2002 CC DS Stopped abruptly in Fwd, Charge indicator displays no charge

[raymondjunk]

This morning, I had taken the kids to the bus stop on the Club Car and returned to the house. I backed it up to the truck, loaded a bale of hay on to the back of it and depressed the accelerator to go forward. It jerked forward, then stopped dead. A look at the charge indicator showed NO charge at all.
Depressing the accelerator again did nothing.
Switching over to reverse produced the irritating buzzing sound, but no movement.
Turning the key to the off position and back on produced no change. I left it in the Off position.
After doing a little googling and watching some youtube videos that didn't really help, I returned to the cart and turned the key to the On position.
This time, the charge indicator displayed a very low level of charge and I watched the needle quickly drop to a lower and lower level of charge in seconds.
Knowing that there should be plenty of charge to the batteries, I went ahead and plugged the charger in anyway. Nothing happened. The charger did not click on. The charge level on the cart did not change.
I got this cart in a trade a couple of months ago and for the first time, checked the water level in the batteries yesterday. They were bone dry, so I filled them with distilled water (Nearly 3 gallons) to about 1/2" above the plates. While it seemed at the time like this would be a positive change, I can't help but believe the breakdown today is somehow related to adding the water yesterday.
Your thoughts and troubleshooting suggestions are desperately needed...

[raymondjunk]

I just tested the batteries with a multimeter.
Each battery registered 7.7-7.8 V and the full 6 together registered about 46 V.

[teecro]

Pretty simple those batteries are TOAST and your going to need to replace them due to gross negligence...

[raymondjunk]

Eek!
If it's that simple, then can you explain why the batteries still read about 8Volts each, and why they seemed to work just fine right up until the very moment the cart just stopped abruptly this morning?

[teecro]

Originally Posted by raymondjunk

Eek!
If it's that simple, then can you explain why the batteries still read about 8Volts each, and why they seemed to work just fine right up until the very moment the cart just stopped abruptly this morning?

8.0 volts is not fine that is roughly 60 % discharged and near death... They are now dead and likely iinternally shorted out... A well charged 8 volt battery will display about 8.5 volts...

[raymondjunk]

Any explanation for why the charger will not even click on when to charge when it's plugged in? And is this definitely related to the fact that I added water yesterday after the previous owner had let the water evaporate completely?

[joesam]

If you never checked water for 2 months after getting the cart, then I'm afraid you are the previous owner who let them run dry. Older batteries use a lot more water (per charge) than newer ones. 46v should be enough for the charger to come on - but your next step should be to charge each of your individual batteries with a 12v auto charger - about a half hour per battery just to be conservative, and then get a voltage reading and try plugging in your cart charger again. It may start up.

Adding water did not harm them or your charger, but it was likely too late to save the batteries. Most likely - those batteries are cooked (being charged dry). Not sure if there's anything wrong with your charger or not, until you try separate charges on each battery and then see what happens.

[raymondjunk]

Thanks.
I'll start charging them now.
Any reason I should have to disconnect each battery? Or can I charge them separately while still connected?
And again, I can't quite understand how the cart could be functioning seemingly normally one second, then completely fail the next due to batteries. Is that the typical symptom of a battery death?

[joesam]

Is that the typical symptom of a battery death?

Sort of. Each battery is called upon to deliver high amps initially when you push the go pedal. And they will do it over and over - and then (at least one battery) suddenly collapses with the amp demand and delivers nothing. Especially if they are old/declining or abused.

They do not need to be disconnected from each other - they can be charged separately while wired in the pack.

[raymondjunk]

Well there is good news to report here.
While tinkering with the batteries, one of the cables broke completely off @ the terminal. The corrosion on the terminal had eaten completely through the cable. $6 and a new cable later, each of the batteries is now reading about 8.5 volts and the entire bank is reading 50+.
The charge indicator is reading properly and I heard the "Click" of the charger when I plugged it in. I've removed it in favor of continuing to charge each battery individually, simply because I like to finish what I've started.
Long story short, I've learned a few lessons but avoided a $1,000 battery bill. This golf cart has obviously not been cared for. It's filthy, corroded and in need of a little TLC. ...beginning with replacing these battery cables.
Thanks for all the help.
I have a feeling I'll be back.