Charger problem?

[fldoghunter]

Hello fellas. We have a '98 48 volt club car DS that we bought the kids for Christmas. The fella I bought it from gave us a Powerdrive charger with it. Ever since we got it, when plugged in nothing happens for 4-5 seconds then the charger comes on for a bit then shuts off. It does this over and over in what i would guess is a 10-15 second cycle untill it's charged. I assume this is how it's supposed to work. This is the first golf cart I have been around.

The other day, I walked by it and it was running. I thought that was odd, as the kids had been away that day and should have plugged it in probably 30 hours ago. I notice that it isn't cycling any more, just staying on now. Looking at the batteries, it had boiled them pretty good. Plates were showing in a few of the cells her and there. The water should have been good befor this, as I had filled it a week before. I cleand up the acid with baking soda and topped off the batteries. Then plugged the charger back in. I let it run (still not cycling) for a few hours. It was reading less than 5 amps when I unplugged it. It sat for 2 days before I could borrow a meter to check the batteries. They are all reading right around 8.7 volts and the pack is reading 51.9 volts.

I tried resetting the OBC from the steps I found on here. I don't know if it worked, the buzzer didn't turn on like the directions said it would. When I plugged the charger back in after that, it came on after a few seconds, stayed on for several seconds and shut off like it was going to cycle again.It only stayed off for maybe one second then it came back on and stayed on like before.

Any ideas of whats wrong with it would be appreciated.

[jakesnake27]

The charger should not cycle like that. It should act like it did after you reset the OBC. It should only come on and off once at the beginning of the charge cycle (this is the precheck sequence). Also, the OBC should allow a maximum charge time of 16 hours. If the charger stays on longer than that, you probably have a faulty OBC.

[fldoghunter]

Thanks for the quick response.

So it wasn't working right to start with? If i plug it in now (10 pm) as long as it shuts off by 4 pm tomorrow everything's alright then? If not, find another obc? Is there any way to test the obc, or is that pretty definit? If the batteries are fully charged sooner, is it gonna hurt them to be on charge for 16 hours to check and see if it's going to shut off?

[fldoghunter]

Also, if the obc is bad, will it hurt anything to just unplug the charger when the cart is charged untill I can get another one?

[jjance]

One thing you might check. Make sure the main negative cable is routed through the hole in the OBC.

[fldoghunter]

Looks like I might have jumped the gun. Got up this morning and it had shut off. Maybe the reset worked? I'll keep watching it close for awhile. Thanks for your help

[jakesnake27]

Yes, the reset may have worked. Continue to monitor it though, to avoid overcharging your batteries. Also, double check what jjance said, making sure the main negative cable is actually going through the OBC.

[fldoghunter]

Ok thanks. I'll check that.