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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / April 2006

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OT?  Golf Car Question

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geezer - 10 Apr 2006 16:51 GMT
I have a EZGO golf car at the campground in which all six batteries
went completely dead over the winter.  It is probably because, I left
the 'two switch' on which I think throws current to the brakes as a
safety.

Anyway, I have two questions.  

One - the golf car came with the usual charger, but it would not do a
thing until I found a way to put a little charge on each battery
individually.  Then it did just fine.  The same thing happened last
year, except then the batteries were very old, and so I replaced them
with new ones.  Is it normal for chargers to work this way?

Two - I did not have my 10A charger with me which has a 6V/12V
setting, and so I borrowed my camping neighbor's.  His charger was
only 12V, and so I was smart enough not to try charging the 6V
batteries with it.   At least until I figured out that I would
probably be okay if I charged two adjacent 6V batteries at a time with
it.  So I did that - and everything went well.  The charger indicator
seemed to show all was okay and my test meter showed voltages at 6V or
less.  So - I am wondering.  Did I do bad here?  Or do you guys think
I'm okay.

Thanks

Geezer
RichA - 10 Apr 2006 19:00 GMT
>I have a EZGO golf car at the campground in which all six batteries
>went completely dead over the winter.  It is probably because, I left
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>
>Geezer
Hi,
It's normal for a charger to act like that with completely dead
batteries.  It can't charge until a little resistance builds up.  That
charger is probably connected to the whole battery bank.  It's possible
if you left it on long enough and it didn't kick it might have started
charging.  But getting a little charge into each battery is faster and
more likely to work.

I don't know if you know how batteries are wired but here is an
explanation.

If two 6V batteries are wired in series then you have one 12V battery.
If three are wired in series then you have one 18V battery, four equals
one 24V etc.  Batteries wired in series adds the voltages.

If two 6V batteries are wired in parallel then you sill have only 6V,
but the amps double.  Three wired in parallel sill 6V but three times
the amps, etc.

If you have two 6V batteries wired in series connected in parallel to
two more 6V batteries wired in series then you have 12V and double the
amps of one battery.

So with 6 batteries you can have voltages from 6 to 36 volts depending
upon how they are wired.  When you connect two batteries together in
anyway you no longer have two batteries but one.  If you connect all 6
together you have one battery and the charger needed to charge that one
big battery depends upon it's voltage.   You should find out what the
voltage is for the battery bank in the golf cart, the six batteries
connected together.

If you charged two 6V batteries wired in series with a 12V charger you
did right.  In fact that's the voltage it has to be to charge both
batteries.  As long as those two were separated from the others or wired
in parallel with them.

The only thing you did wrong was letting the batteries go completely
dead.  That shortens their life span.

Hope this helps.  Take care and Happy Campin...

Signature

RichA
"We Get Too Soon Olde and Too Late Smart"

geezer - 10 Apr 2006 20:13 GMT
>>I have a EZGO golf car at the campground in which all six batteries
>>went completely dead over the winter.  It is probably because, I left
[quoted text clipped - 62 lines]
>
>Hope this helps.  Take care and Happy Campin...

Thanks a meg

I have 6 6V batteries connected in series = 36V = the meter reading I
get when I test them collectively spanning all 6.  Right now they sit
at about 24V.  

Sure I hope I didn't shorten their life too much - they were new last
year.

Thanks again

Geezer
RichA - 10 Apr 2006 21:05 GMT
<snipped>

>Thanks a meg
>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
>Geezer
Hi,
If they only read 24V across all 6 then you either have something
drawing them down, something turned on,  you didn't measure right or you
have a problem.  That's only 4V per battery.  You should get a
hydrometer and check each cell in every battery.  You may have ruined
one or two.

A 100% fully charged good 6V battery should read 6.35 volts and have a
specific gravity of 1.265.  A 50% charged 6V battery should read 6.1
volts and have a specific gravity of 1.190.  A 6V battery at 10% charge
should read 5.9 and have a specific gravity of 1.134. Any battery
reading 4 volts is dead.

Take care and Happy Campin...
Signature

RichA
"We Get Too Soon Olde and Too Late Smart"

 
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