Picked up a deal on an EZGO cart ...

RacerX10

Make: Medalist Type: Electric 36 V Model: Electric Medalist (DCS) Year: 1996

The T-105 Trojans in the cart say "A3" on the negative terminal. I've been able to charge up all the batteries to between 6.05 and 6.15 volts, most around 6.10 volts.

Kart seems to work well, but after running it a short while, it doesn't wanna go up small inclines very well. Also, when it gets in that frame of mind, it oddly runs better BACKWARDS (reverse switch in reverse) than forwards. Not sure if that's a hint or not.

Anyway, I presume battery condition is in question, but individual battery volts seem to be coming up decent.

Any thoughts on if these batteries are good ? What else might cause it to not go up a moderate incline well ?

Do I need to start bracing myself for a set of batteries ? Is a 1996 kart worth spending money on ? It's in generally very good condition.

I plan to use the kart for just scooting around the property here at the house. It won't ever get far from the barn.

Thanks for your thoughts !

BGW

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mgray70

It's defiantly worth messing with. You can test the battery pack under a load. If you can clamp test leads to the pack and see how much the voltage drops while your going up that hill would give you some answers. Full pack voltage is 38.2 and if it drops more than 3-4 volts while under load you could have a bad battery or batteries.

RacerX10

Thanks Mgray .. I can do that. I'll do some load testing on each individual battery and report back here.

Budweisr33

Check and clean all terminals and really inspect the Fnr switch for corrosion and good contact. Use 2 wrenches on motor and solenoid terminals when tightening.
Any and all problems can be answered by the members of this site, they are WAY smart.

rib33024

The DCS cart controller does not like low volts . Running that controller on low volts, it will fail for sure. Make sure they are charged up before you drive it any more, or you will be buying a new controller. The volts that you posted , means the batteries are dead. 50% charged is considered dead 36.8 is 50% charged

radioman

How about the electrolyte level? That would be the first thing I would check. Add distilled water if necessary.

RacerX10

Did that. All batteries were low or dry when I got it. Adding distilled water and several charge / desulfate cycles got me to the 6.05 - 6.15 range it's at now.

scottyb

Install a battery meter or risk controller damage.
Dry batteries suffer irreversible damage resulting in lost capacity. Such loss will result in decreased run-time but importantly - increased voltage drop.
As mentioned the OEM DCX control has a fatal flaw. It has no low voltage protection. When low voltage (30v or less) operation is reached the motor will increase amperage draw which will cause excess heat buildup in the control and it can instantly fry. Do not rebuild the stock control. Aftermarket Alltrax DCX controls remedied this flaw.
Personally I like the DCS cart for their combination of torque and speed when fitted with the DCX or newer XCT control.

In dash digital meters as low as $18 . http://www.cartsunlimited.net/battery-led-meters.html

RacerX10

Thanks scottyb .. I'd actually already gotten one, just haven't installed it yet. It's not going to give me a voltage, but I wanted something wife friendly. She won't know what "31.4" means, but she will know what "yellow" or whatever means. I'll figure out where 31v is on the meter and never go under that.

This is the meter I got :

rib33024

31 volts is low on the battery pack. You should try not to go below 50% which is 36 volts. It's time to recharge at 36 volts. and that meter you got, I wouldn't use it on my cart to keep track of my $700 dollars worth of batteries. A digital meter is the only way to go to keep an eye on the volts of your batteries