state of charge meter reading wrong?

[agrinnell2009]

I have a 36v ezgo medalist brand new trojan t105s new motor speed controller fnr switch wires and solenoid. My state of charge meter is showing batteries are almost dead. I let them charge and it still reads almost dead. Im wondering if the state of charge meter is wrong or if it isn't charging. I dont have a volt meter but what components are related to charging? I checked all three wires coming from the spot where it charges and they seem fine.

[agrinnell2009]

And I have a brand new 5 amp charger. I thought that was the problem so I used my old charger ( which works but the timers bad) still the same

[scottyb]

5 amp charger is not good for the Trojan or any golf cart batteries. Golf cart batteries require amperage equivalent of nearly 10% of their amp hour capacity in the bulk replenishment or initial stage of charging... they also require an algorithm which only GC chargers can do.
Even if you got the small T605s they have a 200 AH capacity and require close to 20amps. The T105s are 225 AH capacity.


You Need an 18amp min charger.

Hard to say if you have the meter hooked up wrong or the batteries are getting low without a handheld meter to check things with.

[sportcoupe]

what type state of charge meter do you have? Bar, analog round gauge or digital meter?

The bar type need reset once in a while. To do this disconnect one of the meter wires at the battery for a minute then reconnect it. The bar meter should reset.

Analog round gauge and digital do not need a reset ever.

[gwh1bass]

And spend $7 for a handheld meter at HD or Radio Shack or Walmart.

[rib33024]

What year cart?. Sounds like you have a Series Drive system?? but if you don't and it's a DCS drive system it will have a TOW/RUN switch on the controller cover under the seat, flip the switch to TOW before you disconnect any wires

[radioman]

If you don't have a test voltmeter you can't do much troubleshooting. Better off taking cart to a shop.

[agrinnell2009]

I'm confused as to why a 5amp charger wouldn't work. Wouldn't it just be like a trickle charger and take a long time?

[sportcoupe]

To put it simple, 5 amps doesn't have enough grunt to knock off the build-up on the lead plates. You need the higher 18-20A current for that.

[scottyb]

Originally Posted by agrinnell2009

I'm confused as to why a 5amp charger wouldn't work. Wouldn't it just be like a trickle charger and take a long time?

Go to the carts unlimited website and read every page with the word 'battery' in it. The information is there to help people understand how batteries work, how recharging works, and what is required for long battery life.