charging issue?

[Steve433]

hi everyone,
i have a 1993 cc ds with the fe290 engine mostly stock with a couple small upgrades. i have had it for about 6 years and have not had any charging issues until just recently. i do a lot of low speed cruising. i have been doing this for years. battery doesn't seem to be charging during the day with the radio on to run during the night with just the lights on. i checked the battery with the engine off and the battery was at 12.7 volts. cart running is goes as high as 15.7 volts at high rev. is that enough to sustain the battery and charge it at a higher speed? like i said i have been doing the same thing for years with no issues. i also put a new battery in the cart and the same thing happens. at the end of the day if i stop it is dead. (i have not checked the voltage when it doesn't start).

thanks in advance,
steve

[Golf cart guy]

If its at 15 + volts- its charging. What you need to do is check what it is charging at slow speed. Simple check with DVM. If the cart has an aftermarket starter/Generator then that would be bad.

[Steve433]

what is the lowest voltage I should need at low speed. i have a power spring in the driven clutch so it revs more that it normally would.

[Golf cart guy]

you want 13.85 to 14.5. Should get to voltage shortly after the motor is running

[yankee dog]

For clarification, what your saying is at lower moderate engine speed your not getting enough voltage to keep the battery charged up? Then you really need to rev the engine to higher than cruising speed to get voltages in the 15 volt range?

In other words, at slower cruising speed the battery is not receiving enough volts to keep it charged?

If that is the case, I would think that other than a slipping starter generator belt, either your starter generator brushes are worn or your voltage regulator is malfunctioning.

Of course I would check all charging system wiring and connections, including all grounds first.

It will be interesting to see what you find is the problem. I personally would change out the voltage regulator first, as it is the easier of the twoand not expensive, but I just read that if your getting over 16 volts or less than 12 volts, then the regulator is bad, you should be getting 15 volts or under (which you seem to be). YD

[Steve433]

I tightened the s/g belt. it was slipping when trying to start. was pretty loose. let's see if that solves the problem. start small right?

[yankee dog]

Yes, start small and do the things that are free! I'm interested in what you find out because mine does practically the same thing when I check the voltage with my meter. YD

[Steve433]

ok. so I tightened the belt and checked all connections. all are good. got a new battery today. i will run that and see how it goes.

[mrlmd]

Did you get the battery load tested first to see if it was any good before replacing it? Or did you just do that because you thought it was "old"?
Did you check the fluid level in the battery, or, when was the last time you did that?
15.7V is way high with the engine at high rev - I believe it should be maybe 14.5V at the highest, so your voltage regulator may be faulty, possibly you cooked the battery. And if that's the case, you make overcharge and cook the new one too. You better check the voltage again at high rev with the new battery in.

[Steve433]

i replaced the battery after it was tested. it tested at half the cranking amps it was rated at after having it on charge over night. fluid level was good. i tested voltage at high rpm. 15.57 volts with new battery. that seems high to me too. lights seem to be very dim at lower rpm and brighten up at high rpm. no one elses i see seem to do that. i don't get it.