After recharging, cart only briefly runs, then slows to stop

RG500

Cart is ’99 EZ-GO I purchased 2 months ago. Only use it on weekends and it ran fine last weekend. After recharging it all last night, it went forward or backward for only few feet, then it stopped and started shuddering slightly. If I recharge it again for about one hour, it does the same thing … moves a few feet, then stops and starts shuddering slightly. Get 38V across main terminals of battery pack. Each battery tests out at about 6.4V. When F/R switch is in reverse, cart makes loud backup alarm sound. Checked all battery and other electrical connections very carefully. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

BGW

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rusty

Welcome to the forum RG500........................

Sounds like a battery has gone bad, if your sure the cable connections are good and clean. 1 bad cell in 1 battery can cause the problem your having and 1 bad battery can cause the other batteries to perform inappropriately, or pulling the others down.

Check each battery voltage after a fresh charge and you should see one battery lower in voltage than the others.

Let us know what you found.

RG500

Tx very much for the response, Rusty. After reading numerous postings on this site, I rechecked every battery connection, and wire brushed the living daylights out of each battery terminal and cable connection to ensure a good connection. I also rechecked each battery's voltage, which checked out ok for evey one of them. But checking each one with a battery hydrometer (I think that's what it's called), two batteries were marginal (they weren't dead, but they are marginal).

The guy who sold me the cart pointed me to where the service manual for later model EZ-Go's is located online:

http://www.ransomes-jacobsen.biz/spe...%20English.pdf

This is the complete service manual. My neighbor and I started going thru the manual's diagnostic trouble tree (it's very good) late yesterday and still have a couple of tests to perform, but it's looking like the 2 marginal batteries are the root cause of the problem. Isn't there a much easier way to test the amp power of the batteries to know if they are the problem? What do the pros who service these vehicles for a living do? They must have some easy test to perform.

Also, is very interesting to diagnose an American made battery-powered vehicle like the EZ-GO's. They definitely weren't designed to be easily serviceable. Example: removing 3 or the 4 bolts holding down the controller's plastic cover is a real pain because they aren't easily accessible. There shouldn't be any bolts at all. More surprising, there's no rubber gasket sealing the cover. Very, very poor engineering. So far, I'm not very impressed with the EZ-GO's.

roady89

Get a load tester and test the 2 suspect batteries.

captkirknc

Roady is right on, the only good way to test the load capability is with a good battery load tester. I have an old red and blue Deka tester and it don't lie. If it says replace, then you need to replace.

However, occassionally batteries can get "starved" in the charging process by poor connections, low water etc. You can charge them seperately by connecting you battery charger (6 vdc) directly to the post of the suspect battery. If you don't have a 6 vdc charger, you can string two of the batteries togeter by connecting a cable between the (+) post on one battery to the (-) poston the other. Then connect your 12 vdc (typical auto battery charger) to the (-) post on the first battery and the (+) post on the second one. You don't even have to isolate the battery, but I usually do. I usually charge them on 2 to 10 amp "trickle" charge, depending on your charger capability, for 24 hours, then load test them. If they don't pass the load test, it is time to bid them good bye.

Also, just in case you haven't read it on here, it is not good to put a new battery in an old string and vice versa. Most people tell you to replace the entire string with new batteries. I usually pick up a good used battery from where the shop had replaced the entire string and had some good batteries left. Also, golf courses do a wholesale "swapp out" of batteries occassionally and the golf cart shop usually gets the good batteries for this purpose. There are several schools of thought on this, so this is just mine.

RG500

Roady, what load tester do you recommend and where do you suggest I buy one? Also, any recommendations re brand of batteries that last well? My cart currently has Champion batteries. Tx very much for the advice. Also, this site is awesome!

roady89

Take the 2 suspect batteries to some place like autozone...or some place that has a load tester. Autozone will test the batteries for you....but if your gonna keep playing with electrics it's a good idea to own one. I know autozone will have one. Might call first though.