# More golf cart battery questions



## raymilosh (Jan 12, 2005)

Hi all,
I have been trying to figure out what's wrong with the batteries on a neighbor's golf cart. six 6 volt batteries suddenly stopped taking and holding a charge. i have posted a few questions about it and read everyone's comments and all links about battery diagnostics and desulfators. I have learned a tremendous amount, so thank you. Now I have more knowledge more tools and more questions...

I charged the batteries with the 36 volt golf cart charger for 12 hours and then load tested the batteries and checked the density of the acid in them. Four of the six batteries are in fine shape. (Actually I had to guess about the load, because the batteries don't list amp hours or CCA's ...the sticker says "battery will last 105 minutes producing 70 amps"...can anyone translate that into amp hours for me?)
One of the six batteries has six volts, fails the load test and has one of the 3 cells with such low density that it didn't raise the pointer inside the device AT ALL. 
The last of the batteries has 4 volts, fails the load test and two of the 3 cells have unreadably low density.

I put both batteries on a trickle charge overnight (8 hours). It resulted in no change to either battery.
I don't yet own a battery desulfator, but intend to buy one to see what is possible with these two batteries.
I do own lab grade sulfuric acid and I do own several battery chargers, a load tester, a multi meter, etc. 
My question is ....
Does anyone have any ideas about what I can do to attempt to bring these 2 batteries back into service? And what causes different cells in the same battery to be so completely different from each other...how does that happen?


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## PyroDon (Jul 30, 2006)

raymilosh said:


> Hi all,
> I have been trying to figure out what's wrong with the batteries on a neighbor's golf cart. six 6 volt batteries suddenly stopped taking and holding a charge. i have posted a few questions about it and read everyone's comments and all links about battery diagnostics and desulfators. I have learned a tremendous amount, so thank you. Now I have more knowledge more tools and more questions...
> 
> I charged the batteries with the 36 volt golf cart charger for 12 hours and then load tested the batteries and checked the density of the acid in them. Four of the six batteries are in fine shape. (Actually I had to guess about the load, because the batteries don't list amp hours or CCA's ...the sticker says "battery will last 105 minutes producing 70 amps"...can anyone translate that into amp hours for me?)
> ...


well you migt look here for some answers .
http://www.fieldlines.com/section/storage/8
it sounds like the one battery has a dead cell .
it might be better to simply replace the entire battery bank as adding two new batteries will lead to their early death.
Check with the local golf course they may have decent used batteries, our local supplier replaces the cart batteries every year and sells the used sets for $25 each .


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## dunewalker (Mar 4, 2007)

Golf Cart Batteries (6 volt) are generally described as having 220 amp hours capacity, in off-grid catalogs. You might have luck replacing the worst 2 batteries with 2 good used ones if available.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

From what you write here you've got two batts that have gone to batt heaven.
The time and effort to try to revive them will go for nought.
It is far two late to do the batt desulfate thing.
CCA is not a thing we use for these batts . . . .thats for a *car* batt.
. . ."Why do different cells . . . . " Don't bother asking . . thats just the way it happens with lead-acid batts.
Don't believe any "I think..........blah blah" that you might get here.
The only person qualified to give an opinion to that would be someone who has worked for a battery co. for many many years.

If 2 of 6 have departed . . .just how long before the others go south..........???????????

yes replace them all.


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## idahodave (Jan 20, 2005)

105 minutes is 1.75 hours, so the battery rating is at least 122 amp hours. It's probably more because the 70 amp discharge is a high rate. The normal discharge rate/hr of a battery is the current it will deliver for 20 hours, and is used to set the amp hours rating. The amp hour capacity falls under higher discharge rates and rises with lower rates. These batteries might be rated around 150 amp hours, depending on how deep the discharge was for the rating you saw. A Trojan T105 golf cart battery has a rating of 220 amp hours. Amp hour rating isn't an exact science.

As the battery ages, parts of the plates may fall off and cause self-discharge or reduce the capacity of a cell because the material is on the bottom of the container. Once this starts it causes the individual cell to fail. In normal use the "weak" cell has to work harder than the good ones, so it fails even quicker.


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## PD-Riverman (May 24, 2007)

You have 6 batteries hooked in series, (like links in a chain) if ONLY one goes bad then the Golf cart will not move or will move only a for a few minutes. You will need to replace the bad battery(s) with another used battery(makes better sence) or replace them all with new. Trying to revive a Dead cell in a battery----Probably wasting your time. Good Luck!!


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

I'm not one that can advise you on batteries as others have.

However before I would give up 100% on a high dollar battery I would attempt to learn more about an old method of rejuvenation using epsom salts.

Personally I tried it 20+ years ago and never had any luck trying it. However what have you got to lose other than the cheap cost of the epsom salts which can be used as garden fertilizer.

I learned about it so long ago I can't advise you other than suggest you ask around or do searches.


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