2019 Club Car Onward Goes 50 Feet and Then Stops

[Lance_h18]

Hello,

I have a 2019 Club Car Onward. Everything is stock with the exception of 4 Dakota Lithium 12v batteries I recently installed. I also purchased an Allied Lithium club cart charger with the OEM Club Car connection to allow me to charge the batteries through the OEM charging port.

I upgraded to lithium batteries about 3 months ago due to my normal batteries finally needing to be replaced everything had been working great until a few weeks ago.

I had been using my cart to travel back and forth to my club on a regular basis, charging as needed. I left my cart unplugged when we went on vacation. When I returned there was no power at all and the OEM battery indicator light on the dash was flashing. I charged the cart fully but my battery light was still blinking. When I tried to use the cart it would go for about 50 feet and then abruptly stop. If I waited a couple minutes I could get another 50 feet or so out of the cart. I would wait another couple minutes and get another 50 feet, and so on.

After doing some research I disconnected my negative battery cable for 5 minutes and reconnected it. As soon as I disconnected the negative battery cable the battery light stopped flashing. I fully charged the cart and it worked great for a couple weeks.

Last week I decided to install the charger that came with my Dakota Lithium batteries, not the Allied Lithium charger, in my battery compartment since I had so much room from having only 4 batteries compared to 6. I figured if I was ever at the club and needed to charge my cart I would simply plug it into to an outlet and I would be set. Since I already had the charger I thought that would be a cool feature. That charger connects directly to both the main positive and negative posts. I used the charger a couple times to test it and all seemed to be working well.

I planned to play golf on Friday so I figured I would try out the new charging system. I backed my cart out of the garage and proceeded down the road. I got about 50 feet and the cart abruptly stopped, very similarly to what my cart did a coupe weeks ago. After waiting a couple minutes and I was able to get the cart back in my garage. I then charged my cart fully with my Allied Lithium charger as I played. When I returned home I tried the cart again and the same thing, made it about 50 feet and stopped.

I figured I could just unplug the negative battery cable again and that would fix the issue, no go this time. Got 50 feet again.

I have done a ton of research and have tried a number of things to fix the issue before writing this post. I checked all my fuses, took out the Dakota Lithium charger to get me back to the same place I was when it was working well, unhooking both the positive and negative battery cables, and unhooking the power cable to the controller. After doing each of those items I tried the cart and got the same result every time, 50 feet.

Again, after doing a bunch of research I believe I may have a faulty controller. But I wanted to get y’all’s opinions as you are much more experts than I am. I appreciate any help you can provide.

Thanks - Lance

[jasonojordan]

Id check the resting voltage of each of the batteries as well as the total pack voltage.

[Lance_h18]

Thanks for the idea! Will test that this evening and post my results.

Thanks again!

[Tom47]

Four 12 volt lithiums in series is not a recommended power source for a golf cart. It sounds like one of the BMS's may be shutting down.

Since the batteries are in series, any one that shuts down will disable the cart. I don't believe you don't have a voltage problem.

Do you have a Coulomb counting SOC gauge installed? If so, if it is a BMS issue, the voltage will drop quickly from 50 to zero, not gradually as it would if it were a voltage problem.

[Lance_h18]

Jason - tested all my batteries. Each was 13.3v and total combined was 53.2v.

Tom - I have a crappy meter I bought when I ordered my batteries (48v Battery Meter, DROK 10-100v Marine RV Battery Capacity Volt Monitor 12v 24v, Lithium Battery Voltage Fahrenheit Temp Indicator Gauge https://a.co/d/2w2Qq9E). It shows 58.2v when fully charged and the charger still plugged in (photo attached), and 54.4v when fully charged and unplugged (photo attached). While I drive it the voltage goes down significantly but nothing close to zero, more in the 50v range. After I stop moving the voltage quickly goes back to closer to where it started. Does that help at all, even with my crappy meter?

I have been thinking I need to get a new meter anyway but didn’t really know what to look for. Did a little research on what you suggested above and came up with a few options:

1) LNEX 500A Shunt Battery Monitor, 2.4" Color Screen RV Battery Monitor with 10ft Shielded Wire, Support High Low Voltage Programmable Alarm for 8-100V Lifepo4, Lithium Sealed, Gel, Flooded Battery https://a.co/d/eN1mXsy

2)Renogy 500A Battery Monitor with Shunt, High and Low Voltage Programmable Alarm, Voltage Range 10V-120V and up to 500A, 20ft Shielded Cable, Compatible with 12V Lithium Sealed, Gel, Flooded Batteries https://a.co/d/0GVzZod

3)AiLi 500A Battery Monitor High Low Voltage and Low Capacity Programmable Alarm Compatible with 10-120V Lithium Sealed Gel Flooded Batteries Capacity up to 9999 Ah https://a.co/d/bCDvAR2

Looked around other places then Amazon but everything pretty much looked the same. Could you recommend any of those or any others?

