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Old 01-13-2015, 08:10 PM   #1
Mrbruin2k
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Default New to me late 90's Txt battery questions

Hi all...

Just purchased a new to me late 90's TXT 36v DCS with extended canopy and rear seat. It looks like it was restored at some point and is missing any serial number plates, so I am not sure of the year. I just was able to lift using Jake's 3" spindle and got 12" tires with street tires. My question is regarding batteries....

It has Sears Diehard GC2 batteries, that I see are only 195ah. It moves well on flat land but any hills in our neighborhood it slows down to about walking pace. I just checked the water level and ended up refilling the batteries an entire gallon of distilled water using a battery filling bottle. What is the effect of low watered batteries? Would it be the reason for the lower power up hills?

Also, is this the expected performance up hills from this cart? Or is it because of the lower ah batteries? Or is it because of the controller? I had measured the batteries after charge and they seem to be at the 100% charge level, but will have to remeasure after this fill and charge cycle. I just want to know what I should do next, controller to address the lack of torque or if I need new batteries.

Additional question is it came with rear and front lights controlled by the keyswitch...is that factory? Would that mean it has a voltage reducer stock because they also have a radio installed that is direct wired to a battery and I know that causes problems in potentially lowering the voltage to that single battery.

Thanks in advance for the help....have been reading up on these forums non stop!
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Old 01-14-2015, 08:09 AM   #2
JohnnieB
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Default Re: New to me late 90's Txt battery questions

The problem isn't batteries or controller. It is batteries and controller, plus tire height and temperature. The rear seat and extended roof are factors also.

Batteries:
Undersized, should be 225AH or higher for a 36V battery pack.
Also, being a gallon low on water is not a sign they were well maintained.

Controller:
Stock DCS controller does not play well with tall tires.
DCS controller has a fatal flaw. No low voltage cutoff.

Tire height:
Wheel diameter has zero impact on cart performance, but you said you had 12" rims and street tires, so I take it the tire height is greater than 18", which reduces available torque where rubber meets road and the cart will slow down more going up hills.

Temperature:
Batteries lose about 10% of their storage capacity (AH) for every 15° they are under 80°F, so the inadequate batteries are even more inadequate during the winter months.

Rear seat and extended roof:
Added weight reduces performance.

----------
Also, to get a reasonably accurate SoC estimate from the battery voltage, you need to wait about 12 hours after the charger shuts off to measure it. Otherwise it will be artificially high.

-----------
As for the 12V accessories. If the radio is powered by a 12V tap in the battery pack, the light probably are also. That was what EZGO did to get 12V for lights and stuff.
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Old 01-14-2015, 11:51 AM   #3
Mrbruin2k
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Default Re: New to me late 90's Txt battery questions

Thanks for the quick answer JohnnieB. Tires are 20" diameter so I can see how that affects it also. Look like I will start with controller and cable upgrade (invisible to wife) and then shoot for the batteries down the road.

Question on batteries? Are the US Battery 2200Xc2 batteries a good choice as a local place has them going for $95 ea and they are I believe 232AH. Seems like a pretty good price from what I have been reading on here.

Additionally would it be a good idea to either get a voltage reducer to even the accessory load on the batteries or just do an extra 12v for accessories?
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Old 01-14-2015, 01:51 PM   #4
JohnnieB
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Default Re: New to me late 90's Txt battery questions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mrbruin2k View Post
1. Tires are 20" diameter so I can see how that affects it also.

2. Look like I will start with controller and cable upgrade (invisible to wife) and then shoot for the batteries down the road.

3. Question on batteries? Are the US Battery 2200Xc2 batteries a good choice as a local place has them going for $95 ea and they are I believe 232AH. Seems like a pretty good price from what I have been reading on here.

4. Additionally would it be a good idea to either get a voltage reducer to even the accessory load on the batteries or just do an extra 12v for accessories?
1. The numbers on the sidewall of a tire are very approximate and may be off by an inch or more, so you have to measure them to be exact, but with a tire that is 20" in height, you gain about 11% in speed and lose about 10% in torque.

2. Stock speed on a DCS is about 14 MPH, so the 20" tires will up it to about 15.5. Putting an Alltrax DCX400 (or larger) controller in will up the speed into the low 20's.
Be sure to replace all 10 of the high current cables, 4Ga or thicker.

3. US 2200Xc2 is a good battery and it does have a 232AH storage capacity, but your charge might not be able to fully charge it. What charger do you have?

4. Either way is fine. The drawback using a 12 accessory battery is having to use two chargers, the drawback to a DC to DC voltage reducer is that it draws power from the main battery pack and can reduce your driving range if you are run 12V stuff that draws a lot of amps for extended periods of time.
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Old 01-14-2015, 02:14 PM   #5
scottyb
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Default Re: New to me late 90's Txt battery questions

I find it easier to use a DC>DC reducer. The pack stays balanced and there is no secondary charging to be done.
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Old 01-14-2015, 04:03 PM   #6
UncleJerm76
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Default

I prefer a separate small 12V battery

Just a matter of preference (one way isn't better than the other, just different pros/cons)
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Old 01-14-2015, 04:04 PM   #7
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Default Re: New to me late 90's Txt battery questions

Quote:
Originally Posted by UncleJerm76 View Post
I prefer a separate small 12V battery

Just a matter of preference (one way isn't better than the other, just different pros/cons)
...and you likely won't know which you prefer until you've tried both.
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Old 01-14-2015, 06:01 PM   #8
Mrbruin2k
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Default Re: New to me late 90's Txt battery questions

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnnieB View Post

3. US 2200Xc2 is a good battery and it does have a 232AH storage capacity, but your charge might not be able to fully charge it. What charger do you have?

I have the stock powerwise 36v charger. Would that work? If not it may be better to just go ahead and go 48V since I would already be doing batteries, cables and controller and just go for the charger as well. Looks like I will be calling ScottyB soon!

Also which dc-dc reducer do you guys recommend?
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Old 01-14-2015, 06:45 PM   #9
JohnnieB
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Default Re: New to me late 90's Txt battery questions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mrbruin2k View Post
I have the stock powerwise 36v charger. Would that work? If not it may be better to just go ahead and go 48V since I would already be doing batteries, cables and controller and just go for the charger as well. Looks like I will be calling ScottyB soon!

Also which dc-dc reducer do you guys recommend?
No, your charger is based on the charge profile for Trojan batteries.

Sounds like a good time to upgrade to 48V.

The 48V DPI charge scottyb sells has user selectable charge profiles, US Battery included.

I ought my DC>DC reducer from him also.
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Old 01-14-2015, 07:57 PM   #10
Mrbruin2k
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Default Re: New to me late 90's Txt battery questions

So if I go 48v and do it using six 8V, do I need to change the charging receptacle also? And if I get an alltrax 400A controller, could I use it for now w 36v and then make the change to 48V when need be. Would I only need to change the solenoid? Or just do a bigger solenoid to start?
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