36v txt w/ Upgraded Controller dying out...

[Golf Cart Surgeon]

So I've got this TXT 36v with a DCX controller that's decreased in longevity. It has 6 Continental 2GC-110 6v batteries that were covered in corrosion. So the guy cleaned it up and put water in it like we recommended, now he's saying there's something else wrong with it because it only runs for about an hour or so after driving up the steep hills around here. He claims it used to run all day in the summer. He says it can't be the batteries because they're only a year and a half old. They test ok, charge ok, but they just suck down quick. When it dies on a hill, the pack load drops to about 20v, then back up around 37. If you give it a minute, it will run at a slower rate of speed on flat ground.

I told him it's the batteries, but he doesn't believe it, I can't find anything else wrong.

[Volt_Ampere]

He says it can't be the batteries but it sure sounds to me like it is bad batteries.

[JohnnieB]

Your customer has very high expectations for very low capacity batteries.

The standard 36V battery pack consists of six 6V-225AH and the Continental 2GC-110 is a 185AH battery. In other words the Continental 2GC-110 battery pack has roughly 60% of the defacto standard for 36V packs.

Depending on where in Texas you are located (see attached map), the nominal life expectancy for standard batteries is 30 to 41 months, so the life expectancy for the sub-standard batteries is 18 to 24.6 months. That guesstimate does not take into account lower capacity batteries will have a lower average SoC since the carts amp load stays the same, so the actual life expectancy will be quite a bit lower.

[dundeebarnbuggy]

If he was using his cart often, everyday, especially with less than stellar maintenance, that is about the lifespan of non premium batts. I blew through a set of Trojan "black boxs" in about the same timeframe WITH textbook care.

[Golf Cart Surgeon]

Thanks for the responses. I agree.

[scottyb]

If the upgraded controller is an Alltrax he can collect a monitor file while driving and you can both look at the battery performance... especially when it quits.
But you can also watch other factors like amperage draw (consumption). The new bigger controller may simply be allowing the motor to pull more amperage thus draining the batteries faster than before.