Battery testing?

JMatyas

2001 EZ GO TXT 36V.

Any particular voltage meter better than other?
Please give specific instructions on how to test the pack vs testing individual batteries. If there is a post that details the testing procedure guiding me to it would be great.

I have four T605 that are 2008's and two Napa 8146 that are at least three years old but I don't know how old exactly. I bought the Trojans but the Napas were in it. It has been losing power alot faster than it used to. I am assuming the Napas are shot. I know it is best to replace all the batts at once but did not know this when I bought the four Trojans and cannot see replacing the four one year old Trojans because I have to replace the Napas. Any help would be appreciatted.

BGW

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SpoiledRotten

Good question for a beginner like me. I'll keep watching this one.



BTW.... this is post 100 for me. Let's have a party!

scottyb

It is not recommended to mix new and old batteries in a pack because they have very different charging needs. A new battery is quite active inside while an old one is not so much. ( Google how a lead acid battery works) The new battery requires less charging than the old ones to come up to the required voltage for your cart. What happens when they are put in the same pack is the new ones are over charged while waiting for the old ones to come up... this over heats the new batteries essentially cooking them and results in a weakened condition and a shortened lifespan.

You should look for 2 used batteries to replace your very old ones. I am sorry to say you will not be getting the full lifespan out of the 4 Trojans you bought 2 yrs ago.... Try to find 2 more identical Trojans to complete your pack...
Any Home depot type store sells Digital DC Voltmeters spend $40-50 to get a good Sperry or such! Good luck.

SpoiledRotten

I've always heard that the old batteries will bring down the new ones to the old's level pretty quickly. I believe a guy from Interstate Batteries told me that a few years back when I was in there to replace one of the two that are in my Ford PSD, not to be confused with my E-Z-GO PDS.

dougmcp

What ScottyB said.
I have about 8 meters, 1 Amprobe, 1 Fluke, 4 Harbor Freight and 2 old analog VOM's.
The highest quality meters are the Amprobe and Fluke but they are costly. If you make your living with tools, these are what you need.
I use the 2 VOM's to test my digital meters if the batteries are failing.
The 4 Harbor Freight meters I bought on sale for about $3 apiece and honestly, except for the quality of the leads, they do everything the $100 Fluke does.

I always have a (HF) meter in my toolbox and one on each boat and in the cart because if it's at home, it's not much good to you.

Here's the HF meter:



7 Function Digital Multimeter

* Functions: AC and DC voltage, AC and DC resistance, DC amperage, battery test, diode test
* Fused circuit with diode protection
* Low battery indicator
* LCD readout with backlight
* High-impact construction
* 24" leads with banana plugs
* Push-button on/off switch with auto-off
* 750 VAC or 1000 VDC max. input

scottyb

8 Meters There's an idea..... i could probably find one when I needed one if I had 6 or 8 meters Problem is it would have a dead battery in it
I got 2.... my good one in the shop and the cheap HF model in the truck.....

JMatyas

Thanks for the bad news. Wish the guy at Batteries Plus told me that when I bought the four new ones. I hope I can get at least three years from these batteries. This makes me wish I bought a gas cart. I may replace the two older batteries and trade it.

I went to Walmart and they had a $25 meter that had a setting for 6V. The ones at Lowes and Discount Auto did not have a 6v setting. I don't see a 6v setting on the one in the photo. I guess I'll get the one from Walmart.

dougmcp

Don't look for a meter that has a specific voltage like 6v, that's not enough range to measure a 6v battery, they are usually 6.41v +/-.
The settings on the meters are the maximum voltage range.
To test a 6v battery you place the meter on 20v and it reads anything from 0v-20v to 2 decimal points ie 6.41.
When you test the pack voltage you set the meter on 200v and it reads anything from 0v-200v to 1 decimal point ie 38.2 for a 36v cart.

JMatyas

Thanks for clearing that up.

PIII

my cart runs solid for about 27 holes of golf then runs down, if i replaced 2 batteries a month would that still damage the new batteries? thanks.