Powerwise shuts off early

[JohnnieB]

Resistentialism.
(Spiteful behavior manifested by inanimate objects.)

I hate it when things fix themselves and I never find out what was wrong.

Could have been a dirty contact that got cleaned by unplugging and replugging.

[simple man]

You could have a bad cell in one of the batteries. I'd check the voltages in them, all individually while driving. I use a cheap set of alligator clips you can buy at Radio Shack, or similar store, so you can safely clip your meter leads to each battery. If one drops faster than the others, you've found the problem! I had a bad battery and it made my charger do a short cycle also. Apparently the charging voltage was high from the start, so once the charger " saw " the cutout voltage for the preset time, it turned off.

[bobbyg75]

Well, only did nine holes due to weather. Plugged in at 6:00p and got 20a charge. Checked at 6:30, down to 18a. At 7:00p the charger was off. Plugged it in and it was drawing 17a. At 8:00p it was off. Plugged in and its down to 5a. Not sure why it shut off on initial charge! Ah!

[bobbyg75]

Originally Posted by simple man

You could have a bad cell in one of the batteries. I'd check the voltages in them, all individually while driving. I use a cheap set of alligator clips you can buy at Radio Shack, or similar store, so you can safely clip your meter leads to each battery. If one drops faster than the others, you've found the problem! I had a bad battery and it made my charger do a short cycle also. Apparently the charging voltage was high from the start, so once the charger " saw " the cutout voltage for the preset time, it turned off.

Wouldn't checking individual voltages show the same thing? All my batteries are within .01v of each other when checked.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by bobbyg75

Well, only did nine holes due to weather. Plugged in at 6:00p and got 20a charge. Checked at 6:30, down to 18a. At 7:00p the charger was off. Plugged it in and it was drawing 17a. At 8:00p it was off. Plugged in and its down to 5a. Not sure why it shut off on initial charge! Ah!

While troubleshooting, it is important to measure pack voltage before putting on charge.
Let batteries rest for about half an hour after being used, before measuring voltage.
The electrolyte stratifies during discharge (is weaker closer to plates), so you have to let it equalize to get a meaningful reading.

Then let the batteries rest for 12 hours after the charger shuts off automatically.
A surface charge develops during the final charging phase and it must be depleted for meaningful readings.

Originally Posted by bobbyg75

Wouldn't checking individual voltages show the same thing? All my batteries are within .01v of each other when checked.

Dynamic testing is best, but driving for five or six miles (9 holes) and then measuring individual battery voltages will usually identify the weaker, or bad, batteries.