Melted terminal on new battery, warranty?

[Kuz]

I just replaced all 6 batteries on my 01 36volt EZGO in March. After weekly but not heavy use I'm out last week and the cart dies. I thought maybe I blew the main fuse but after inspection I determined that the negative post on the first battery has melted. Any reason this might occur other than a defective battery and is there any reason I should not expect a replacement from the dealer? The Batteries are Continental.

These are the first new batteries that I've had since I bought the cart 3 yars ago with at the time 2 yr old batteries. No major modifictions on the cart and I run all my lights and radio off a seperate 12 volt battery. I was very happy with the range of the new pack until the meltdown. All the other batteries look good.

[scottyb]

The cause of that was a loose connection. The cable gets loose and the amps start to arch from the cable to the terminal which causes heat much like welding.... the lead melts at a very low temp. If you check the voltage you will see that the battery is still good & holding a charge. No dealer will warranty this type of repair. The easiest fix is to tap a bolt into the flat part of the terminal and secure the cable there. Or your dealer can send it back to have the case opened and a new terminal put on it .... get some lock washers for all your cable bolts and check that they are tight every month or so.... the expansion and contraction of natural heat created by charging and discharging causes the nuts to loosen....
Read the repair thread here

Roady's battery terminal Repair:
http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/batte...nal-repair.php

[CC-John]

A loose connection will cause that.. Terminals need to be tightened monthly, more frequently on new batteries until the lugs are properly seated on the tops of the posts..

[Kuz]

Wow! Quick replies and great info! This is why I love this site. The battery charge is still fine, I can easily tap the new terminal stud as illustrated on the link. Thanks again for the info!

[scottyb]

BGW ROCKS !!!!!!!


I use some RED locktite on the tapped bolt as the lead will not hold much torquewise

[CC-John]

It's also good practice to replace all the battery cables when a new set of batteries is installed.. If the cables are original to the cart, they might have contributed to the heat problem because of increased resistance..

[scottyb]

Originally Posted by CC-John

It's also good practice to replace all the battery cables when a new set of batteries is installed.. If the cables are original to the cart, they might have contributed to the heat problem because of increased resistance..

Henceforth the dilemma phenomenon.