1990 EZGO Marathon 36v with five 8 volt batteries(40v)

[xman67]

I am needing to replace my battery pack and am on a VERY tight budget. I can find some good quality used batteries at my local EZGO shop, but wanted to get thoughts on replacing them with five 8 volt batteries which would make it a 40v cart. Would this fry anything? I realize that charging will be a challenge, but there was another thread where someone tried this and said the 36v charger was working fine for him-http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...-electric.html
I would think that slightly more voltage would reduce amperage and heat on all components(but I am no expert)- is this right? I really just want to know if it is going to hurt anything. Thanks

update:OK, after refreshing my mind about OHM's law- it appears that more voltage creates more current given the same resistance. Is this correct? Will this mean more heat? Thanks for any help.

[rib33024]

That 40 volt pack will be at around 43 volts fully charged. A charger like a 36 volt. It charges the batteries by cells. A 36 volt pack will have 18 cells. And your 40 volt pack will have 20 cells. so the 36 volt charger won't fully charge a 40 volt pack. A 36 volt charger brings the pack up to around 45 or 46 volts before it turns off. A 40 volt pack would need to be around 50 to 51 volts before it is fully charged. And I don't know of a 40 volt charger

[xman67]

Originally Posted by rib33024

That 40 volt pack will be at around 43 volts fully charged. A charger like a 36 volt. It charges the batteries by cells. A 36 volt pack will have 18 cells. And your 40 volt pack will have 20 cells. so the 36 volt charger won't fully charge a 40 volt pack. A 36 volt charger bring the pack up to around 45 or 46 volts before it turns off. A 40 volt pack would need to be around 50 to 51 volts before it is fully charged. And I don't know of a 40 volt charger

Do you think one of those 42v chargers would work, or do you think they would overcharge? Do you think the controller and solenoid would be safe to run at 40v? Thanks

[rib33024]

JohnnieB would be the one to explain this best. I'm sure he will be along

[xman67]

Originally Posted by rib33024

JohnnieB would be the one to explain this best. I'm sure he will be along

Thanks. I know things like this have been discussed before, but I just need to find the absolute cheapest way to get a little more out of my golf cart and since I need to replace the batteries thought this might be a possibility.

[Seaquell]

I ran my 91 marathon for 6 months on 42V with the stock solinoid and control it ran great and never had a problem.
With mine i used the 36v charger and another single 6v charger on the extra battery.
With 8v batteries i dont know what your options are?
Then I got a new 500AMP controller and went to 48Volts

[yurtle]

I'd say either stick with 36 volts or step up to 42 or 48 volts. 36 is the cheapest. The other two require solenoid, charger, and controller. If you charge a 40 volt pack with a 36 volt charger, you'll never reach 100% charge, which will severely reduce your battery life.

[xman67]

Originally Posted by Seaquell

I ran my 91 marathon for 6 months on 42V with the stock solinoid and control it ran great and never had a problem.
With mine i used the 36v charger and another single 6v charger on the extra battery.
With 8v batteries i dont know what your options are?
Then I got a new 500AMP controller and went to 48Volts

Awesome! So apparently it didn't hurt anything

[xman67]

Originally Posted by yurtle

I'd say either stick with 36 volts or step up to 42 or 48 volts. 36 is the cheapest. The other two require solenoid, charger, and controller. If you charge a 40 volt pack with a 36 volt charger, you'll never reach 100% charge, which will severely reduce your battery life.

I wish I could rig up a 40v charger It sounds like everything else would be ok stock.

[Golferdave]

There a guy in the Palm Springs area running a 42v charger on 36 volts
He never checked the water, came to the shop with a shudder
We added 5 gallons of water & charged them up
All batts load tested ok

Try running a 42 volt charger
But
Keep an eye on water levels

Western 42v charger