with repairs I am requesting a second opinion.

Charger is a Lester model number 17930
Condition of this charger is original, poor, but still worked fine.

Golf cart is a club car serial number A9644-540322
Condition of this golf cart (total rebuild)

Things that I added to the golf cart that are not original.

1) added a digital readout on the dash. The negative side is wired to the be negative ( B-) on the controller, the positive side is
wired to the switched side of the key switch.

2) Made my own cables from class M arc welding cable which was 6 gauge.
This cable has a very flexible outer lining and was just a few thousandths of an inch thicker than the stock cable.
This seemed to pass through the onboard computer case with "little" effort but was still a tighter fit than stock.

Before I begin I have to say that this golf cart was taken down to the frame and rebuilt.
All of the electrical was inspected, cleaned, and reinstalled to perfection. The wiring harness was in good shape but still
it was cleaned and new wire loom material to protect the wires was installed. Any part that showed its age was replaced.

All high amperage cables were replaced as well as all batteries, forward and reverse switch, charging receptacle, solenoid, fuses and so forth.

A digital readout voltmeter was also installed in the dash which is a valuable asset in my opinion.

This golf cart is a beast, and ran perfectly without any issues at all.

I have only charged these batteries three or four times since the rebuild.

And now to my issue.

The battery voltage according to my digital readout was down to 46.5 volts (while driving the cart) and my charge light was lit so it was time to charge
the golf cart again.

I plugged the golf cart into the charger and the gauge on the charger went to about 15 amps.

I thought this may have been a little bit on the high side but it seemed to be fine.

About one hour later I walked past the cart and my charge light on the dash was lit again, and the meter on the charger was at zero.

I unplugged the charger and turned on the cart to read the battery voltage (48.1 at rest) which showed that the batteries were not fully charged.
I plugged the charger back into the cart and the results were the same.

Thinking that it may be a charger problem I went to my neighbor who has the same charger and borrowed his, I tried that one but the results were the same once again.

The golf cart worked perfectly before I plugged it into the charger, the golf cart will no longer move forward but will in reverse.

I have reset the computer by disconnecting the battery cables and discharging the onboard computer.

So my question is.

Could my charger have caused damage to my onboard computer resulting in more than one issue to repair.

I have tried to explain myself clearly and if any information is needed to help me resolve this issue, I will be there for you.

Edit to my post!

After letting it sit for some time, now it will move forward and reverse but still no charge.

The golf cart will not charge with my neighbors charger or mine.

BGW

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jjance

I would start with the batteries. You are letting then run down to far.
If its been more than 3 days since the rebuild that's not enough.
48.1 v is a little less than 50% charge. What kind of batteries (brand) did you install?

dlhoag

Trojan Batteries
Have not used the cart very much.

jjance

Try this. Do an equalization charge on the batteries. When the charger shuts off on what appears to be a normal charge immediately unplug the DC cord and plug it right back in.

Golf cart guy

So when you plug the charger in do you hear the relay click inside the charger?
If Yes- check the A/C side of things first

If NO- run a bypass on the cart side and see if the charger turns on

Sounds as though the OBC was beginning to fail anyway, as you stated that it would run for a short period of time and then shut off. If its the original "hanger", its due for an upgrade anyway.

dlhoag

Golf Cart Guy

This was certainly unusual event for this cart.

Yes there was power to the charger and yes I could hear a click.

No I have not tried the bypass as of yet but did do a reboot of the computer earlier in the day.

I did however use my neighbors charger which works fine and could not get the cart to charge.

I believe that you are correct in saying that the OBC is starting to or has failed.

Believe I will do a simple repair on the charger by replacing the charging cable and plug.

I will contact my local dealer about a new OBC.


jjance

Thank you for your comment but I cannot get any charger to show a charge at this point.

mrgolf

Before you buy a new obc, check the price of the DPI charger with scottyb site sponsor.

teecro

Absolutely... And your batteries will thank you by living a longer stronger life too!

dlhoag

This was an option I was not aware of.
All I can say is thank you for this great recommendation!

Dragracer_Art

I'd DEFINITELY ditch the OBC and get the DPI Accusense charger.

I have one and it's keeping my 9yr old Deka batteries alive and well.