Seeking advice on battery condition

[kobx]

I have a 98 TXT, 36V. Upgraded controller, motor, cables, F/R switch, etc.. I currently have Trojan -T105s in, with a date code of 2013.

My wife said the cart gave her issues (ran jerky/slow) the other day. I looked at the voltage readout, and she was well below the 50% state. Popped to covers, and noticed the internal plates were exposed to air. After beating myself up for letting them get that dry, I filled them back up with deionized water, and charged it up. I took it for about a 3-5mile trip, with no issues.

Tomorrow we're leaving for Fort Wilderness, and I noticed that after charging the batteries last night (charger turned off around 7pm, showed approx. 44volts after the charger turned off), the battery pack was showing 37.6Volts this morning (approx. 10% static discharge overnight, assuming a full charge is 38.3V ).

Here are my question(s):

1. Am I asking for trouble on our camping trip if I don't change out these batteries today? (I'm thinking the fact it discharged over night so much, that is telling me the batteries aren't holding a charge too well anymore)

2. I can only get my hands on interstate batteries before we leave. What is the comparable interstate battery to a Trojan T-105? And....are there any quality/horror stories associated with the interstate batteries?


- Ken

[NCPW]

Your batteries are definitely on their last leg being 5 years old and letting the plates get exposed to air did further damage. How much? Who knows.

The range will not be the same and power under load will not be the same, but the fact is, it's probably time for new batteries. You got a good 5 years out of them which is typical.

The interstate batteries are good to go from all I've read on them and seeing other member's opinion of them. Just try to find a comparable battery with the same 20hr amp rating as the T-105s.

Good luck

[kobx]

Originally Posted by NCPW

Your batteries are definitely on their last leg being 5 years old and letting the plates get exposed to air did further damage. How much? Who knows.

The range will not be the same and power under load will not be the same, but the fact is, it's probably time for new batteries. You got a good 5 years out of them which is typical.

The interstate batteries are good to go from all I've read on them and seeing other member's opinion of them. Just try to find a comparable battery with the same 20hr amp rating as the T-105s.

Good luck

Awesome...thank you.

[ThreeCW]

At 37.6 volts, your batteries were likely as "fully" charged as they can be given their age and condition. The 37.6 volts represents an 84% state of charge. Your batteries likely can't reach a full charge anymore, so you did not lose charge overnight ... that's just as high as they will charge.

That being said, you were able to drive "3 -5 miles" in their current condition, but you did not mention how far they were discharged after those "3 - 5 miles", so you would be unsure of how many more miles were left in them.

During this trip, if you are happy with a 3 - 5 mile range (and possibly more depending on the depth of discharge), then you should be able to get by with your current batteries. If you want more range, you will need to range test the current batteries or upgrade to new ones.

5 years is a pretty good battery life ... I would consider Trojans again based on your results of your current set ... to avoid possible disappointment in the future by switching brands.