Not sure what I'm doing

reinman88 · 04-06-2015, 12:57 PM

Ok, got a new voltmeter, and ran my tests again. I fully charged the batteries yesterday afternoon. At noon today with the temp in the 50s all batteries tested 12.88 to 12.92, and it said full pack was 51.5.

To test each battery I drove the length of the driveway which is about 200 yards. The driveway is level and gravel. The four batteries tested.

11.54
11.64
11.66
11.75

That is the order in which I tested them, so the lower test result came with only 200 yards on the battery, while the highest result came with about 800 yards on the battery.

I made one final run testing the whole pack and got 46.5. Is this number about right when driving on a level gravel drive?

Now that it appears the batteries are good, I'm wondering why I'm having this problem. Clearly you should be able to drive more then 2 miles with two people in the cart, even with a large hill to climb along the way.

reinman88 · 04-06-2015, 01:04 PM

I thought I should add this.

Last fall there was a time two of us made the run and forgot something and had to come back. So on this day with two people in the cart we made two round trips going up the big hill twice, with no problems.

Also last fall or early winter I plugged in the cart one day to charge it, and after all the lights light up, instead of the orange charge light the green fully charged light came on, with no other light. I unplugged it and plugged it back in, the same thing. A half hour or so later I went back out plugged it in and it acted normal. This did not occur again until last week. This time the second time I plugged it in it was fine.

Is it possible I am having a problem on occasion with the charger, and it does not always fully charge the batteries? And after those times I may have a problem.

Revolution · 04-06-2015, 01:12 PM

Your pack is out of balance at best and most likely dying. It might help to charge the lower 3 separately with a 12 volt charger especially the 11.54 volt one. You might need to do it more than once. After you charge them all up individually see how they do.

you can leave the batteries connected to the pack to charge them no need to disconnect them.

sportcoupe · 04-06-2015, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reinman88

To test each battery I drove the length of the driveway which is about 200 yards. The driveway is level and gravel. The four batteries tested.

11.54
11.64
11.66
11.75

Are those number while the cart was under load driving the 200 yards or stopped at the end of driving?

If under load they seem good to me.

If stopped then they need 10 mins to recover before SOC measurements can be useful.

reinman88 · 04-06-2015, 04:49 PM

Those numbers are while I was driving, and yes the numbers came up after I stopped, which I expected since they were not under load after I stopped. The 46.5 for the full pack was also while driving. I take it that is a good number too.

reinman88 · 04-06-2015, 05:27 PM

Did another run and then went down the road a bit. Made the same 200 yard run. The first three batteries went 11.55 to 11.61. Battery number 4 is still better at 11.71. After 4 runs down the drive the full pack was 46.5 while driving.

I then went down the gravel road 1/3 of a mile to where I usually turn into the farm field. Here I turned around and headed back. According to Google earth the first 600 feet has a 5% grade, but it starts out steeper and then gradually levels off. I started with 45.1, but it kept going up a tenth at a time until I was at 45.7 when I had gone the 600 feet. By the time I finished the 1/3 mile and started back up by drive I was back to 46.4 on the level drive. Sitting in my barn a few minutes later the pack said 50.2.

It seems to me everything is ok with the batteries. I can't understand how I can make two runs with two people in the cart, but on another trip I can't make it one time. The cables are clean and the cart fully charged before these trips.

sportcoupe · 04-06-2015, 05:41 PM

I don't think a battery is bad.

Check every large high current cable (battery and motor cables) after a ride and see if any get more then ~10 deg over ambient outside temperature. If a cable has high resistance it will get warm or hot.

Next I'd probably take the motor off, disassemble and inspect motor brushes.

reinman88 · 04-06-2015, 06:03 PM

Appreciate the help, but taking the motor off is getting more hands on then I'd be comfortable with. I will give it another ride and check cables for heat, that I can handle.

It's going to be wet and drizzly here most of the week, but I'd like to take the cart out for the 2 mile run with the voltmeter connected so I can see what happens when I take the big hill. Plus I'd be able to get an idea what the voltage does on an average trip, and if I did this a few times and it acts up again, I may be able to see the difference.

It just seems to me the cart makes the trip 8 or 10 times with no problems, and then all of a sudden it can't make the same trip.

HiTechRedNeck · 04-12-2015, 06:21 PM

Hi.. RXV tech here.
Are the Batts TROJAN 12v?

If so , I think you have at least one bad battery.
Trojan 12v batts have given RXV's a fit for years ( google EZ-GO vs Trojan).

You might try CROWN or another (NON-TROJAN) battery.

Good Luck !!

reinman88 · 04-12-2015, 06:32 PM

Actually the batteries are holding fine, seems the problem may be with the charger not always giving a full charge before shutting off.

