02-22-2020, 12:53 AM | #1 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 5
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Bad Voltage Regulator
I'm having a slow battery drain with my 2010 gas Precedent. Will a bad voltage regulator cause this? Thanks.
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02-22-2020, 08:12 AM | #2 |
Nincompoop village idiot
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Michigan
Posts: 9,625
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Re: Bad Voltage Regulator
No. The voltage regulator is only energized when both the key and pedal switch are activated.
Do you have any other accessories? Lights? Radio? Gas gauge? |
02-22-2020, 08:41 PM | #3 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 5
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Re: Bad Voltage Regulator
Yes I have a radio. It is on a toggle switch. We turn the toggle switch off when we aren't using the cart.
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02-22-2020, 09:39 PM | #4 |
Bonafide Nincompoop
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Charlottesburg Va
Posts: 8,987
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Re: Bad Voltage Regulator
How old is the battery?
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02-23-2020, 11:39 AM | #5 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 5
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Re: Bad Voltage Regulator
Last week I took the cart to the Club Car dealer. They load tested the battery and it is good. They checked the brushes and charging system. All is good there.
The battery drain started at the end of golf season 2018. I brought the cart home and charged the battery. I left the radio system hooked up to the battery. Every couple days I checked the battery with a multimeter and the battery was losing charge. I unhooked the radio system and charged the battery. The battery was losing charge. I unhooked everything from the battery and charged it. Still losing charge. I thought the battery was bad. I bought a new battery the start of the 2019 (March) golf season. About August 2019 the battery was dead. I friend of mine installed the radio system. He said with the toggle switch off there shouldn't be any power going to the radio. I tried it and with the toggle switch off the radio won't come on. He suggested replacing the voltage regulator due to his experience with a voltage regulator going bad in an antique car he had which caused a battery drain. Maybe I need to take it to another Club Car repair shop. Thanks |
02-23-2020, 05:03 PM | #6 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 16
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Re: Bad Voltage Regulator
most radios have two hot power wires, one is for the radio power off on, the other one is a constant hot all the time for the clock in the radio and the channel memory. this could pull your battery down over time also even if the toggle switch is off because of the second power wire is still has a power draw. To test the voltage regulator put the cart in service mode where you can run it in neutral. hook your test meter to the batter set on dc voltage you should see 12 to 12.6 volts, start cart in neutral service mode rev the motor up you should see the meter voltage go to 13.5 to 14.5 volts this mean the battery is being re charged from the generator/starter it does not rise up to 13+ volts replace the voltage regulator first and retest.
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02-23-2020, 05:21 PM | #7 |
Nincompoop village idiot
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Michigan
Posts: 9,625
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Re: Bad Voltage Regulator
If you've got a current draw, it's not rocket science to figure out what's causing it.
1. Disconnect your negative battery terminal. 2. Set your meter to the 10A current setting. 3. Hook the probes of your meter, negative to the battery post and positive to the cables that attach to the terminal. Now 100% of current in the cart is flowing through, and thereby being measured by your meter. When doing this in a car, under 50mA is good. In a golf cart, you want 0mA. Now that everything is set, take note of the reading on the meter. Disconnect 1 ITEM in the cart at a time until the current drops to 0. If you disconnect something (voltage retulator) and the reading on the meter doesnt change, then reconnect it and move to something else. Once you disconnect something and your current drops to 0 then you've found the source of your draw. This would be the correct way to do this. Replacing things at random because so and so said theyve seen it once before in a vehicle completely not related to a golf cart is not the correct way. You're just gonna end up spending money on parts that dont fix it, getting frustrated, and selling the cart fir cheap to someone like me because you're sick of messing with it but really, spend a little diag time, do it right, and not only will you fix it in a traction of the time, but there wont be any guess work if it's fixed or not. |
02-23-2020, 05:22 PM | #8 |
Nincompoop village idiot
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Michigan
Posts: 9,625
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Re: Bad Voltage Regulator
And DO NOT turn on headlights, or try and start the cart with your meter hooked up like that. It will blow the fuse inside the meter, and those are about $10 a piece.
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02-23-2020, 08:37 PM | #9 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 5
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Re: Bad Voltage Regulator
Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.
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02-23-2020, 09:12 PM | #10 |
Vintage tech
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: South
Posts: 3,210
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Re: Bad Voltage Regulator
I use a simple test light. One with a regular bulb and not a LED. They are cheap.
Remove the negative battery cable and connect the test light between the negative cable and the negative battery post. If you got a short it will light that test light. If you turn the headlights on you will not hurt a think but the old test light with lite up I doubt you got a draw unless it is the radio. Have someone test the battery with an old fashioned hydrometer. I trust one of these better than the expensive gadgets they use today that takes forever. Walmart will test your battery with one of those expensive gadgets and they don't charge you anything if you can't find anyone with a hydrometer or want to buy one. If it were me and you know the battery is good like you were told then disconnect the radio and see if your battery stays sparky I mean charged up |
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