Club Car running slow

[jeff0181]

Originally Posted by teecro

As I commented at least 8 hours and preferable 12 to 24 hours later so that the surface charge has dissipated, a 100 % fully charged 8 volt battery should read 8.5 volts after 24 hours of pure rest...

I'll unhook the charger tonight and see how it reads tomorrow.

[jeff0181]

Originally Posted by Sergio

You can do a simple field test if You have a voltmeter on the cart.

Drive up the hill that it can barely go up, if the voltage gets below 42v, you need to check the batteries.

If the voltage does not drop below 48v, check the motor cables (A1 and A2) for heat.

If the cables are cool, You need to check the MCOR to see if it has the proper range.

No voltmeter. This might sound dumb but could I just electrical tape my multimeter to it?

[teecro]

Originally Posted by jeff0181

No voltmeter. This might sound dumb but could I just electrical tape my multimeter to it?

By hook or crook yes....

[jeff0181]

Originally Posted by teecro

30 minutes? You will still be reading an inflated surface charge...

As mentioned by Sergio in lieu of doing an actual amperage load test which requires specialized equipment the reading of the voltage while under load is one of the best tests one can perform.

Another effective test would be after the charger has completed the charge cycle. Remove said charger and allow batteries to rest for at least 8 hours and upward of 24 hours. Then measure battery voltage as a pack and individually too.

After 24 hours off the charger the batteries read the following:
8.5
8.6
8.6
8.7
8.5
8.5
Pack: 51.5

Will try and gets some hooks or clamp leads for my voltmeter and see if I can get a load test.

[dundeebarnbuggy]

Clamp leads? By ALL means. I have a Fluke 325 clamp meter that I use often around here with the stock leads and last year I bought silicone insulated leads with screw on clips. BEST upgrade I ever made. Leads STAY where you clip them, and are as flexible at 10 below as summertime. They SHOULD come from the factory that way.

[jeff0181]

Tested under load today. 1 hour off the charger the batteries read the following:
8.67
8.72
8.69
8.77
8.69
8.69
Pack:52.1

Driving it around with voltmeter hooked up the average readout was 27 volts, anytime uphill it would drop to 25-26 volts. This was with the pedal to the floor. Voltmeter was attached to the same place I read the pack voltage from. Whenever I would take my foot of the pedal, the voltage would rapidly climb to 47, and then slowly increase to around 50.

Drove around for about 20 minutes and then got battery readings again after about 10 minutes:
8.1
8.46
8.46
8.55
8.42
8.39
Pack: 50.2

Any suggestions?

[Roxyflash]

You must check each battery separately while driving see if you have one dropping voltage.If they check out individually then check the pack starting with the the first battery then the next 16 volts then 24 then 32 then 40 and finally 48 somewhere theres either a bad battery or cable.Each battery should be with in .5 volts to the others the one with 8.1 is probably bad.

[jeff0181]

Originally Posted by Roxyflash

You must check each battery separately while driving see if you have one dropping voltage.If they check out individually then check the pack starting with the the first battery then the next 16 volts then 24 then 32 then 40 and finally 48 somewhere theres either a bad battery or cable.Each battery should be with in .5 volts to the others the one with 8.1 is probably bad.

I take it if any battery drops below 8v while driving then that battery is bad?

The battery on each end of the sequence had the lowest voltages immediately after stopping.

When testing increasing higher voltage packs I am assuming you just connect the voltmeter to one positive and on negative of each battery?

Also, without charging the batteries in the last couple hours after my initial post today the voltage of each battery has increased to:
8.45
8.55
8.50
8.60
8.50
8.47
Pack: 51.1

[Sergio]

I take it if any battery drops below 8v while driving then that battery is bad?

If an individual battery drops below 7v under load then you have a problem.

When a battery goes bad it actually acts as a Resistor, which will cause your measured pack voltage to be lower than normal.

Bad cables between batteries have the same effect.

The best thing to do is to test each battery individually while under load.

Just clip your voltmeter to each battery + and - posts and drive up that hill.

A bad battery will drop to 0v or go negative.

If all of the batteries test good, You have a cable problem.

[Mooncarter]

Just a thought. Thought I would chime in. Sounds like your brakes could be dragging. A brake problem. Jack up the rear and see how freely the wheels spin.