Appreciate the help from both of you!

Thanks

[Tom47]

#2 is the highest rated meter on BGW.

Are you saying the cart runs more than 50 feet now? Your voltages look fine.

[jasonojordan]

The renology gauge is a quality piece for sure.

Originally Posted by Lance_h18

Jason - tested all my batteries. Each was 13.3v and total combined was 53.2v.

Tom - I have a crappy meter I bought when I ordered my batteries (48v Battery Meter, DROK 10-100v Marine RV Battery Capacity Volt Monitor 12v 24v, Lithium Battery Voltage Fahrenheit Temp Indicator Gauge https://a.co/d/2w2Qq9E). It shows 58.2v when fully charged and the charger still plugged in (photo attached), and 54.4v when fully charged and unplugged (photo attached). While I drive it the voltage goes down significantly but nothing close to zero, more in the 50v range. After I stop moving the voltage quickly goes back to closer to where it started. Does that help at all, even with my crappy meter?

I have been thinking I need to get a new meter anyway but didn’t really know what to look for. Did a little research on what you suggested above and came up with a few options:

1) LNEX 500A Shunt Battery Monitor, 2.4" Color Screen RV Battery Monitor with 10ft Shielded Wire, Support High Low Voltage Programmable Alarm for 8-100V Lifepo4, Lithium Sealed, Gel, Flooded Battery https://a.co/d/eN1mXsy

2)Renogy 500A Battery Monitor with Shunt, High and Low Voltage Programmable Alarm, Voltage Range 10V-120V and up to 500A, 20ft Shielded Cable, Compatible with 12V Lithium Sealed, Gel, Flooded Batteries https://a.co/d/0GVzZod

3)AiLi 500A Battery Monitor High Low Voltage and Low Capacity Programmable Alarm Compatible with 10-120V Lithium Sealed Gel Flooded Batteries Capacity up to 9999 Ah https://a.co/d/bCDvAR2

Looked around other places then Amazon but everything pretty much looked the same. Could you recommend any of those or any others?

Appreciate the help from both of you!

Thanks

[jasonojordan]

Can you do that same check immediately after the cart cuts out? This will tell us if one of the battery bms is shutting down and resetting itself.

Originally Posted by Lance_h18

Jason - tested all my batteries. Each was 13.3v and total combined was 53.2v.

Tom - I have a crappy meter I bought when I ordered my batteries (48v Battery Meter, DROK 10-100v Marine RV Battery Capacity Volt Monitor 12v 24v, Lithium Battery Voltage Fahrenheit Temp Indicator Gauge https://a.co/d/2w2Qq9E). It shows 58.2v when fully charged and the charger still plugged in (photo attached), and 54.4v when fully charged and unplugged (photo attached). While I drive it the voltage goes down significantly but nothing close to zero, more in the 50v range. After I stop moving the voltage quickly goes back to closer to where it started. Does that help at all, even with my crappy meter?

I have been thinking I need to get a new meter anyway but didn’t really know what to look for. Did a little research on what you suggested above and came up with a few options:

1) LNEX 500A Shunt Battery Monitor, 2.4" Color Screen RV Battery Monitor with 10ft Shielded Wire, Support High Low Voltage Programmable Alarm for 8-100V Lifepo4, Lithium Sealed, Gel, Flooded Battery https://a.co/d/eN1mXsy

2)Renogy 500A Battery Monitor with Shunt, High and Low Voltage Programmable Alarm, Voltage Range 10V-120V and up to 500A, 20ft Shielded Cable, Compatible with 12V Lithium Sealed, Gel, Flooded Batteries https://a.co/d/0GVzZod

3)AiLi 500A Battery Monitor High Low Voltage and Low Capacity Programmable Alarm Compatible with 10-120V Lithium Sealed Gel Flooded Batteries Capacity up to 9999 Ah https://a.co/d/bCDvAR2

Looked around other places then Amazon but everything pretty much looked the same. Could you recommend any of those or any others?

Appreciate the help from both of you!

Thanks

[Lance_h18]

Renology gauge has been ordered! Be here tomorrow, appreciate the advice on that end.

After I took those pictures I took the cart out again. Still went my normal 50 feet and cut out. When it cuts out my voltage still shows over well 50v. That is why I thought it could possibly be my controller but again, y’all are way educated on this stuff than I am!

Thanks again for all the help. Hope I can get this squared away as golf season is right around the corner!

Cheers boys!

[Lance_h18]

Any idea on what I should test now or where I should go from here?

Thanks fellas!