GEM Golf Cart Loses Power Quickly

[billbird2111]

Do you freaking realize how hard it is to find a simple $20 Battery Load Tester or anything similar on the digital end at Kragens or Pep Boys?

I thought these things would be a dime a dozen!

Guess not....Grr....

[HaveToolsWillTravel]

Billbird2111
At Sears you can get a good DVM. for under 20.00. I just want to give you a little insite to what you are dealing with, you have deep cell or cycle batteries they are a different animal than your average car battey, you would need a really expensive load tester to properly test and it is time consuming a golf cart dealer can test even a marina dealer but i bet they would charge you because it is a long process they are tested by drawing a specific amp hour rating of the battery, may i suggest you go to NAPA and buy a hydrometer a good one made of glass is about 12.00 dollars if you are dealing with lead acid batteries, I asume you are since you added water to the batteries, one galion of water to six batteries is not that bad that is 21oz per battery 7oz. per cell assuming you did not spill a drop, all you will need to do is charge the batteries overnight and performe cell readings 1.260 to 1.300 is normal mark each battery that is good with the average cell reading, 1.255 to 1.260 indicates a low state of charge assuming all connections are good and clean these will be your trouble spots and these will need replaced. now with the good batteries cell reading you can buy used batteries with the closest reading as possable to the batteries you have that read good. note the hydrometer will come with instructions on how to calculate the exact reading as temperature will be a factor the hydrometer has a thermomter attached to it. Hope this helps, and with the hydrometer at your command you can read the state of any lead acid battery and never discard a good battery or question if it needs replaced. one bad battery can cause the cart to die very quickly it requires about 35 volts or so depending on your charger to even turn the charger on that explains why the charger would not charge the dead batteries, one more thing deep cell or cycle batteries can be drawn down to complete dead and be recharged that is how they are designed.

[billbird2111]

A great suggestion -- and thank you for your kind advice. I do appreciate it very much. Yes, we do have a Sears and a NAPA nearby.

That's why I love forums like this. It's just amazing what you can learn by swapping stories.