Headlights drawing power

[curtcwc]

Hey Gang,

Looking for some electrical help. I have 2004 EZGO PDS 48v, owned it since 2007. I have never had this issue before, nor have I made any modifications to the cart in years. Batteries are only about 18 months old.

Two weeks ago, I am driving at dusk and decide to turn on my factory headlights, when I do, the cart slows down and bucks real quick, like the lights were a huge draw on the batteries. The headlights are even dim at first, then slowly build back up to full power in a few seconds.

This occurrence is repeatable every time I turn on the headlights (at full charge or half charge).

What is going on?

Thanks!

Curt

you will need to trace your wires and see if you have a converter/reducer powering your lights or if it is connected to 2 batteries
if it is reducer/converter i would say it is going bad
if it is 2 batteries ( if 8volt batteries) then you may have ruined them and need new batteries

[curtcwc]

Thanks for the feedback. I do not have a 48/12 reducer. I have 8 x 6V batteries installed. Yes, the lights are hooked up to 2 of the batteries, I sure hope they are not bad.

I guess what has got me scratching me head is "what has changed"?

I have been running this setup for 9 years without any issues at all. Maybe I just have a bad battery or cell.

What is the best way to test for a bad battery?

Thanks!

Curt

a volt meter or a load tester
try putting the wires on a different batteries

[curtcwc]

Hey Crash Test Dummy,

I think I have solved the mystery, at least for the moment. After doing some extensive research online, I found a guy who had the same issue I am experiencing. He suggested that the two 6v batteries providing the 12v charge to the headlights were not equalized to the other 6 batteries in the pack. Even though with my multi-meter they were all showing 6v after a full charge, under load, they would drop.

So I did 2 equalizing charges yesterday and the symptoms are gone (for now). I have never equalized my batteries before, but will add that to my monthly maintenance checklist going forward. Thanks again for your input.

Curt

[Swan]

no matter how many times you do a equalizing charger , you are still damaging your batteries every time you turn your lights on. pack batteries are not meant to be unbalanced thats why there are 12v to 48vreducers . A reducer take the 48 volt from the pack and drops it to 12 volt for lights ect... By using only 2 batteries you draw them down further then the other four . When charging the the other 4 charge up faster and boil away while waiting for the other 2 to catch up .

[curtcwc]

Thanks Swan, I agreed. Now that I have them back in balance, I will refrain from using my lights until I get a reducer installed.

Thanks,

Curt

[JohnnieB]

You might be able to prolong the usable life of the damaged battery pack a bit by charging the two 6V batteries that were used to power the 12V accessories with a 12V charger connected across the two of them.

It sounds like you have an analog multi-meter, so you need to get digital multi-meter that resolves to 0.01V to check the individual battery voltages.

If they are Trojan brand or clones, they should read 6.37V when fully charged. The voltage is measured 12 hours after the charger shuts off automatically.

If the difference between any two batteries is >0.10V, use a 12V charger to charge the batteries in pairs until they are all within 0.10V of each other. If you have access to a 6V charger, charge the low ones individually.

[DaveTM]

This is why a separate 12-V auto battery installed where you can fit it will solve this type of issue. Yes....it is a separate battery to charge....but you never have to be concerned about your lights (and in my case....lights and winch(s)) pulling power from my main power source.

Just my two cents.

[curtcwc]

Hey DaveTM,

Nice looking hunting buggy. A couple of questions if you don't mind.

1.) What kind of winch mount kit do you have for front & back?

2.) What model of warn winch did you buy?

3.) Are the Jake's front disc brakes worth the cost?

Thanks!

Curt