power problem

[tjcnok]

Hello. DS 48 volt. Batteries seem to be charging correctly. Meter on the charger goes all the way to the right then the next morning needle is all the way to the left. The little batter warning light comes on and flickers after a few minutes then it looses a bunch of power and won't climb a mild hill. The motor struggles and shudders like the batteries are way low. What's the cure for this? New batteries I suppose. This cart has been in the dealer's shop twice this summer for this problem. They say they can't find anything, but don't mind charging for looking it over. So tired of dealing with this golf car I am thinking of buying a new ezgo electric. Any suggestions? We don't golf. The Mrs. uses it to drive around the place tending flowers and light chores. Thanks.

[Mooncarter]

How old are the batteries? Did the shop suggest you buy new batteries?

[tjcnok]

Thanks for the reply! The batteries are 3 years old. The dealer says they test out to be about 67% ok and we need to think about replacing them soon. Does this mean that you feel it must be a battery problem? Thanks again!

[LukeL]

It definitely does sound like a battery problem to me, as I have had the same issue before.


Club Car DS Driver’s Club #59

[tjcnok]

Ok. Thanks. So what are the best most reliable batteries for this cart? Three years ago I put in a new set of interstate batteries. How long are they supposed to last?

[scrannel]

I have a 2000 48 Volt DS we bought used from a dealer who put in a new set of Trojans. They lasted 8 years. Current batteries (can't remember what brand, sorry), have been in going on our 5th year now. But I take care of them. BTW, when we were running the Trojans my son was in High School and they got serious work outs.

[teecro]

Originally Posted by tjcnok

Thanks for the reply! The batteries are 3 years old. The dealer says they test out to be about 67% ok and we need to think about replacing them soon. Does this mean that you feel it must be a battery problem? Thanks again!

Does 67 % ok mean 33 % bad?

While we would all hope for infinite battery life 3 years does seem to be the edge of the slope for the downhill slide depending on brand name and how they have been treated.

My 3 plus year old Crowns have degraded a little bit but still perform quite well considering that we have hills that can stall some carts altogether.

Two of the best pieces of advice we can offer is:

(1) install a digital voltage meter to keep you aware of battery voltage anytime.
(2) Buy a handheld digital voltage meter so you can watch your battery one at a time to see which one is if any is failing during use.
(3) When not using the cart keep it plugged into the charger 24/7 and
(4) Keep your water levels in check...

Ok so that's four pieces of advice...

[tjcnok]

Thanks! this is all great advice! If she isn't usig it to putter around in the gardens, then it is on the charger. One note of interest is that while it will barely pull itself on level ground, it will back up just great. She can start up a pretty steep grade and it will start that shuddering and just quit. She can put it in reverse and turn around and back up the same hill with no problem at all. Would that be the same battery problem as you all have suggested?

[Golf cart guy]

Crazy thing is most golf car repair shops have problems diagnosing battery issues. This seems to be your case. Charger turns on and shuts off, that's good, but the light is telling you something.

Forget age of battery, Ive seen people kill their batteries in a year, or they could last 10 years. How the cart is used and maintained will determine battery life.

I don't like to hear that if the cart is not being used that its on the charger, that could shorten life. I know ill be ridiculed for this, but Ive seen it too many times.

A short 5 minute trip does not dictate plugging the charger in, more harm than good.
A minute trip out to the garden and back doesn't mean it needs to go on the charger.

A knowledgeable individual that knows batteries and golf carts will have your issue figured out in less than 5 minutes.

[tjcnok]

SUCCESS!!!!!!! (Thanks to this board.) Took all the battery cables off and checked each individual battery. All of them came up to 8.49V. All but one, that is. It registered 6.3. Took the gamble that this was the culprit causing all the heartburn and bought an exact replacement. Works like a swiss watch now. Thanks to all who helped me figure this out. You all out did the CC dealers in two cities!.