Charger won't charge

[juleshockey6]

i would buy a new or used one from a local golf cart store or off ebay

[capnrobby]

Tnx shadowman. I had 3 pairs of 6v golf cart batteries on our cruising boat connected to a busbar thru individual battery switches. Could use or charge all at once or any one pair at a time. This is first experience with 6 permanently in series. Batteries are old but still seem to hold a decent charge. #1 and #6 seem to be weaker than the others. Any benefit to swapping them with a stronger pair in the center of pack? Plugged cart in this AM and will leave on all day and monitor.

The guy who sold me the cart said charger never did taper off and shut down properly. Maybe something has been bypassed somewhere? Last night when I unplugged it, (afraid to leave it on while asleep.) orange light began blinking on dash. On about 18 sec, off for 2 and on again. Now with charger plugged back in, orange light blinks on 6 sec, off 3, on 30 sec, off 3, on 6, etc. Can’t find anything in manual or posts to explain this pattern? 12v plug and cord no longer hot (barely even warm) and batteries do not seem to be getting as hot as with the old cord.

Was I correct in assumption that when OBC reboots, reverse buzzer comes on very diminished? We put on a small flatbed on back of Club Car and hope to make it street legal here on Molokai. Thanks again, Capn

[Stevegrmich]

Originally Posted by capnrobby

Was I correct in assumption that when OBC reboots, reverse buzzer comes on very diminished?

Yes . . .

[capnrobby]

Tnx Steve. So OBC works fine as long as it successfully reboots? Any idea what "with charger plugged back in, orange light blinks on 6 sec, off 3, on 30 sec, off 3, on 6, etc." means? Capn

[Stevegrmich]

Originally Posted by capnrobby

Tnx Steve. So OBC works fine as long as it successfully reboots? Any idea what "with charger plugged back in, orange light blinks on 6 sec, off 3, on 30 sec, off 3, on 6, etc." means? Capn

Beep usually means OBC reset . . does not indicate OBC is "good" . . blinking battery indicator could mean many things from charger problem, battery problem or OBC problem . . .

[capnrobby]

In the manual under TEST PROCEDURE 2 – ONBOARD COMPUTER it says to try a different charger to see if charger fails same way. My charger has not failed. Works fine – puts out plenty of amps. I just have the odd sequence of blinking light when plugged in as above which is not mentioned in TROUBLESHOOTING at all. How does one actually “test” the OBC? Does it do anything besides monitor batteries and control charger output?

I’m considering bypassing OBC permanently and monitoring battery charge manually as I did on the boat. (Used a manual voltage regulator to adjust output from alternator.) Maybe install a voltmeter in the dash instead of orange light? Suggestions welcome. Mahalo, Capn

[Stevegrmich]

Unplugging charger before finishing charge cycle will cause error code on indicator . . . weak battery will prompt indicator light . . test all batteries/cells would be next in diagnosing issue, I believe . . .

[shadowman]

if the charger isn,t shutting off the problem could be with charger or cart........there are times when an OBC goes bad the only indication is charger no longer shuts off and ends up frying batteries from overcharging....than there are times where charger won,t work unless you bypass it inside and again than it won,t shut off...........if you open charger and look at the black relay in center there are 2 black wires if one of them is connected to the circuit breaker and a tan wire is plugged into relay its bypassed for some reason..........you are dealing with all 8 volt batteries right? there are no 6 volts mixed in?........................................

[capnrobby]

Car has 6 8v Trojans. Relay in charger is not bypassed. Guess OBC (must be original 1996) is toast? Does it do anything other than control the charge rate? Any problem bypassing it completely? I can live with the blinking orange light or disconnect it. It appeared to reset like it should. Any way to test it before I buy a new one if I don't bypass it? Looks like replacement OBC would be $250-$300. Yikes. Tnx again

[capnrobby]

Update - Resetting OBC has no noticeable effect. Disconnecting and reconnecting any terminal turns off warning light and cannot figure out what triggers it to go back on. Intermittent. Charger works – 12 A, 55 V but will not shut down and will not go over 55.6v. Batteries gas and get really hot but hold a decent charge @ 48.6 v. Do not have hydrometer but will need new batteries soon I figure. After disconnecting charger, it will not charge when plugged back in without turning key on, and moving car forward or back a few inches. Then back to 12A, 55 V. Thanks for all the help. Capn