New Voltmeter Where to begin

[SilkWorm SoCal]

Ok so i recently purchased a 93 Marathon. It runs strong and seems to charge well. However it has 3 Trojan batteries and 3 "Golf cart green" batteries. To check the individual strength per battery and to check the batteries as a whole where do I begin? I know this is pretty pathetic question but I really am starting from the ground up in this field....I run restaurants and am not the most mechanically strong but am willing to learn. Also, how do you guys check your MPH? THANKS for any words of wisdom.

[rib33024]

Welcome to BGW

Does your cart have a controller or does it have resister coils, it should have a controller in the middle of the batteries? does this look like the wiring under the seat on your cart?

[rib33024]

To check the volts of each battery take your digital meter and set it to 20 volts, put the red lead on POS +, and the black on NEG - of each battery, no need to disconnect any cables. to get each battery and pack volts. To get the battery pack follow the leads from the back of the charge port on the cart, they will go to the first battery in the pack and the last battery in the pack, set your meter to 200 volts to test pack volts, test pack volts from those post POS and NEG, to get a true reading of each battery and the pack take these readings after the charger has completed a full charge and the battery pack has been at rest off the charger for 12 hours to get a true reading, the battery pack should read 38.22, 100% SOC, and each battery should be 6.37 100% SOC - State of Charge

[SilkWorm SoCal]

awesome thanks. each battery was testing 6.29-6.36 after being charged yesterday and running a little bit. thanks for the help RIB33024

[SilkWorm SoCal]

Does that sound right?

[radioman]

MPH checked with GPS devices. Your battery voltage looks ok according to rib33024's chart. Keep them watered with distilled water and charge after each use and enjoy. Best to add water if necessary after charging to prevent overfilling. Lots of tips on battery care scattered through out this site. Keep voltmeter handy. Good investment. You can't do much troubleshooting without one.

[SilkWorm SoCal]

ok thanks. how do you check the total volts for all your batteries combined??

[scottyb]

Originally Posted by SilkWorm SoCal

ok thanks. how do you check the total volts for all your batteries combined??

Look at where all your battery cables go. All of the battery cables go from battery to battery, except for two cables which go to other components. The battery terminals which these two cables go to are the main positive and negative. The total pack voltage is read between these two posts.

Welcome to BGW

[SilkWorm SoCal]

awesome thanks!!!! tomorrow morning ill be checking

[SilkWorm SoCal]

ok scotty b I need help again...where do i set the meter to when im testing for total volts for all batteries and for single battery alone. i think i did it right for single but not for total amps for all batteries. i attached a pic of my meter. THANKS!!!!