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Old 06-09-2013, 08:07 AM   #1
lmathies
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Default EZGO PowerWise II Charger Issue

I just installed new batteries in my EZGO. The old ones would no longer hold a charge. The new batteries charged the first time. After running the cart, the State of Charge meter is at 50%. I plugged the cart in to recharge. The charger comes on and hums, amp meter needle barely moves, and after charging overnight, the charger cuts off but the state of charge meter still shows 50%. Any ideas as to what is going on would be appreciated
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Old 06-09-2013, 09:17 AM   #2
JohnnieB
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Default Re: EZGO PowerWise II Charger Issue

LED bar-graph type SoC meters tell more lies than politicians.

If you want to know what you batterie$ are doing, use a DVM (Digital Volt Meter) type.
Something like this: http://www.cartsunlimited.net/Digita...ry_Meters.html

If you just want a fuel gauge, use an analog type.

The meter has recalibrate itself to something other than 100% when the pack is at 100%.

You could try disconnecting it when the batteries are fully charged (as verified with a voltmeter), wait 5-10 minutes and then reconnecting it.
That might get it back in sync with the pack voltage, or it might not.
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Old 06-09-2013, 10:21 AM   #3
lmathies
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Default Re: EZGO PowerWise II Charger Issue

disconnecting the SOC meter did not help. Going to check battery voltage.

Does the Digital Volt Meter's voltage reading decrease as the cart is being driven and the battery power decreases or will it always read 36V as long as all the batteries are working properly?
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Old 06-09-2013, 11:19 AM   #4
JohnnieB
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Default Re: EZGO PowerWise II Charger Issue

Quote:
Originally Posted by lmathies View Post
disconnecting the SOC meter did not help. Going to check battery voltage.

Does the Digital Volt Meter's voltage reading decrease as the cart is being driven and the battery power decreases or will it always read 36V as long as all the batteries are working properly?
If a 36V battery pack read 36V, it is less than 50% charged.

While driving the battery voltage fluctuates up and down depending on how many amps are being drawn from it at the moment. However, when the cart is stopped and the voltage stabilizes, it will be less than what it was at the beginning of the trip.

Here is a chart that correlates Battery voltage to SoC. The voltages on the chart are "At-Rest" voltages.

There are three different set of battery voltages.
1. At-Rest: Voltage taken when the battery has been neither been charged nor discharged for a period of time (12 hour after charger or half an hour after discharge is usually sufficient.)
2. Under-Load: The greater the discharge rate, the lower the voltage, but with time it returns to the At-Rest voltage.
3. On-Charge: Battery voltage increases while being charged. For a 36V battery pack it typically increases to about 45V before charger shuts off. Again, with time, it returns to the At-Rest voltage used to determine SoC.

For a good overview of batteries, battery charging, battery maintenance, ETC, go to the carts unlimited website and read everything with the word "Battery" in the title.
http://www.cartsunlimited.net/How_Batteries_Work.html
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Old 06-09-2013, 11:46 AM   #5
lmathies
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Default Re: EZGO PowerWise II Charger Issue

THe SOC worked fine the first time I charged the new batteries( it went from low blinking to full charge status). The second time I charged the new batteries, this problem occurred. I did not know if before replacing the batteries when the charger was attempting to charge the bad batteries it could have suffered some damage that did not affect it until now.
Since the charger has been working, it hums when I plug it in, and the needle does move ( only moves very slightly when it is plugged in) is it likely the charger itself is the problem?

My knowledge on the matter is quite limited.
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Old 06-09-2013, 12:03 PM   #6
creepingtom
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Default Re: EZGO PowerWise II Charger Issue

make sure batts. are hooked up correctly
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Old 06-09-2013, 01:21 PM   #7
Wildcat08
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Default Re: EZGO PowerWise II Charger Issue

I had the same thing with my charger when I purchased my cart. The capacitor was bad in my charger. Replaced the capacitor and everything works as it should.
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Old 06-09-2013, 10:52 PM   #8
JohnnieB
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Default Re: EZGO PowerWise II Charger Issue

Wildcat is on the right track. Definitely could be a charger issue.

My distrust of LED bar-graph SoC meters allowed me to overlook the fact it was reading 50% and the batteries were at 36V, which is about 50%.

If the charger's ammeter isn't going up to about 18A-20A when it first comes on, something is amiss.

Could be the capacitor, could be the diodes, could be some other things.
Fortunately, the PW II is 100% repairable and fairly easy to troubleshoot.

If you don't have a DMM (Digital Multimeter), you need one to work on the charger and cart.
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Old 06-10-2013, 06:57 PM   #9
lmathies
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Default Re: EZGO PowerWise II Charger Issue

Thanks for all the posts:

I located another charger from someone. It came on and the needle was at about 15 amps at start ( corresponds to the 50% indicator on the SOC meter)

It charged up my cart to full capacity.

Guess I am going to need to repair my charger. It comes on and hums. Any suggestions as to if it might be a diode or capacitor? is there a web page link describing how to change these and where to purchase them?
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Old 06-10-2013, 07:09 PM   #10
bigstik40
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Default Re: EZGO PowerWise II Charger Issue

Coming on and humming is a good sign! Could be a blown fuse and/or shorted diodes among other ills, but the fact that the transformer is "alive" says it should be economical to repair it. I'm sure johnnieb will be along to "talk" you through the repair. He is great and has helped many of us through our problems. - RAY
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