09 Precedent bad batteries already?

[Gary811CC]

Hi all - I have an 09 Precedent that I bought used - had it for about 9 months so far. It has the factory (4) 12v CC Trojans in it, I keep them clean, filled and on charger always. This past weekend, got down the road with the kids, came to a stop, then accelerated, and it seemed almost like something slipped, but it just lost power. After a humbling push back home for quite a ways with the shoulder pain to remind me, I tool a voltmeter across the batteries, tested 12.8, 12.8, 12.8 and 10.7. A local cart place up the street picked up the cart, because I wasn't convinced that was the only problem. They called me after testing, and said it was. Told me one battery was definitely bad (the one that tested 10.7 obviously), and that some others were testing low (huh?) some around 11.X according to them. Said it would be about $970 for a set of Crown batteries, or they could just do a single battery. I hate paying for something I can do, and I'm not really sure at this point either - should I replace just the single battery, and is there a downside there? That price seems ridiculously high to me for (4) 12v's. Thoughts on that? Thanks

[clubcarjeff]

This is the reason that Clubcar dropped the four 12V battery set up and went to six 8V. I had a fleet of 80 '09 Precedent carts. Batteries dropped like flies and rarely could a car make a second round of golf without charging( hilly course). If you are keeping this car for a while, switch to the six 8V conversion.

[Gary811CC]

Originally Posted by clubcarjeff

This is the reason that Clubcar dropped the four 12V battery set up and went to six 8V. I had a fleet of 80 '09 Precedent carts. Batteries dropped like flies and rarely could a car make a second round of golf without charging( hilly course). If you are keeping this car for a while, switch to the six 8V conversion.

I'm in FL (flat), and never am really going too far between charges. Why would I want to go to six 8V config? Better longevity, less expensive?

[SaltLifeCC]

The 6x8 config is better longevity over all and supposedly better run times per charge as well. Do you happen to have lights or any other accessories hooked to one of your 12v batteries? If so, does it happen to be the battery that tested bad? Using 1 of the batteries to run accessories, even though that's the OEM setup for lights on the precedent, causes that battery to wear out quicker than the others and then that puts extra stress on the other batteries when charging because they are being overcharged while waiting for the weaker one to catch up. Over time, they all get weak prematurely.

I have the 4x12 setup as you do and bought my 06 used and it had 08 Trojans in it. One of them was bad but the guy I bought it from swapped it for a good one. I have no idea what kind of care was given to the batteries before I got it, but they lasted until the end of 2012. The world didn't end but my batteries sure did. I have read that 4 - 5 years is what you should expect to get out of a set of the 12's. The better care you take, the longer you can make them go. I just put in a new set and am trying to make sure I give them TLC.

[Gary811CC]

Originally Posted by SaltLifeCC

The 6x8 config is better longevity over all and supposedly better run times per charge as well. Do you happen to have lights or any other accessories hooked to one of your 12v batteries? If so, does it happen to be the battery that tested bad? Using 1 of the batteries to run accessories, even though that's the OEM setup for lights on the precedent, causes that battery to wear out quicker than the others and then that puts extra stress on the other batteries when charging because they are being overcharged while waiting for the weaker one to catch up. Over time, they all get weak prematurely.

I have the 4x12 setup as you do and bought my 06 used and it had 08 Trojans in it. One of them was bad but the guy I bought it from swapped it for a good one. I have no idea what kind of care was given to the batteries before I got it, but they lasted until the end of 2012. The world didn't end but my batteries sure did. I have read that 4 - 5 years is what you should expect to get out of a set of the 12's. The better care you take, the longer you can make them go. I just put in a new set and am trying to make sure I give them TLC.

Thanks. I just called the CC dealer, and the tech was very helpful. Said much of what you guys stated. He told me to try and put that one battery on a charger (and yes, you're right, it is the accessory battery, where I'm sure the kids left the lights on) - if that doesn't work, a single battery will be a band-aid. Gotta do the math, but even the CC dealer was way less than the $900+ the place that has my cart is quoting

[SaltLifeCC]

If all else fails, take that battery to a parts store and ask them to load test it. Or, after you charge it separately, go for a short ride and come back and check them all again. If that one is much lower than the rest, it is bad and not much you can do about it. It doesn't take leaving the lights on to wear down a single battery when using it for accessories. Over time, it's not good for the battery and not good for the entire pack. I had that setup at first but ended up mounting a dedicated accessory battery in the bagwell under the rear seat and re-wiring my accessories to it. Now I can run my lights and radio much longer than the cart will go on a charge. When I plug the cart in, I plug a charger into the rear battery as well.

Also, and especially if your other batteries are showing signs of being weak, it's not good to replace just one battery in the pack. You'll cost yourself more money in the long run. I paid $169 each for my Trojans but have found them as low as $152 each - it was just too far to drive to get them. $900 is way over priced for a set.

[Stevegrmich]

. . . friend at campground has EZGo . . . same issue . . suddenly could not make it up slight inclines . . I checked cart . . pack at 36v . . all cables tight and clean . . checked SG of cells . . two batteries had a cell that would not register with SG tester . . he replaced those two batteries and after several charge cycles, cart back to normal . . . checking pack voltage alone in his case did not provide sufficient information . . . need to watch SG also . . .

[Dingleberry]

Dumb question alert! Couldn't you just rotate the 12v battery that the accessories draw off of to prevent uneven wear? Or, better yet, rotate the accessory feed wire to each battery say once a month?

I know, somebody is going to say "buy a voltage reducer", which I agree is the best solution, but not in the finances right now.

[nobogez42]

Originally Posted by Dingleberry

Dumb question alert! Couldn't you just rotate the 12v battery that the accessories draw off of to prevent uneven wear? Or, better yet, rotate the accessory feed wire to each battery say once a month?

I know, somebody is going to say "buy a voltage reducer", which I agree is the best solution, but not in the finances right now.

You would have to rotate the batteries. If you rotate the wire you would increase voltage from 12 to 24 to 36 to 48 depending on which battery since they are wired in series.
Swapping batteries around would be a real pain and not very scientific as you would use accessories more some months than others.
A reducer cost me $29 and has been going strong for nearly a year.