powerwise 2 question

[slimmer455]

hey guys just a few questions.Ive got new batteries in my cart.i let it charge completely checked the voltage 38.7 .drove it for a few days and the voltage meter on the dash of the cart dropped 1 bar.i decided to charge it again.The charger clicked about 8 times and never kicked on. so i checked the voltage and it read 38.3.so obviously it was fully charged.is it that the charger wont kick on if the voltage is at 100%? what is the best voltage reading to charge the cart(how far should i run it down before charging)?Thanks for your help Mike

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by slimmer455

hey guys just a few questions.Ive got new batteries in my cart.i let it charge completely checked the voltage 38.7 .drove it for a few days and the voltage meter on the dash of the cart dropped 1 bar.i decided to charge it again.The charger clicked about 8 times and never kicked on. so i checked the voltage and it read 38.3.so obviously it was fully charged.is it that the charger wont kick on if the voltage is at 100%? what is the best voltage reading to charge the cart(how far should i run it down before charging)?Thanks for your help Mike

First and foremost, go to Scottyb's website and read everything with the word "Battery" in the title.
http://www.cartsunlimited.net/

In a nutshell,
* New batteries have to be broken in properly to obtain maximum storage capacity.
* The higher the State of Charge (SoC) you keep your batteries at, the longer they last.
* If you run the cart more than 15 minutes, charge the batteries. (Lead-Acid batteries have no memory, so deep discharging is harmful rather than helpful)
* Always let the charger shut off automatically.
* To get a meaningful SoC voltage reading, let the batteries rest (No charging or usage) for at least 6 hours, 12 or longer preferred, after charger turns off automatically.

The voltages given (38.7 and 38.3) are off the top of the SoC charts, but you have new batteries, so a little on the high side is expected.

LED Bargraph type SoC meters have been known to be less than accurate, so use a DVM to determine SoC. (There are threads on this topic)

If your Powerwise II charger is clinking on and off, either it has a control board problem,or a relay problem, or the Auxiliary contact in the plug going to the cart is not making good contact.
Clean/adjust the Aux. contact in the charger's plug and clean outside of negative Radsok in cart's charger receptacle. If that doesn't fix it, dig deeper.

Normally, it should click on after a 3-5 second delay, the ammeter should jump to about 20-25A (about 10A if batteries are close to being fully charged) and stay on until the battery voltage reaches 44-46V.

[scottyb]

Try plugging in the charger and hold the plug up (steady pressure) if the cart's receptacle contacts are worn, the charger should come on and stay on. You can wedge something under the plug to maintain this contact position. Buy a pr of 'radsoks' for the cart receptacle to fix this problem. Two pcs. OEM#73051-G05

[slimmer455]

What is the best way to clean the radsock connectors.wire brush or spray can of cleaner thanks mike

[JohnnieB]

An emery board (nail file type) works, but not much room to work and hard to see.
The left side of the left Radsok is where the charger senses the battery pack voltage.
Also clean the silver colored contact in the charger's plug. (Right side looking into it)

A squirt or two of spray cleaner and plugging the charging cable in a few times before it evaporates, might help also, but be careful, some cleaners eat plastic.
Of course, don't do this with charger plugged into AC power.

Personally, if the charger plug/receptacle gets hot while charging, I'd definitely replace the Radsoks, but if it is just a battery sensing issue, I'd try some cleaning and adjusting first.
However, I've been working with electrical devices since I was a teenager and I'm retired now, so I feel comfortable doing things like that.

[slimmer455]

Ok I'll give that a try.I did get the charger to work by plugging into the cart holding it firm.then charger kicked on and I put a shim to hold it firmly in place.thanks for your help.

[cableguy_hd]

the radsocks are pretty easy to replace. I did mine last week. there is a small contact on the neg side of the charger plug that you insert into the cart. Mine wasnt making contact so the charger wouldn't kick on.I opened the plug end( while not plugged to AC ) and bent that contact out so it would make touch the connector in the cart and fixied a similiar problem.

[slimmer455]

having more problems with the charger.It clicks about 4 times before it kicks on.Then it buzzs like its on but no amps.Its on but not charging.What gives? thanks

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by slimmer455

having more problems with the charger.It clicks about 4 times before it kicks on.Then it buzzs like its on but no amps.Its on but not charging.What gives? thanks

Clicks multiple time before coming on: Sounds like you didn't find or didn't fix the original problem.
Re-read replies #2, #3 and #7

Buzzes, but no amps: Bad diodes, blown fuses, broken wires, bad radsoks.

[slimmer455]

i cleaned the connectors real good.Then i took apart the charger plug and noticed the red wire going to the clip was loose.I plugged the charger back in and this time it did 1 click and then came on but only at 2 amps.Then about 20 seconds later it went up to 15 amps.is that normal?Do you think it could be old radsocks and i should just pony up and get them.thanks. mike