04-06-2015, 12:57 PM	#11
reinman88 Gone Wild Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Nebraska Posts: 665	Re: Not sure what I'm doing Ok, got a new voltmeter, and ran my tests again. I fully charged the batteries yesterday afternoon. At noon today with the temp in the 50s all batteries tested 12.88 to 12.92, and it said full pack was 51.5. To test each battery I drove the length of the driveway which is about 200 yards. The driveway is level and gravel. The four batteries tested. 11.54 11.64 11.66 11.75 That is the order in which I tested them, so the lower test result came with only 200 yards on the battery, while the highest result came with about 800 yards on the battery. I made one final run testing the whole pack and got 46.5. Is this number about right when driving on a level gravel drive? Now that it appears the batteries are good, I'm wondering why I'm having this problem. Clearly you should be able to drive more then 2 miles with two people in the cart, even with a large hill to climb along the way.

04-06-2015, 01:04 PM	#12
reinman88 Gone Wild Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Nebraska Posts: 665	Re: Not sure what I'm doing I thought I should add this. Last fall there was a time two of us made the run and forgot something and had to come back. So on this day with two people in the cart we made two round trips going up the big hill twice, with no problems. Also last fall or early winter I plugged in the cart one day to charge it, and after all the lights light up, instead of the orange charge light the green fully charged light came on, with no other light. I unplugged it and plugged it back in, the same thing. A half hour or so later I went back out plugged it in and it acted normal. This did not occur again until last week. This time the second time I plugged it in it was fine. Is it possible I am having a problem on occasion with the charger, and it does not always fully charge the batteries? And after those times I may have a problem.

04-06-2015, 01:12 PM	#13
Revolution Voltaholic Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Close to Navasota Texas Posts: 934	Re: Not sure what I'm doing Your pack is out of balance at best and most likely dying. It might help to charge the lower 3 separately with a 12 volt charger especially the 11.54 volt one. You might need to do it more than once. After you charge them all up individually see how they do. you can leave the batteries connected to the pack to charge them no need to disconnect them.

04-06-2015, 04:49 PM	#15
reinman88 Gone Wild Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Nebraska Posts: 665	Re: Not sure what I'm doing Those numbers are while I was driving, and yes the numbers came up after I stopped, which I expected since they were not under load after I stopped. The 46.5 for the full pack was also while driving. I take it that is a good number too.

04-06-2015, 05:27 PM	#16
reinman88 Gone Wild Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Nebraska Posts: 665	Re: Not sure what I'm doing Did another run and then went down the road a bit. Made the same 200 yard run. The first three batteries went 11.55 to 11.61. Battery number 4 is still better at 11.71. After 4 runs down the drive the full pack was 46.5 while driving. I then went down the gravel road 1/3 of a mile to where I usually turn into the farm field. Here I turned around and headed back. According to Google earth the first 600 feet has a 5% grade, but it starts out steeper and then gradually levels off. I started with 45.1, but it kept going up a tenth at a time until I was at 45.7 when I had gone the 600 feet. By the time I finished the 1/3 mile and started back up by drive I was back to 46.4 on the level drive. Sitting in my barn a few minutes later the pack said 50.2. It seems to me everything is ok with the batteries. I can't understand how I can make two runs with two people in the cart, but on another trip I can't make it one time. The cables are clean and the cart fully charged before these trips.

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04-06-2015, 05:41 PM	#17
sportcoupe Gone Wild Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Savannah, GA Posts: 2,760	Re: Not sure what I'm doing I don't think a battery is bad. Check every large high current cable (battery and motor cables) after a ride and see if any get more then ~10 deg over ambient outside temperature. If a cable has high resistance it will get warm or hot. Next I'd probably take the motor off, disassemble and inspect motor brushes.

04-06-2015, 06:03 PM	#18
reinman88 Gone Wild Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Nebraska Posts: 665	Re: Not sure what I'm doing Appreciate the help, but taking the motor off is getting more hands on then I'd be comfortable with. I will give it another ride and check cables for heat, that I can handle. It's going to be wet and drizzly here most of the week, but I'd like to take the cart out for the 2 mile run with the voltmeter connected so I can see what happens when I take the big hill. Plus I'd be able to get an idea what the voltage does on an average trip, and if I did this a few times and it acts up again, I may be able to see the difference. It just seems to me the cart makes the trip 8 or 10 times with no problems, and then all of a sudden it can't make the same trip.

04-12-2015, 06:21 PM	#19
HiTechRedNeck Gone Wild Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Duncan Corners Posts: 905	Re: Not sure what I'm doing Hi.. RXV tech here. Are the Batts TROJAN 12v? If so , I think you have at least one bad battery. Trojan 12v batts have given RXV's a fit for years ( google EZ-GO vs Trojan). You might try CROWN or another (NON-TROJAN) battery. Good Luck !!

04-12-2015, 06:32 PM	#20
reinman88 Gone Wild Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Nebraska Posts: 665	Re: Not sure what I'm doing Actually the batteries are holding fine, seems the problem may be with the charger not always giving a full charge before shutting off.