48V Battery Question - Low Battery Light Flashing (Short Drive)

[Rino1313]

I've had quite the crash course as I begin to learn the world of golf carts and DIY - thanks to all that have helped. I recently purchased a 2016 48V Club Car Precedent. It has the E.R.I.C. charger and I came home from work this evening with it indicating a full charge. Took the kids for a ride around the neighborhood.

After about 10 minutes of riding, the battery light came on (solid) and then started flashing quickly (both with the cart turned on and off). I drove for another 10 minutes before returning home.

While I didn't get battery readings at a full charge, I did test after returning home and found the following (note the batteries are about 2 yrs old, are clean, good water levels, PD+ type).

Main: 48.2 V
Battery #1: 8.04 V
Battery #2: 7.92 V
Battery #3: 8.02 V
Battery #4: 8.01 V
Battery #5: 7.92 V
Battery #6: 8.02 V

I'm going to charge to full again and take another set of readings. Based on the above voltages, what do you think? I read the Sticky and it appears these are low (especially when coming off a full charge for only 10 minutes). Is it possible for batteries to go bad this quickly? Could the two lower voltage batteries be the culprit? Any chance the battery indicator is bad?

[Gazoo]

I'm thinking this link might sum up what is happening to you...Read TahoeDawg's comments

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...batteries.html

[Rino1313]

Fair enough. I think that explains it...

[fishbooz]

my experience is the same as Tahoedawg ...I bought a precedent a few years ago with 2 year old pd batteries and I was told they were up to club car specs...they were toast when I got the cart home ...pd=partially dead. Time for new Trojans !

[Sergio]

Keep in mind that comparing batteries by how long they last is akin to comparing car gas mileage by "How many days You get out of a tank of gas".

Clearly it makes no sense unless You know how many miles are being driven between those days.

The main factor that controls how long a battery will last is the number of discharges and the DOD (depth of discharge).

A cart on a course that plays year round will pretty much use all available battery capacity in a little over 2 years.

If You only drive your cart on the weekend, the same batteries will last You for 8 years or more.

This assumes that you are performing regular maintenance: keep water in the cells, connections tight, batteries secure and clean.

[Rino1313]

Thanks all for your feedback thus far. So I charged overnight with the E.R.I.C. and below are the latest readings as of this morning:

Main: 49.7 V
Battery #1: 8.26 V
Battery #2: 8.16 V
Battery #3: 8.26 V
Battery #4: 8.22 V
Battery #5: 8.12 V
Battery #6: 8.24 V

I know the previous owner didn't use the cart much. I'm going to give it a few weeks, keep driving/charging and see what happens. If I don't gain additional range, I'll go with the Trojans.

Any final thoughts on the numbers above? I'm also getting a digital voltmeter display for the cart to have a better idea of where the voltage actually stands during driving.

[Sergio]

The good news is that charger collects a lot of information about the previous charging cycle that may explain your battery condition.

You will need to connect an USB stick to the charger after the charging cycle finishes for the ERIC to dump the data into.

Download the free software from Delta-q and install in your computer:

https://delta-q.com/software-accessories/

The software will read the contents of the USB stick and display the results.

[PingEye3]

Originally Posted by Rino1313

Thanks all for your feedback thus far. So I charged overnight with the E.R.I.C. and below are the latest readings as of this morning:

Main: 49.7 V
Battery #1: 8.26 V
Battery #2: 8.16 V
Battery #3: 8.26 V
Battery #4: 8.22 V
Battery #5: 8.12 V
Battery #6: 8.24 V

I know the previous owner didn't use the cart much. I'm going to give it a few weeks, keep driving/charging and see what happens. If I don't gain additional range, I'll go with the Trojans.

Any final thoughts on the numbers above? I'm also getting a digital voltmeter display for the cart to have a better idea of where the voltage actually stands during driving.

Here is a state of charge chart. From my experience, time for new batteries.Your best battery is only at 70%. Two more weeks of charging won't help them. Get T-875 Trojans.
8V % Chg
8.49 50.92 100%
8.41 50.48 90%
8.33 50.00 80%
8.25 49.48 70%
8.16 48.96 60%
8.07 48.40 50%
7.97 47.84 40%
7.88 47.24 30%
7.77 46.64 20%
7.67 46.04 10%

[ThreeCW]

Here is a printable State of Charge chart that is a handy reference. I keep a copy on my Favorite Photos on my phone for quick reference to convert "stabilized battery voltage" to State of Charge. Note that it takes 12 to 24 hours in a static condition after removing your cart from the charger for the battery voltage to stabilize. After driving your cart, it only takes about 1 hour for battery voltage to stabilize.

Also attached is an 8 Volt Golf Cart Battery Comparison spreadsheet that I saved after another BGW member published it on a post ... sorry that I can't credit the author ... but it could be one of the respondents on this thread . It is a helpful 8 V buying guide if your are looking to compare amp-hours!

I agree with the others respondents ... looks like your batteries are getting near the end of their functional life.

[Rino1313]

I have no idea how to read this, but downloaded the software, plugged in the USB and the chart generated is attached. Anything noteworthy here? Still need new batteries?