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Electric golf carts Harley Davidson, Melex, Pargo, Taylor-Dunn and other Misc. Carts.



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Old 10-10-2013, 09:24 AM   #1
foxboysracing
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Join Date: Oct 2013
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Wink charger on old TD smoking a bit

We bought a 76 or 78 Taylor Dunn T bird several months ago. The man used it daily around the property to feed his chickens and get the mail. When the man passed away it sat in a barn. It is a 6 battery system. We replaced a battery and fiddled, cleaned and spiffed it up a bit. It worked fairly well. I will say it seems to be a little slow to get moving. Once its moving it is fast on flat ground. If you get on an incline, it slows WAY down. Small inclines are ok. Big inclines-once your momentum is gone, you are stopped. Something may be going on with that??

My main question is: A month or so ago, I plugged the charger in and I saw a small amount of smoke come from the charger. It appeared to come from about 3/4 of the way to the back near the bottom. I am not completely sure, but wanted to give an idea. I unplugged it. I initially thought something(maybe oyster shell due to him hauling oyster shell in the cart daily. And that we found those shells everywhere) had somehow gotten in there and touched two things together. We don't see that when we had it apart. Any ideas?? I checked on new chargers and they are too high for my budget. I should mention we have one battery that was split out the bottom and I haven't gotten another new battery for it. I know it needs it and I can get that. Could that have something to do with the smoke? That battery had been like that since we got it going. We drove it here and there for a few months when we got it going. We didn't realize the battery was split for awhile until we topped off the batteries.
I am hoping someone knows about chargers and will have this wonderful answer that I have a simple part out or that I am an idiot...

Thanks in advance for your help. I really do appreciate it!
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Old 10-10-2013, 10:21 AM   #2
jdunmyer
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Location: Lower SE Michigan
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Default Re: charger on old TD smoking a bit

FBR,
You must replace all 6 batteries, not just one. That is almost certainly the reason the cart slows way down, it doesn't have enough "juice" from the battery pack. Read everything you can on this site about batteries, there's lots of very good info.

Once you get new batteries installed, attempt to charge the pack with the cover off the charger. That way, you can see if anything smokes, and if so, what is smoking. If the unit is full of dust and dirt, blow it out with compressed air. Check all connections in the charger to be sure they're tight and shiny. Take any apart and clean them if they show rust or corrosion. If something is smoking, that's obviously a problem.

If you have a typical old-fashioned charger, parts are available, and cheap to boot.
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Old 10-10-2013, 11:08 AM   #3
foxboysracing
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Default Re: charger on old TD smoking a bit

Thanks! I will do that. The other batteries all seemed to have a good charge, charged well and tested out fine. so, we didn't want to spend the extra money if the cart wasn't going to work out for what we needed. when you say there are lots of cheap parts available. where would you order TD stuff?
Funny that you said FBR. That's on all of our stuff. Most people don't seem to get it at first. ;) Thanks for your help.
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Old 10-10-2013, 01:41 PM   #4
jdunmyer
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Default Re: charger on old TD smoking a bit

FBR,
I think some of our sponsors here sell parts for chargers, and I've dealt with these folks: http://www.golfcarcatalog.com/catego...-Repair-Parts/ That page has a link to charger troubleshooting, and I've seen threads here on the subject. Do a search on the CC and/or EZ-Go forums for details.

My reason for recommending replacing all the batteries is your comment about one having a split case. If they're close to the same age, the others are probably pretty well shot, not including the one new battery that you said you bought. It's a pretty hard and fast rule to always replace batteries in a complete set, using ones that are as identical as possible. The reason is that "weak" batteries will cause a shorter life in the "stronger" ones and the cart will perform poorly if you have even one weak battery.

The only way to know what's going on is to use a voltmeter. Harbor Freight has one that is good enough, and you can even get it for free with some sale flyers. It's only $5.00 or so, anyway. You can measure the voltage on each battery and compare them, the readings should be very close. As in, within a few hundredths of a volt. Again, do a search and you'll find lots of information in these forums.

Using a mishmosh of of batteries is OK for testing, just charge them individually or as pairs with an automotive charger. Again, your voltmeter is your friend.
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Old 10-10-2013, 01:51 PM   #5
crash test dummy
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Default Re: charger on old TD smoking a bit

as a quick fix for the split battery .. check around for a used one...i get them used for $25
jdunmyer is correct you need a good new set ASAP
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Old 10-11-2013, 12:23 AM   #6
foxboysracing
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Default Re: charger on old TD smoking a bit

Thanks everyone. I will take a good look at the charger tomorrow and see if I see anything. I did have my brother(an electrician) come out and check all the levels on the system and the batteries. That is the only reason we only replaced the one. Maybe we should have done all anyway. He also replaced a few switches and a solenoid I think. I can pick up a replacement battery for the split one tomorrow at costco to test the charger more accurately. After I saw the price of new chargers, I hesitated to put a bunch more batteries in it until I can figure out if the charger is fixable. If its something inexpensive with the charger then I am on board to do the batteries. I should mention we are pretty mechanical, but tend to be a bit more timid when working with electrical stuff. Hence, calling my brother out last Spring when it was snowing like mad. hahahaha I guess I just wondering if there are common things that go out in the chargers? Or if they have fuses? And after I unplug it, is there anything I shouldn't touch in there?
Thanks for all your help so far. Together I hope we can figure out what is wrong. ;) It sure was fun to put around at the summer races with and to run to the neighbors until that charger acted up. :(
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Old 10-11-2013, 06:38 PM   #7
jdunmyer
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Default Re: charger on old TD smoking a bit

FBR,
There are a number of replaceable parts in your charger such as diodes, capacitors, and yes, fuses. Only the transformer is prohibitively expensive, most other parts are rather reasonable. Again, do a search on the forums here for troubleshooting tips.
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