91 marathon, new guy trying to figure it out!

[yurtle]

Assuming your battery voltages listed are after a full charge and 12 hours rest, they're shot. Since you're gonna spend a LOT of money on new batteries, decide NOW if you wanna upgrade or just cruse the 'hood.

I have a series and spent a LOT, but am happy. My last "stock" batts lasted 9 years, so you can care for them and cruise 4 'hoods all day long, but if you have hills, there may be times when you will be able to walk faster than a four passenger buggy can climb hills.

[jnmiller]

Originally Posted by fireboat

I have a 92 Marathon that I am just about finished restoring. The only thing going for it originally was that it had 1 year old Crown batteries and was rust free. It would do about 12mph. My son welded a lift kit and I installed new 12" rims with 22" tires. The cart then did about 14mph but really labored on any sort of incline.
After that, I upgraded the motor, cables, controller, solenoid and F/R switch which increased the speed to 19mph. I then added two more batteries to get 48v and it now runs 24mph.
Its just a matter of money, lol.

Great example. I'd be happy with 19 mph for sure, hell I'd probably be happy with 12. What kind of motor did you upgrade to? I will go start researching controllers/solenoids and switch to see what's good. Does the controller/solenoid add any speed or is it just to build a solid infrastructure?

Anyone have feedback on the higher voltages I'm getting out of 2 of the batteries? I understood a full charge to be 6.37

6.59
4.20
6.4
6.71
6.10
4.22


Really I want a little bit more speed and some larger tires so I can run on occasional sand and maybe get myself stuck in the mud every now and again. Sounds like i'll get the speed replacing the battery pack and I need to figure out tires.

[jnmiller]

This is a great resource right here too:

http://www.cartsunlimited.net/Custom_Options.html

Also, am I correct with my findings that I do NOT have a resistor setup?

[jnmiller]

Ok so I tore down the cart a bit and am finding lots of rust, broken stuff, etc... so I decided to get 3 new batteries to get me through this summer before I decide if I want to fix and upgrade this old cart or go for a newer one. I have one question regarding the charging. I have yet for the charger to click off after starting it. It will run the entire dial if set at "1" with the voltage during charging reaching 46 V at one point. After letting it sit overnight, my pack was at 38.9 volts.

I'm assuming that something is off with the charger now that the pack voltage is sufficient. Am I going to torch the batteries or destroy the charger or burn down the garage if I let the charger run a full 12 hours every time? I have heard whispers of an update for this charger, is there any documentation for that?

Also I am seeing 1 small black wire disconnected from the F/R switch, is this the reverse beeper?

[kernal]

Charger getting to 46v is not abnormal. Mismatched batteries will cause abnormal charge times.

Adding higher capacity controllers/solenoids/wires build infrastructure and not speed by themselves in a series cart. They allow you to add things that do increase speed such as taller gears, larger diameter tires and high performance motors. If you pick the right ones, they will be 48v capable so you don't have to change them again if you ever decide to convert to 48v.

They black disk with a hole and the small red and black wires coming from it is the reverse buzzer.

To determine if the cart is a controller cart we need to see a picture of the battery bay. Could be either controller or resister in '91

[jnmiller]

Thanks again for the infomation.

I found what I think to be the controller under the seat. All the wires from the switch are going to what looks like a controller, it's got a black plastic cover with one screw holding it on. I pulled it off and there's a black box with leads/connections. I see no resistor coils anywhere in the cart.

I realize it mixing batteries is frowned upon and getting to 46V isn't abnormal, but also understood the charger to kick off when the pack reaches 44 to 46 volts. If the pack runs the full 12 hours and doesn't ruin anything, I'm ok with that.

[kernal]

Yep controller. Probably 300amps or less and not 48v capable.

[jnmiller]

Ok, so anything on the charger? It does hum pretty well in certain positions but always charges fully. It just doesn't shut off automatically. I'm just starting to gather information on replacing the board. ( if feasible or necessary). I do not hear a click when plugging in the receptacle.

[jnmiller]

So anyone have advice on the charger? Maybe I should start a new thread on the charger issue for visibility.

[cgtech]

The hardware (transformer, diodes, rectifier) in the older timer-based (TotalCharge will be refered to as TC) TC chargers like yours is the same as the hardware in the newer TC automatic chargers, with a automatic control board instead of a timer. You could get a control board for one of the newer ones and fit it into your charger, effectively turning it into a TC2. The wire diagram for the newer charger would make this conversion quite easy. This would make the charger "fully automatic" with no need for the timer knob and attached timer unit.