Problem charging golf cart
 

When we plug the charger into our cart the charger goes off....not sure why?
We thought it was the charger itself and had that checked out. Then we thought maybe it was the wall plug with the gfi so we plugged the charger into an extension cord and used another electrical outlet without success.

Anyone have thoughts/ideas?

Thank you.

One thing to check that happened to us on a 2003 Club Car....look at the charger receptacle on the cart..there are metallic washers/rings on each of the 3 holes where the plug goes in. See if those rings/washers are broken or misaligned...that could cause a faulty contact with the plug/charger.

Does the charger engage and then shut off or never responds?

Could be a fuse on the charger or, worst case, computer module on the cart. I'm sure others will have additional theories. If simple troubleshooting doesn't isolate the problem, you will probably have to call a golf cart tech.

I had a similar problem charging our EZ-Go. As it turned out the batteries were at the end of their useful life and one cell was shorted out.

similar problem with a friend's E-Z-GO we tried to borrow

it did a very short charge then stopped, but batteries held nothing

tried again but charger didn't even start that time

turns out batteries were totally dead and unchargeable

check the water level.

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Please check with an expert, but in my experience if the water level gets down so low the batteries will not charge, they are probably damaged beyond repair. Adding water will probably allow some charge, but the capacity will be greatly limited.

If you post this in ask the expert section, Frank will provide an answer.

You need a minimum amount of voltage to start the charger. It varies by cart, but in a 48 volts Club Car, you have to have at least 28 volts across the battery pack or the charger will not start. The charger uses a DC voltage to start. Put a volt meter across the entire pack and see what you have for voltage. If it's to low it will not engage the charger.

If you are not a DIY person handy with a multi meter, I would suggest one of the cart mechanics recommended on the forum.

If you are up for the fun, some more information may help:

Year and make/model of cart.
What exactly happens? In the OP it is unclear to me anyway. You mention "When we plug the charger into our cart the charger goes off....not sure why?". Does that mean it was on until something happened?

Who ever you ask, be very specific. It may help them. Stuff like, I plug charger into cart and hear a click, but it never starts.

I plug charger in and it starts but then shuts off in a few minutes. etc

I am not trying to nit pick, but any info can help when debugging remotely...

Good Luck!!!

PS. The charger has no idea how much water is in your battery. That said if they are dry you have other issues :D

Have a 2006 Club Car 48 volts. Bought brand new Trojan batteries Jan 12 2015 to replace older (3 yrs old). Took about two weeks for batteries to reach capacity, by charging. Took hydrometer to batteries, and it shows needs charging? I'm thinking it could be charger (9 yrs old) and maybe need charger serviced, or need new charger? I've been pulling plug out, counting to ten or longer, and put plug back in to charge, and still Hydrometer says needs charging. Water level is up to top, as suggested, so that not a problem. I hit reset button on charger, and just now pulled plug out of wall, and then, re inserted. This time charger did not run as long, but still worried something could be wrong with charger. Anyone have any ideas. My gage says fully charged, and when I pull plug out of cart, yellow light goes on. (like it's suppose to do) Riding to my friends house this morning (15 min) and then going in his cart. Will see when I return. Does anyone have some ideas? Greatly appreciated

PaPaLarry,

Just throwing this out there...

If it was me I would first find out if my hydrometer is accurate. After charger shuts off, wait a couple of hours and measure the voltage of the pack and then each battery.

See if the voltage agrees with the SG reading...

If the state of charge voltage also low, then ....

We had the same problem. It turn out to be the unit on the cart that controlled the charger. It would turn off the charger when the batteries were only half charged. We found it was cheaper to have Battiery B-ys install a ByPass charge than to have the original unit replaced. About $400.00.:BigApplause:

Are you saying it cost you 400 bucks, or if original unit replaced, it will be 400.00?

Biker Dog is likely referring to replacing the OBC (On board computer) for $400. Instead of replacing, he had some one install a wire (I am guessing) that bypasses the OBC.

I have done this for testing if the OBC is causing a charging issue.

Oh, OK!!!! Thanks. I just pulled plug this morning, and then replugged, and charger ran for no more then 10 min. I then took Hydrometer, and checked it, and arrow was in the "good" section (blue) Haleiluhya!! (spelling?) Now this is where I was when I got new batteries in Jan. Let's hope everything will be ok now. Golfing tomorrow at Havana, so will see. I think I might buy a tester, that's not too expensive just in case. Not too sure how long battery Chargers last? Mine is 9 yrs old! Do they usually just wear out? It's a Club Car charger

It would have cost more to replace the original charger controller built into the cart than the $400.00 for the bypass charger. It is a Club Cart so they did not make an "On Board" charger back in 2006. The By-Pass charger is a stand alone charger not an on board charger. If you have questions about the By-Pass charger, call Batt--y B-ys OR google it.