Allied Drop In Lithium Questions for 07 Precedent

[cjdame]

Not wanting to kill myself, thought I would drop in here and see if I could get some assistance. Purchased 3 new 48V Allied Drop-in-Ready Lithium batteries for my 2007 Precedent. I could purchase 3 for the price that my local golf cart repair person wanted to charge for installing 2 so I thought I would take this on myself. I have a couple of questions:

First, Allied website shows different options for connecting the batteries in parallel. The first option shows the system positive and system negative come in to battery 1 and then connect the 2nd battery (positive to positive and negative to negative) then connect the 3rd battery to the 2nd battery (positive to positive and negative to negative). The second option shows the system positive and system negative coming in to battery 1 and battery 2 being connected to battery 1 (pos to pos and neg to neg) and battery 3 being connected to battery 1 (pos to pos and neg to neg). Does it matter which option is selected?

Second, I have attempted to hook up the first battery via the system positive and negative. One of my connectors (not the system positive or negative) is pigtailed to what I believe to be my headlight/taillight connection. I have attempted to attach that to the positive post on battery 1 (to extend to battery 2) but I get a pop and a spark once I connect the system negative. Why would that be the case? Does it need to connect to the positive post on battery 2 or 3 instead?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[cjdame]

I think I may have answered my own question but would like confirmation. I know that Allied said that I might need a step down converter (48v to 12v) but I assumed that there was one already installed since I was running 48V with my lead acid batteries. But each battery is 48V and I am running headlights and tail lights that I am trying to connect to ONE 48V battery rather than to ONE 12V battery. Is this why I am getting a spark? Am I sending too much voltage to the headlight/taillight?

[WC53]

Yes, With 48v you need the step down converter which should have in the Precedent. Are you crossing wires?
Your new batteries are all 48v individually? So they all hook up +++ and —- in parallel maintaining 48v but increasing your amphours

[cjdame]

I've confirmed that the pigtailed connection is a light kit for my Precedent. It is my belief that a step down converter is NOT installed as it appears that light kits run off of one 12V battery on the Precedents. With that being said, I also have a dual USB port that was recently installed and I am not sure how that is functioning without a step down converter. Also, I have looked high and low and have not found an installed converter. With all that being said, now that I have introduced a 48V battery, it only makes sense that I need a step down converter. BUT ... I am really gun shy to connect the batteries even without the light kit attached just to make sure that everything is good with the batteries. The spark/pop put the fear of God in me. Does it make sense that it would spark if I was attaching a 12V light kit to a 48V battery? Should I feel confident connecting the batteries in parallel? Also, have I likely damaged the light kit?

[simicrintz]

Unless you are in a time crunch, I would keep digging and make sure that you have all of the correct parts and installed correctly. The batteries need to be run in parallel to keep the 48V.

[cjdame]

I shouldn't be concerned connecting the system positive and the charger positive cables to the positive post of one battery and the system negative and charger negative to the negative post of the same battery, right? I actually had not introduced a 2nd battery into the equation yet when I got the spark. That is what leads me to believe that it was the headlight kit connection that caused the pop.