Do batteries need replacement

[Dpaqs]

2007 ezgo 36 volt. Batteries 3 years old. I get 18 holes of golf, used to get 54+.
Cart loses power uphill. Checked batteries with fluke meter, all read 6.5 v. Pack reads 38 v. Checked batteries with hydrometer, all good, checked with 6 volt tester, all good. Gauge on cart reads half charge ( after 18 holes ), used to run cart until gauge would be blinking. Lastly, checked under load uphill, fluke meter read 34 v on flat surface but only 28 volt uphill. Do batterIes need replacement or is this an I.T.S. issue or a controller issue. Thx for any input.

[Filthy-Beast]

I thought I read if fully charged pack(38.2) drops below 31v under load you need to replace it

[mutant]

i`d get a 48v dpi charger and new 8v batts and be done with it-and a controller to boot...all you need is money!

[Clemsoncartguy]

I think there old and weak. Remember you don't want to discharge The batteries much below 50% to keep life up. Every once n awhile on a special trip or say a big tourney your probably ok, but constantly doing it will shorten the life.

I had 7 year old batteries. They only charged to 80% and ran fine for say 5 to 6 miles then slowed. Your batteries are getting you by but their life is diminished. And I am not sure what the low voltage cut out is but sounds like you may be close to that on those hills when you dip low.

[Dpaqs]

Thanks for input. Kinda figured it was battery time!

[scottyb]

Sounds like they are dropping pretty low under load. That's an indication that even though they are coming up to proper voltage they are not able to store as much amperage as they once did.
For the new pack get an in dash digital battery meter and never run the pack down below 50% capacity, the pack should last yrs longer.

[B747VET]

I guess your batteries are kind of beyond salvation at this point. But also it seems the prevailing knowledge base says that if we want excellent battery life we shouldn't ever go below 50% before charging. If we do consistently go below 50% and try to stretch beyond 18-36 holes without a recharge, 2-3 years of useful battery life might be the predictable payback.

Perhaps the question for those with real knowledge is whether it is best to recharge every night and then leave it plugged in relying on the automated charger to kick back in or to try to not charge until the charge drops to between 50-80% and then fully charge and then unplug it until the next drop below 80%??

My cart guys say to try and never let it go below 50% and also just leave it plugged in because the onboard charger on my cart knows what is best for optimum battery life. But, I recognize that they do sell batteries as a source of revenue.

[scottyb]

Bottom line something like this. The golf cart battery has a finite useful life. That life can be shortened by allowing the plates to sulfate.

A wet cell GC battery's useful life can be lengthened or optimized by keeping the batteries as close to fully charged as possible all the time.

Read that and memorize it. It is the answer to all battery questions. ^^^

A battery charger with float charge mode is the best solution for these things. A good example is the DPI Accusense charger. This charger has 5 stage charging for the most complete charge. It has 4 modes so it can be set to match your battery manufacture's recommendations. When it finishes the charge cycle it automatically goes into a float mode where it keeps the pack at a slightly elevated state so they cannot loose charge and sulfate. Additionally it will hold this float charge for 28 days and then recharge the pack and go back into float mode for another 28 days and so on and so on..... all winter long when needed.

Now that's a charger that understands what a wet cell battery needs.

[vagabond]

for what it's worth I have one set of batteries that are almost seven years old, they get charged every night. During the day I do a lot of stop and go talking with customers here at the park.

[scottyb]

Originally Posted by vagabond

for what it's worth I have one set of batteries that are almost seven years old, they get charged every night. During the day I do a lot of stop and go talking with customers here at the park.

Howdy Al. My wife's auntie had a set of Trojans in an old 3 wheeler that pulled a feed wagon 2 times a day on their ranch. I was doing a little work on the cart and noticed the batteries were 9 yrs old. Charged every night. That's 3285 charge cycles and counting. I don't know how far that cart could actually go but it was doing what they were asking.