4 quick beeps

[lawnripper]

dash meter is connected to the main batteries pos and neg post. Although if I use my volt meter and compare to the dash meter the dash meter reads a point or two lower then the volt meter direct on the battery post.


Since it is a intermittent problem .. that could still be batteries? If it were batteries would it not run like sluggish all the time?

Also notice when I push on the forward / reverse switch while key is on the dash meter will drop from let's say 38.2 to 37.6 then back as I push in it? Maybe some connections that need to be cleaned up and crimped? We live in a dusty , muddy hot rural bumpy dirt road tropical environment ... just wandering and hoping the 2 year old Trojan 105 pack I have is not already failing��. I have ran a cell or two on the pack dry about 3 times.. is that enough to screw things up?

Seems like I have to top off batteries a lot here..

[JohnnieB]

As long as you are using the same meter (dash or handheld) for the voltage comparisons, a point or two difference between the two meter's readings doesn't mean much, but is something to be aware of.

A 36V battery pack consists of 18 x 2V cells, so a 2V drop could mean one cell is shorting intermittently. Also, cells that seem perfectly normal under a light load may fail under heavy load. Especially if they have been ran low on water.

To find out if any of the individual batteries is the culprit, monitor the batteries individually with the handheld and some clip-leads. It'll take some time since the only time the problem exists is when the cart is sluggish. If your handheld has a Min/Max function, it will be easier to do.

Also, cleaning and tightening all the plugs and other connections is a good idea.

[lawnripper]

Thanks JohnnieB! Always appreciated!

When monitoring individual battery what numbers should I be looking for ? Let's say the battery is at 6.34 what would be a normal reading underload and a abnormal reading?

[JohnnieB]

A 225AH - 6V battery in near perfect health will drop about 0.17V/100A, less capacity and less healthy batteries will drop more. An abnormal reading would be 2V or more below the start voltage. (<4.34V if battery started at ~6.34V)

Fortunately, we're not looking for a specific amount of voltage drop, we are comparing the voltage drops of six batteries and looking for one that is dropping significantly more than the others.

Also, we are looking for the difference between the start voltages and the lowest voltages reached while under the same load rather the the actual voltages measured on the DVM.

[lawnripper]

ok so I just did the test.. but the cart was ofcoarse feeling normal and had pep.

I will try again when we are feeling it being sluggish.

for now the reading were:
I started with what I call battery #3 next to extra battery space behind driver. I call #1 the battery that has the pos from the charger input and #4 the battery that has the neg input from charger and #6 being the battery next to fuse box closer to motor.

listed in the order i tested.

#3. 6.41 - 5.87
#2. 6.39 - 5.84
#1. 6.37 - 5.83

#6. 6.33 - 5.74
#5. 6.32 - 5.76
#4. 6.30 - 5.76

these are the readings after 12-13 hours from a complete and finished charge.

#1. 6.6
#2. 6.57
#3. 6.57
#4. 6.54
#5. 6.5
#6. 6.54

the pack reading was 39.2 ( the second i press the gas pedal and let it go the pack number goes to about 38.7

So This time around do not seems to see a large difference under load?

should I try again with people in the cart?
or just wait for it to feel abnormally sluggish and test it again?