Club Car Precedent Batteries running down sooner than they used to

[teecro]

Originally Posted by Sergio

teecro, You want the batteries to be within 0.10v of each other.

So a range of say 8.50 to 8.59 or less would not be of any real concern?

[Sergio]

Your back to back charging plan should get the batteries closer in voltage.

I have my little passive voltage by-pass on my batteries since they were new almost 4 years ago and they are within 0.02v of each other.

[Rob_s]

Originally Posted by Sergio

Rob_s, With the key switch ON, unplug the DC cord, wait 30 seconds and plug it back in.

Watch the voltmeter to see if the pack voltage increases above 56v.

The pack voltage should return to a little over 51v a few hours after the charger turns off.

Got 56.6 with it plugged in and charger buzzing and key on.

[Rob_s]

Bumping this since I thought we were doing fine but wife says maybe not.

I found the batteries low on water, and the tires low on air, so I corrected all of that. Batteries are topped up with water, and tires are at 19 PSI (tire markings say max 20).

Here's the voltages I'm seeing (tested at terminals and with dash meter)

54.6 when on charge
51.2 60 seconds after coming off charger
45.1 when at full throttle doing 24-26 mph

[Sideways]

More good info to have.

[Fairtax4me]

The simple answer to this is that your batteries are not holding as much capacity as they used to.

Testing voltage is only part of the story. I've seen plenty of batteries test at or near "full charge" by voltage, but when you apply a load to them they fall flat on their face. Or they show relatively good charge level, but the next day they're dead again.

Run the cart for your normal routine. Check pack voltage before plugging it in to charge. Charge it all the way, then check the pack voltage 12 hours after the charger turns off.

45V when running at full speed seems low to me. Checking voltage when accelerating or when climbing a hill gives you a better idea of the packs health IMO.