'86 Marathon, charger shuts off after 1 hour

[humpjack]

For the last month or so each time I charge my cart the charger shuts off after an hour. I can unplug the charger from the cart, restart and 9 out of ten times it does the same thing. Once or twice it has restarted and charged for maybe 4 hours. A recent voltage check showed all batts good and I made sure all connections were clean and tight. Yesterday I took the charger cable apart and found some corrosion at the connection inside the male plug. Replaced the cable but still the same 1 hour shut down.

Any ideas?

[camaroluvz28]

manual charger with timer dial or automatic charger...plug in and walk away?

[JohnnieB]

Welcome to BGW!

In addition to identifying what kind of charger you have, what are the battery pack and individual battery voltages about 12 hours after charger shuts off?

If less than 38.2V for pack and 6.37V for each battery, you may have a battery and/or charger issue.

[humpjack]

Thanks guys.
I put the cart back on the charger this morning so I'll check voltages tonight. For what it's worth the pack voltage (6 hours after the 1 hour charge) is 37.54 and the lowest individual batt is 5.91; next lowest is 6.24. I guess the 5.91 needs replaced, but in the past a weak battery didn't cause this 1 hr shut down.
As for the charger type, it's a Textron Total Charge automatic (I think). At least it shuts off after it senses a proper charge. The timer advances with the length of time on the charger and then at shut off tells how long it took to charge. Sound like an automatic?
I forgot to mention that after the cart has been on the charger for the hour it runs, it does receive a charge. For the first minute or two it normally runs strong, then fades real quickly. Maybe that'll give another clue.
Thanks again, I'll get the 12 hour voltages later.

[JohnnieB]

5.91 is only about 30% Soc, so that battery needs to be replaced.

If charger continues to act up after the bad battery is replaced, it needs to be checked out, but on a pack with a sick battery in it, anything is possible.

BTW - your have an automatic charger and it is a keeper. Built like a tank and 100% repairable.

[humpjack]

Thanks for the info, JohnnieB. I was hoping that I didn't need to replace the charger. I guess I'll start with a new battery and see what happens. I have replaced 2 in the last 10 or 12 months so I expect I'll need to replace the other 4 soon enough.
While we're on the subject, can anyone direct me to info regarding replacing two 6Vs with one 12V? I understand that you don't get the optimum performance but I only use the cart to bop around on the farm; get the mail, ride the grandkids, pick berries, that kind of thing. Seems that I can save weight and $ at the same time. Any advice appreciated.

Thanks again.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by humpjack

..............While we're on the subject, can anyone direct me to info regarding replacing two 6Vs with one 12V? I understand that you don't get the optimum performance but I only use the cart to bop around on the farm; get the mail, ride the grandkids, pick berries, that kind of thing. Seems that I can save weight and $ at the same time..........

It is not a good idea to mix old and new batteries or different Amp Hour batteries in a pack because the weaker ones overcharge and the stronger one undercharge, and the net result is that they all go belly up quickly.

The standard 6V cart battery is about 225AH and the typical 12V cart battery is 150AH, or about 2/3 the capacity.

You'd probably be better off using 3 x 12V (deep cycle) batteries.
The run-time will by a third or more, and you'll be working them hard, so they won't last as long, but the choice is yours.

To answer the question: Will replacing two 6V with a 12V work, yes, but not for very long.

[humpjack]

Oops. Seems like I should have replaced all 6 of the batteries at the same time. I guess I'll plan on replacing the other four now and hope for the best. Thanks for the help and the clarification regarding 6V vs. 12V batteries. Makes sense and very helpful.
Happy Fourth!