Bad Battery ?

[ridgerunner51]

I have a 97 regen ,48 volt. Put new batteries in about 8 months ago . The cart sits for weeks at a time. Last week I noticed the on board charge indicator was in the middle. Bottom line is charger not kicking on . Checked batts one low on water, plates showing. Filled with distilled water . Charger still not kicking on . My charger has been checked and found to be good. The cart runs fine . I am guessing I should pull the suspect battery and charge and check it. How do I charge an 8 volt battery with a 12 volt charger ? I live in the northeast and the cart is parked covered out side . Hooked up to charger. Does it sound like I'm on the right track? Thanks Jim

[Gorhad]

I've just developed a similar situation

Pack voltage reads 30mins after o/night charge disconnected 47.7v

Individual batteries read
1 7.99
2 7.91
3 7.99
4 7.96
5 7.93
6 8.00

found this on the net would it work

LEAD ACID BATTERY REPAIR



To breathe new life into your lead acid battery you will need to first purchase the chemical
Magnesium Sulfate.
You won't find it on the shelf of a store if you are looking for magnesium sulfate but you will find it on the shelf of almost every department store and pharmacy if you are looking for EPSOM SALT and it’s only a few dollars!
THE PROCESS:
To recondition your lead acid battery you will need Epsom Salt, and a quart of distilled water.
Warm up the water to about 150 degrees (very hot but not boiling). The temperature doesn't need to be exact and will still work
even if the water is at room temperature, it just won't work as well. Mix 14 heaping table spoons full of Epsom Salt into the water and stir until most or all is dissolved. Most batteries will be low on fluid so adding this solution will not over flow the battery. If not, remove enough electrolyte in the battery to allow this mixture to be added. I have used a turkey baster to remove some liquid out of each cell equally. If they are totally dry , you may not be able to save the battery because the lead plates are most likely ruined. But still worth trying.
Then simply pour this warm solution into your battery where you would normally put water to maintain the acid levels. Do not attempt to put Epsom Salt directly into your battery because it will not dissolve into the battery acid, only water will dissolve Epsom Salt. It is only recommended to add 3/4 quart of solution to an average size battery. After adding the solution it is recommended to put the
caps back on and shake the battery a bit to mix all the chemicals. Place on charger for minimum of 14 hours. It will improve the performance after this first charge, however it takes about a week to fully remove sulfates and optimize the battery capacity. Each time you use and recharge the battery will get closer to original condition.

If you take a battery Hydrometer reading before and after this procedure , you should see a noticeable improvement. This is the best way to measure results.
TIP: For Golf Cart charging I usually use a auto style charger rather than the cart charger. Thisallows individual battery charging (or 2 if you use in 12V mode and go across 2 batteries) You do not have to remove the interconnecting cables on the cart batteries. I do this because most modern automatic chargers will not turn on unless they sense the 36V charge to begin with , so if you have several bad cells or batteries the cart type charger may never turn on. This is not a requirement just a tip. (See dia very bottom of procedure.)

Some batteries have caps that come off the top to maintain the acid levels easily but Low
Maintenance batteries require a bit more work to recondition. A low maintenance battery has its
top sealed shut to prevent evaporation but it also prevents easy reconditioning. These batteries
can still be reconditioned but you will have to look for the "shadow" marks on the top plastic
that shows the holes into the cells. Simply drill holes in the plastic to get access to the cells
then pour in your warm solution. You will then want to plug these holes with plastic hole caps
that can be found at most hardware stores. When purchasing a new battery it is recommended
to look for the batteries that you can easily maintain in the future. It is also recommended to
purchase a small solar charger to keep your unused batteries charged over the winter to
prevent this problem from happening in the future. This method works most of the time but not
all the time. It depends on how bad the cells are decayed. If left dead for long periods the cell plates can rust and/or short out. These will not be helped by this procedure. This process can also only be done 3
to 5 times before the cells are worn out.

[Gorhad]

Here's another portion

Can't remember where i found this yet. It may be on this site???

"TIP FOR GOLF CART CHARGING
· I left my car unattended for a few months and now my charger would not come online. I have a newer model charger: Total Charger, Powerwise, Lestronic II, or Accu-Charge.
Most modern golf cars have a kill switch or a “Tow/Maintenance” switch inside the battery compartment. If you did not flip this switch to the “TOW” or “OFF” position, the car’s batteries will be drained at a rate of about 1 millivolt per day due to the controller’s need for slight power. After a few weeks the batteries will become weak or dead. The newer electronic chargers must sense a certain amount of voltage in the batteries for the charger to come online. If the charger does not come on, the batteries are below the critical level of voltage the charger is trying to sense.
To remedy this problem, charge two adjacent batteries together in a series with a 12-volt auto-style charger. You will need to do this 3 times; once for each of the three sets of two batteries. Once the critical voltage level is reached, use the normal charger and charge as usual. For 8-volt batteries use a 10 minute charge per battery using a low amp 12-volt auto-style charger. Connect the leads before you turn on the charger and only charge each battery for 10 minutes max. Once the critical voltage is achieved, the normal charger will come on to charge."

