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Old 05-04-2021, 09:09 PM   #11
Murby
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Default Re: Battery Health Question

Drive your golf cart over some horribly rough terrain and shake the crap out of those batteries.

You might get lucky and dislodge some of the sulfate buildup coating the plates.

Unlike Lithium, lead acid batteries need to be exercised once a month to keep them in good shape. They need to be drained down and then charged back up at a rate fast enough to cause the sulfate buildup to be blown off the plates. This is easy if the buildup is "soft" sulfates, but won't work for "hard" sulfation. Sometimes, if you subject the battery to physical abuse like heavy vibration or getting jarred around, some of the hard sulfates can fall off. Its not likely to bring your batteries back, but it might recover some of the lost capacity.
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Old 05-06-2021, 01:21 PM   #12
Mbop
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Default Re: Battery Health Question

Speaking to motor brushes, I also had a similar issue. My cart started jerking real bad and eventually wouldn’t run at all. The brushes had swelled in their holders and were no longer able to move freely.
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Old 05-06-2021, 02:07 PM   #13
Bama Brad
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Default Re: Battery Health Question

I think the cutoff set at 46v is your problem....I go below that often when driving my cart in the woods.
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Old 05-07-2021, 03:47 PM   #14
Fairtax4me
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Default Re: Battery Health Question

Did you set the charge profile in the charger for your batteries? That makes a difference.
Resting at 8.3v is really low for Crown batteries.
It’s not uncommon for batteries to drop to around 42v when under load, but that should only be happening if you’re at full throttle trying to go up a hill or something.

It sounds to me like they’re not being charged with the correct profile.
Have you checked the water levels in the cells?
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Old 05-17-2021, 12:07 PM   #15
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Default Re: Battery Health Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom47 View Post
I don't think the v-glide is your problem, since it runs for a while before failing. If the microswitch failed, it most likely would not be intermittent.

One dead battery in the pack can cause you to drop below the cut off voltage no matter what it is set at.

Assuming you have a hydrometer, (get one if you don't- it can give you a heads up regarding battery condition and life expectancy) check the specific gravity of each cell right after removing the charger, and then again an hour or so later. Record these readings and look for any that do not show specific gravity in the green or below 8.45.

[8.49 is full charge, but my 8+ year old batteries show 8.3 to 8.45 after charging. They are on their way out but still get me 18 to 20 miles believe it or not. However, even with this low specific gravity, my pack voltage is at 60 to 70% after the 18 mile run.]

Also check and record the voltages of each battery right after removing the charger and again a couple hours later. Then try to drive it hard if possible (don't go too far from home) for a bit. Check the voltages per battery again. We are more concerned about individual battery voltages at this point instead of pack voltage. Post the results you find with these tests so someone here can decipher it.

I'm thinking you have one faulty battery which, since they are in series, affects the entire pack voltage.

Based on my own experiences with my cart, similar problems with rapid cutout were due to the motor brushes and also the solenoid contacts.

Good luck.
Thanks for all the info. Hoping to get back this weekend and do some debugging.
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Old 05-17-2021, 12:10 PM   #16
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Default Re: Battery Health Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fairtax4me View Post
Did you set the charge profile in the charger for your batteries? That makes a difference.
Resting at 8.3v is really low for Crown batteries.
It’s not uncommon for batteries to drop to around 42v when under load, but that should only be happening if you’re at full throttle trying to go up a hill or something.

It sounds to me like they’re not being charged with the correct profile.
Have you checked the water levels in the cells?
Hi, yes, after initial install of batteries I updated charge profile to the Crowns.
I keep an eye on water levels, just topped it off last time down but still had 1/4" above plates.
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Old 05-17-2021, 12:11 PM   #17
fishbones
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Default Re: Battery Health Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Murby View Post
Drive your golf cart over some horribly rough terrain and shake the crap out of those batteries.

You might get lucky and dislodge some of the sulfate buildup coating the plates.

Unlike Lithium, lead acid batteries need to be exercised once a month to keep them in good shape. They need to be drained down and then charged back up at a rate fast enough to cause the sulfate buildup to be blown off the plates. This is easy if the buildup is "soft" sulfates, but won't work for "hard" sulfation. Sometimes, if you subject the battery to physical abuse like heavy vibration or getting jarred around, some of the hard sulfates can fall off. Its not likely to bring your batteries back, but it might recover some of the lost capacity.
Your post made me think of something.
I was using the cart off road in the woods doing some tree planting. I remember going over several logs and getting jarred pretty good. Any chances this did damage inside the batteries themselves? Problem started shortly after I came out of woods and got onto main road. I did not make it 1/4 mile after that.
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Old 05-17-2021, 12:33 PM   #18
Fairtax4me
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Default Re: Battery Health Question

Have you checked the voltage of each battery individually while they are under load?
If any one battery is dropping significantly lower than the rest that will cause a bottleneck and may cause the cart to shut down.

Do any of the batteries have visible damage to the bottom or sides of the cases? You can usually see enough from under the cart to tell if one has been impacted by something.
A loose connection or damaged cable could also cause problems.

Regardless of any of that, the overall voltage after a charge still is too low.
Which Lester charger so you have?
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Old 05-18-2021, 08:35 AM   #19
fishbones
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Default Re: Battery Health Question

I have the following charger.
Club Car/Yamaha 36/48 Volt Golf Cart Charger - Lester Summit II
I have not checked under load yet, just at rest, all were 8.3V.
I checked all cables, they were tight.
I did not look under batteries, good idea as since I was off roading it I could have got something up into the batteries.
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Old 05-18-2021, 10:41 AM   #20
Bama Brad
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Default Re: Battery Health Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bama Brad View Post
I think the cutoff set at 46v is your problem....I go below that often when driving my cart in the woods.
Did you ever address this?
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