Gas Yamaha Charging Issue/lightbar

[FarmUse]

Hey Everybody

I am looking for a little help and this forum seems like the place for it.

A month or so ago I purchased a 2010 Yamaha Gas cart that ran as it should until recently. The stock lights on the cart are terrible to say the least so I added a 16 inch LED light bar.

After adding the light bar it ran fine for a couple of nights and then died on me. My usual riding is putting around the fields and rarely going half throttle for extended periods. I usually have my wife and two young boys on the back seat. When the cart died I chalked it up to an old battery and replaced it with a new stronger battery.

Last night I ran the cart with the family onboard and would momentarily turn on the light bar when I needed it but this was very little. The light bar would flicker and go out most of the time within a few seconds. We ended up with a dead battery and a tow back to the house.

So....

Would a 16 inch LED light bar be draining the battery this quickly even when I only turn it on for a moment here and there?

Am I not going fast enough for long enough periods for the engine to charge the battery?

It just seems to me I should be able to run the light bar being LED so it has me wondering if I have another issue.

I hooked a charger up to the battery this morning before work and it was completely dead but did begin charging and voltage was good.

Thanks in advance to any advice.

[Dave in VA]

Are the original lights OEM or an aftermarket kit?

Are the original lights and the light bar wired directly to the battery and not grounded to the frame?

You should be able to use the light bar without causing and other problems.

[camaroluvz28]

Agreed a LED light bar should not cause a large drain...It is possible you are going slow enough that the cart isn't reaching enough RPMs to charge battery. I would put a volt meter on your battery and make sure the charging system on the cart is working properly at this point....could just be a bad voltage regulator or possibly a starter/generator worst case scenario...Put cart in neutral, hook meter to battery and run, voltage should rise as pedal is depressed until you reach high RPM where it should stay around 14 - 14.5 volts.

[FarmUse]

I did change the original bulbs out to halogens but I wouldn't think that would draw enough to cause the issues.

The headlights and the light bar are grounded to the battery.

I don't have a voltage meter but I can get one. I'm all before taking it into the shop at this point.

[FarmUse]

Originally Posted by camaroluvz28

Agreed a LED light bar should not cause a large drain...It is possible you are going slow enough that the cart isn't reaching enough RPMs to charge battery. I would put a volt meter on your battery and make sure the charging system on the cart is working properly at this point....could just be a bad voltage regulator or possibly a starter/generator worst case scenario...Put cart in neutral, hook meter to battery and run, voltage should rise as pedal is depressed until you reach high RPM where it should stay around 14 - 14.5 volts.

So to be clear....
If I jack the cart up, put a volt meter on the battery, and the voltage rises as the pedal is pressed, then the system is working properly?

If the voltage does not rise then I have an issue somewhere. Then I should probably start with the voltage regulator?

Thanks

[camaroluvz28]

Correct on the test and yes should rise with pedal but not go over 14.9 volts or so...if it rises to like 16 or 17 volts then your voltage regulator is not working...if it goes down from 12 or stays there your charging system is not working...

[FarmUse]

Originally Posted by camaroluvz28

Correct on the test and yes should rise with pedal but not go over 14.9 volts or so...if it rises to like 16 or 17 volts then your voltage regulator is not working...if it goes down from 12 or stays there your charging system is not working...

Thank you

[FarmUse]

Update

After changing the voltage regulator I am now getting the correct voltage at the battery while the pedal is pressed but I am still unable to run the light bar for long periods. My battery is charging being I checked it with a charger twice.

I am now thinking that the load of the light bar is to much at the RPM's I am running.

I can run the light bar for a while before it will begin to flicker and eventually cut out. Then I can go half pedal and the bar will light up. I can run the cart all day/night with the regular headlights on at any RPM.

I checked the battery % after running the cart for a good while with no lights and I was at 100%. I then ran the cart for a while with the light bar on. The bar stayed lit for probably 20 minutes until it began to flicker and cut out. I then checked the battery and was at 70%.

I'm not sure what else to do at this point (if there is even an issue) but maybe this post will help someone out in the future. Thank you to all who have helped me troubleshoot.

[Dave in VA]

Maybe a problem with the light bar??

[slonomo]

Whats the wattage / amperage on the light bar?

Did you have your battery load tested?