PowerWise 36 Volt Charger Repair or Replace?

[RebelStryker]

I have a PowerWise charger that is only getting my ~6 month old T-105 batteries up to about 90% charge. I have tested the batteries and all is well, so I am fairly certain that it is a charger issue.

My question is this: Is there a part that I can replace in the charger that will fix my problem or should I invest the money in a new charger? Keep in mind that this charger and the golf cart that goes with it will be sold as soon as I get the cart rebuilt. I don't want to sell something to someone that I know has a problem, but I am trying to make a few bucks so I want to go the most cost effective route.

[simple man]

Check your battery pack voltage with the charger running and after several hours of charging. The charger should be putting out 43-46 volts. If it is and it turns off automatically, it's operating properly. Two things that go bad in these chargers are the diode assembly and the capacitor. If either of these are bad the charger will more than likely not charge or it will be a very low charge.

[JohnnieB]

Another thing to look for is a voltage drop across any wire or cable in the charging loop. (Two wires from the charge receptacle and the heavy gauge cables connecting the batteries together, plus a fuse if it exists)

Check for voltage on these wires/cables while there is current flowing through them, the high the current the better. (IE: At the start on a charging cycle)

Basically, if there are any voltage drops on these wires and cables, the charger will see a higher On-Charge voltage than what is actually being applied to the batteries and will shut off prematurely.

[RebelStryker]

Thanks guys. The wiring to the charger port and the batteries "looked" fairly new and good, but I did not think to check it electrically for voltage drop. I will take some readings when I get the cart back together, however, I will have all new 2 awg wiring by then so the problem may be gone.

[JohnnieB]

Dirty contacts in the charger plug/receptacle can cause problem as well as the charger's output cable and the wiring inside the charger.

Which Powerwise charger do you have? They made several models.

[RebelStryker]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

Dirty contacts in the charger plug/receptacle can cause problem as well as the charger's output cable and the wiring inside the charger.

Which Powerwise charger do you have? They made several models.

Model # G04

[JohnnieB]

G04 is the model number's suffix.
Does it look like the picture attached?

[RebelStryker]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

G04 is the model number's suffix.
Does it look like the picture attached?

Sorry. I guess the numbers would help. 28115. Yes, it looks like the picture. Thanks!

[JohnnieB]

The ammeter should jump up to about 18A when the charger comes on after being plugged into cart, stay there for a few minutes up to a half hour or so and then start tapering off as the On-Charge pack voltage climbs above 41V.
The ammeter will eventually decrease down to less than 5A as the On-Charge voltage continues to climb and the charger will shut off when it climbs into the 44V to 46V range.

[RebelStryker]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

The ammeter should jump up to about 18A when the charger comes on after being plugged into cart, stay there for a few minutes up to a half hour or so and then start tapering off as the On-Charge pack voltage climbs above 41V.
The ammeter will eventually decrease down to less than 5A as the On-Charge voltage continues to climb and the charger will shut off when it climbs into the 44V to 46V range.

That's pretty much exactly what I just observed. I actually measured the voltage (45.04) just a few seconds before the charger cut off. Maybe I should buy a PowerBall ticket tonight.

The voltage drop across each battery cable measured .004 volts. Does that seem obsessive? That's on what appear to be fairly new 6 AWG cables. I am still waiting on some heat shrink I ordered so I haven't put the new 2 AWG cables on yet.

The only thing that changed since I last tried the PowerWise charger is that I did a good equalize charge on the batteries individually. I then let them rest for a couple of days. I acquired this cart with the ~6 month old batteries from someone else, so I dont know how well they were taken care of.

Thanks for the help!