Dead golf cart
 

Help!! My golf cart is dead, kinda. Someone stole my charger late last season and I wasnt able to get another one before we closed up. Fearing the batteries would be junk in the spring, I yanked them out stored them inside at home at room temp all winter.

Flash forward- now I reinstall and buy a new charger. I also installed lights but that has little do with this. The cart had enough charge leftover after the winter to get me about a hundred yards and then it was truly dead. So I hook up the charger and let it charge ALL day. I hit the peddle and it has some juice so I take it for a spin and about 100 yards later, there I am pushing it home again.

So now its truly dead, AGAIN. I heard someone say that once a cart is that dead, the regular charger wont charge it and you would have to charge each battery separate and individual. Does anyone know if there is any truth to this? If not, what do I do?

Thanks as always,
HCG

Had a similar problem with our Yamaha cart when we were in Moultonborough. The batteries were not sealed so we added a little water to each battery and then charged them overnight. It solved the problem. We used the cart for another two years and then sold it when we sold our place but the batteries were great after adding the water. Good luck.

Only use distilled water and don't over fill it as this video shows you:

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/g2pVzN0xbpo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Store Indoors, but Trickle-Charge It...
 

I store my battery at whatever winter's temperatures are, but set a timer at one hour a day to "trickle-charge" at ½-amp.

You can buy a "trickle-charger" for as little as $6, or spend up to $40. :eek2:

Okay, so i added some water, left a lkittle room below the fill cap and put the c harger back on. Unfort. I added the well water before I read the post on using distilled water only. Unless someone has an idea on removin g the water, we will just have to see what happens.

thanks again,
HCG

...distilled is better, but I've used lake water in a pinch and did not seem to affect the battery...Rusty's video is right on tho..charge the batteries low & slow and you "should" be good to go...just curious, what volt batteries are in your cart.?..seems to me the ones in my EZGO in Naples are 6 Volts.?..some are 6, or 12, and I think some are 16-18 Volts...charge accordingly...do you have a voltmeter to check the values of each battery...?..the values on each battery should be as close/similiar (12.8-ish volts/12v battery) as possible...Happy Fathers day btw...:cool:...

Its an ez-go and its got 6- 6 volt batteries. i have no voltmeter or anything and its hooked up to the charging plug that charges all 6 at once. If need be, i can bring a regular charger up next weekend and do each one individually but i was trying to avoid that.

HCG

...if all the batteries are OK, you may be able to do it that way...plug it in for 16-24 hours and see where you're at...a Voltmeter is a very inexpe$ive friend to have...get one...and make sure the charger you have(at home haha) is OK for 6 volt batteries tho...let us know how you make out...values on the 6-volt batteries should be around 6.7-ish volts btw...

Sulfation
 

A lead acid battery left for a long time without any use or charging will "sulfate".
http://www.wisegeek.com/how-does-sul...-a-battery.htm

Some chargers have a de-sulfation mode but I don't know if they really work.
http://jgdarden.com/batteryfaq/carfaq16.htm#recover

dead cart
 

Hey HCG try going to buggiesunlimited.com they have a great forum and online tech help for these issues. I've used them alot and they are a great help

The well water you put in will work fine if that is what they needed. We used the campground water when we did it and worked fine. When you stored the batteries last winter, what type of surface were they stored on??? Please let us know how things work out.

I have a charger
 

I sell 24,36,and 48v chargers on ebay for under $ 200. Message me if you need one.

thanks!
Jason

Update-
The batteries were stored on a wire shelf over the winter.

Also- I blew a 60 watt fuse on the charging wire so we will have to wait til next weekend to try it again...

Sorry for the unnecessary suspense...stay tuned til next weekend..

HCG

I think it should be Amps and not watts.

As previously stated we assume you meant 60 Amp fuse. If it is the fuse in the house power panel and you fried it using the charger, you've got big issues, probably with the charger. You really need to know what you are dealing with. Is is a 36V cart, (six 6 Volt batteries) or a 48 Volt cart (eight 8 Volt batteries). Then make sure you have the right charger 36 vs 48.

If you popped the 60 Amp fuse in the charger (which is a major league transformer), it was either a power spike/lightning strike or a major short internally in the cart. As stated earlier, both www.buggiesunlimited.com and www.golfcartcatalog.com have great forums and technical advice for cart owners. I have 3 carts and these two sites have helped me tremendously.

A golf cart requires a lot of maintenance to keep it running for many trouble free years.

BT

six 6V
 

HCG said he had 6 6V batteries in an earlier post, FWIW.

Yup , you are right. Shoot me at sunset. Just trying to help.

BT

"48 Volt cart (eight 8 Volt batteries)"?

I think a 48 volt cart has six 8 volt batteries. My Club Car golf cart does anyway.

My golf cart is a 2003 and the only thing I do to it is add distilled water to the proper level, keep it charged, and keep the terminals clean.
It is just about maintenance free.

No bullets...
 

...I just thought you may have more insight knowing it was 6 6's.

Me, what I know about golf carts is that if you don't secure the strap on the back, the clubs fall off; and if the battery is dead, ask the pro for a different cart. Keep the advise coming, BT, I'm learning. Cheers.:)

One Thing About Golf Carts
 

If you shoot in the low sixties, on an 18 whole coarse, this lowers any problems with Golf Carts. This will help keep your batteries charged! :)

Terry
__________________________

Between you and Upthesaukee pointing out my mistakes, I think I should just crawl back in my hole....

Yes, six 6 Volt and six 8 Volt is what I meant to say.....

(appreciate you setting me straight)

Eight volt batteries are extremely rare if they even exist! Lead acid batteries have a finite life and you may have reached that point. Golf cart batteries, as well as boat batteries are similar to your car battery, but they are built slightly more rugged and have more space below the plates to collect the flaking from the plates due to vibration and the deeper discharge cycles experienced in these applications. You may get 5-10 years out of a set, but you are living on borrower time at that point. Get them charged properly and then have the specific gravity checked. that will tell you a lot about their condition. I may just be time to replace them.

Eight volt batteries are not extremely rare. I have six Trojan deep cycle baterries in my cart and so don't thousands of other carts in this world.

This is what I have in mine and I can get new ones anytime that I will need them:

Trojan T-860 Deep-cycle Battery

http://localhostr.com/file/edKrZTw/Cart%20battery.JPG

8 volt golf cart batteries aren't extremely rare, in fact they are quite common. Most late model Club Cars use six 8 volt batteries. Mine certainly does.

Collectors Know...
 

...and not limited to golf carts...a long-known "fix" for collectors' cars...

update
 

Okay, I had to ahave a pro fix it...It turns out it was the solenoid that was bad...


Thanks to all that offered assistance
HCG