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Old 09-04-2017, 08:10 AM   #1
Anthonyc
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Default Noob Charging Question - What Amps, How long

Hello forum members,

I recently purchased a Club Car DS, a 1997 Series Cart to be more specific.
After it was delivered, I noticed the batteries were pretty dry ( 2 gallons of distilled water went into the 32 cells on the pack )

The cart came with a powerdrive charger. I plugged it in and as you can imagine nothing happened. This forum has been very helpful in giving me useful facts like the charger won't engage if the string is below 32-30V. So I charged the batteries individually with a 6 / 12V charger until the string was able to power up the relay in the battery light.

At that point ( or somewhere near about there ) I was able to engage the relay on the poweredrive charger to close and start charging the string.
It started out at 5 Amps. Now after a few hours the amp meter is reading about 10A the measured voltage across the string while charging was around 57V

I'm aware these batteries may be toast. But for $600 in batteries (Duracell/ Deka GC- I have to at least try to charge them before I give up.

However I have no idea how long they should take to charge. From this low a state of charge. I think it was around 5-10%. Based upon the Trojan T-875 literature.

Also is this dangerous? Charging low SOC batteries that were pretty dry?

Other then this silly little battery problem the cart was in "like new" condition.

Also was a 3.75 HP motor the standard on these units. I thought it was less.


Any advice is appreciated.
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Old 09-04-2017, 08:27 AM   #2
crash test dummy
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Default Re: Noob Charging Question - What Amps, How long

let it charge til it is finished
check water
then wait a few hours and plug it in again and let it charge
the 3.75 hp motor is common in 48v carts
2.50 hp in 36v carts
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Old 09-04-2017, 09:44 AM   #3
Anthonyc
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Default Re: Noob Charging Question - What Amps, How long

Thanks!
I'm not trying to be funny but, I'm not sure. Because the OBC controls charge right?

Do I unplug it from the charger to let it sit?
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Old 09-04-2017, 09:52 AM   #4
Anthonyc
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Default Re: Noob Charging Question - What Amps, How long

Never mind I just re-read your post again. I can be quite dense at times. Sorry.
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Old 09-04-2017, 04:48 PM   #5
NoleFan4Ever
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Default Re: Noob Charging Question - What Amps, How long

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthonyc View Post
-snip- I noticed the batteries were pretty dry ( 2 gallons of distilled water went into the 32 cells on the pack)
You have a 64 volt cart?!?!
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Old 09-04-2017, 07:02 PM   #6
Anthonyc
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Default Re: Noob Charging Question - What Amps, How long

Quote:
Originally Posted by NoleFan4Ever View Post
You have a 64 volt cart?!?!
Lol!
Was a long night getting them to a charged state manually. Apparently my math skills suffered. Where as 6 x 4 became 32 in my alternate universe.

I did get the batteries to charge to hold a charge 48v. But there is no run capacity and the red battery light is on. I made it down the block and it was limping back. Plus it shuddered a lot if I pushed the pedal down fast instead of gradually built up speed.

I checked the specific gravity of the electrolyte and it is way lower then it should be. At this point should I just give up, or should I try something else?

I kind of have the feeling that unless some diety is going to work on them they are done and dead. And my time would be better spent looking to find a good deal on new batteries.

Locally I can buy:

Trojan T-875 for 117.00 x 6 = $6 billion no seriously $702+ tax
Duracell/east penn MFG / Deka GC8 for 6 x $99.72 $599 @ SAMs club
Duracell Ultra -SLIGC8V??- specs seem the same as GC8s for $140 a piece.
I think there is a Crown distributor about an hour away. Haven't called him yet.

Any suggestions as to what will give best range? The specifications all seem very, very close.

I'll be sure to check my work before submitting.
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Old 09-04-2017, 08:42 PM   #7
NoleFan4Ever
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Default Re: Noob Charging Question - What Amps, How long

You need to try and charge them several times before you weigh judgement. What year are the batteries? Look for the date code on them.

And the amp hours are what matters the most for your range, but I like US Batteries, Crown, and Trojans.
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Old 09-04-2017, 09:22 PM   #8
Aflyer
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Default Re: Noob Charging Question - What Amps, How long

I was working on sending you about the same information Nole just did, but he must type faster, LOL.

After you charged it and let it shut off by itself, have you plugged it back in yet?? If so did it charge at more amps?, like a pegged meter needle?

Date codes on batteries should be part of the decision as well as trying multiple charging cycles before making a decision. Date codes could be a stamped 2 digit code like A7 meaning Jan 2007 or 2017.

If they are anything under 6 years old I would try a half dozen charge cycles before throwing in the towel.

I also agree with Note on his choice of Battery brands, I currently have two sets of Crowns, and one set of US batteries.

Aflyer
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Old 09-04-2017, 09:26 PM   #9
Anthonyc
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Default Re: Noob Charging Question - What Amps, How long

They are stamped with D5 on the posts so either 2015 or 2005 I guess. Your guess is as good as mine. Bought from an individual who was selling it because it was his Dad's and he no longer needed or wanted it. The unit was covered in dust from sitting. After a quick clean it looks almost like it just rolled of the production line yesterday. So I don't think it was used much when he did use it.

How long should I wait in between charge cycles? The batteries are getting pretty warm.

Anything I can add? Should I dump the electrolite and see if that helps?

Some of the cells appear to have cloudy/dirty electrolytic solution. I've never seen that before.
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Old 09-04-2017, 09:28 PM   #10
crash test dummy
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Default Re: Noob Charging Question - What Amps, How long

where in fl are you ?

i can get the Trojans for $690.15
crowns for $659
powertrons (black Trojans) $542.5
all with 18 month warenty
includes tax and fl battery fee
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