[rib33024]

Hey Gorhad how does your batteries work when you put this stuff in your batteries --and how old are your batts????--and your batts are no good--his are only 8 months old don't think it's the same thing

[rib33024]

Originally Posted by ridgerunner51

I have a 97 regen ,48 volt. Put new batteries
in about 8 months ago . The cart sits for weeks at a time. Last week I noticed the on board charge indicator was in the middle. Bottom line is charger not kicking on . Checked batts one low on water, plates showing. Filled with distilled water . Charger still not kicking on . My charger has been checked and found to be good. The cart runs fine . I am guessing I should pull the suspect battery and charge and check it. How do I charge an 8 volt battery with a 12 volt charger ? I live in the northeast and the cart is parked covered out side . Hooked up to charger. Does it sound like I'm on the right track? Thanks Jim

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...salt+batteries


Here read this,-----If you have a bad battery you should be able to return it and get a new on--you need a meter and check the pack volts,--then check each battery and post volts here,, you need one of these

[rib33024]

BGW...or... anyone on this forum, ... BGW itself, is/are NOT responsible for your actions in the result of using, or, misusing this information that may cause possible damage to yourself, your property, or someone else!

Originally Posted by Gorhad

I've just developed a similar situation

Pack voltage reads 30mins after o/night charge disconnected 47.7v

Individual batteries read
1 7.99
2 7.91
3 7.99
4 7.96
5 7.93
6 8.00

found this on the net would it work

LEAD ACID BATTERY REPAIR



To breathe new life into your lead acid battery you will need to first purchase the chemical
Magnesium Sulfate.
You won't find it on the shelf of a store if you are looking for magnesium sulfate but you will find it on the shelf of almost every department store and pharmacy if you are looking for EPSOM SALT and it’s only a few dollars!
THE PROCESS:
To recondition your lead acid battery you will need Epsom Salt, and a quart of distilled water.
Warm up the water to about 150 degrees (very hot but not boiling). The temperature doesn't need to be exact and will still work
even if the water is at room temperature, it just won't work as well. Mix 14 heaping table spoons full of Epsom Salt into the water and stir until most or all is dissolved. Most batteries will be low on fluid so adding this solution will not over flow the battery. If not, remove enough electrolyte in the battery to allow this mixture to be added. I have used a turkey baster to remove some liquid out of each cell equally. If they are totally dry , you may not be able to save the battery because the lead plates are most likely ruined. But still worth trying.
Then simply pour this warm solution into your battery where you would normally put water to maintain the acid levels. Do not attempt to put Epsom Salt directly into your battery because it will not dissolve into the battery acid, only water will dissolve Epsom Salt. It is only recommended to add 3/4 quart of solution to an average size battery. After adding the solution it is recommended to put the
caps back on and shake the battery a bit to mix all the chemicals. Place on charger for minimum of 14 hours. It will improve the performance after this first charge, however it takes about a week to fully remove sulfates and optimize the battery capacity. Each time you use and recharge the battery will get closer to original condition.

If you take a battery Hydrometer reading before and after this procedure , you should see a noticeable improvement. This is the best way to measure results.
TIP: For Golf Cart charging I usually use a auto style charger rather than the cart charger. Thisallows individual battery charging (or 2 if you use in 12V mode and go across 2 batteries) You do not have to remove the interconnecting cables on the cart batteries. I do this because most modern automatic chargers will not turn on unless they sense the 36V charge to begin with , so if you have several bad cells or batteries the cart type charger may never turn on. This is not a requirement just a tip. (See dia very bottom of procedure.)

Some batteries have caps that come off the top to maintain the acid levels easily but Low
Maintenance batteries require a bit more work to recondition. A low maintenance battery has its
top sealed shut to prevent evaporation but it also prevents easy reconditioning. These batteries
can still be reconditioned but you will have to look for the "shadow" marks on the top plastic
that shows the holes into the cells. Simply drill holes in the plastic to get access to the cells
then pour in your warm solution. You will then want to plug these holes with plastic hole caps
that can be found at most hardware stores. When purchasing a new battery it is recommended
to look for the batteries that you can easily maintain in the future. It is also recommended to
purchase a small solar charger to keep your unused batteries charged over the winter to
prevent this problem from happening in the future. This method works most of the time but not
all the time. It depends on how bad the cells are decayed. If left dead for long periods the cell plates can rust and/or short out. These will not be helped by this procedure. This process can also only be done 3
to 5 times before the cells are worn out.

[mikesmotortoys]

If your batteries are 8 months old, then they will still be under warranty UNLESS you do something like add Epsom salts to them...

[pansser]

EPSOM SALTS!! WHY NOT JUST PEE IN THEM? PROBABLY WORK BETTER

[gornoman]

Stay on target.....

[Frizbgolf]

Epsom salts in a battery are like pissholes in a snowbank might last for a little while.