Club Car 1998 DS, Дополнение к руководству по обслуживанию и ремонту

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BATTERIES Battery Testing
Page 13-8 1998/1999 PowerDrive Plus Maintenance and Service Supplement
13
BATTERY TESTING
Read DANGER and WARNING on page 13-1.
Four tests have been developed to help diagnose problems with batteries that have not performed as expected.
Each test becomes progressively more detailed and time-consuming. It is therefore suggested to begin with the
first test and follow through with the other tests until the problem has been found as outlined in the Battery Trou-
bleshooting Chart
(Figure 13-7, Page 13-9) .
BATTERY CHARGER TEST
The easiest way to monitor the condition of a vehicle’s batteries is simply to observe the reading on the battery
charger ammeter at the end of the charge cycle. After a full charge, disconnect the charger DC plug, wait 20 to 30
seconds and reconnect the charger DC plug. The ammeter needle will jump to 15 amps or more and then taper into
the 5 to 8 amp range within 10 to 20 minutes, indicating good, fully charged batteries.
Continued poor performance may indicate a problem in the vehicle electrical system, brakes or battery charger. If
the problem is not found in the vehicle or charging system, proceed to the on-charge voltage test. Batteries that
remain at 8 amps or higher should be tested further using the on-charge voltage test.
ON-CHARGE VOLTAGE TEST
When the batteries are fully charged, disconnect the charger DC plug. Wait 20 to 30 seconds and reconnect the DC
plug to restart the charger. After 5 minutes, use a multimeter to check and record the voltage of the battery set as
well as the individual batteries. Set the meter to 200 volts DC. Place the red (+) probe at the positive post of battery
No. 1 and the black (-) probe at the negative post of battery No. 6
(Figure 13-5, Page 13-4) . Record reading. Then
set multimeter to 20 volts DC and place the red (+) probe at the positive terminal and the black (-) probe at the neg-
ative terminal of each battery. Record the readings.
The on-charge voltage for the set should read between 56.0 volts and 63.0 volts depending on the age and state of
charge of the batteries being tested. If individual batteries read between 9.8 and 10.5 volts, the vehicle may not have been
fully charged when the problem occurred. Send the vehicle back out to see if the problem reoccurs. If the problem per-
sists, go to hydrometer test. If any battery reads below 9.3 volts or differs by more than 0.7 volts from the other batteries,
replace the battery. If readings are below 9.8 volts but within 0.7 volts of each other, the batteries are old. Old batteries
may have enough capacity left to last several more months. Go to hydrometer test.
See Troubleshooting Chart, Figure
13-7, Page 13-9, and examples on following pages .
HYDROMETER TEST
A hydrometer measures the specific gravity of the battery’s electrolyte. The higher the specific gravity, the higher
the state of charge of the batteries. A fully charged battery should read between 1.250 and 1.280 at 80°F. Never add
acid to batteries to obtain a higher specific gravity.
Performing the Hydrometer Test
1. Be sure batteries have sufficient electrolyte to cover plates by approximately 1/2 in. and are fully charged prior to
beginning test. If water must be added, recharge the batteries before performing the hydrometer test.
2. Remove the vent cap. Using a battery thermometer (CLUB CAR part No.1011767), record the electrolyte tem-
perature of the No. 2 cell.
3. Squeeze the rubber bulb of the hydrometer and insert into the cell. Slowly release the bulb, drawing electro-
lyte up into the glass tube of the hydrometer.
4. When the float rises off the bottom, adjust the electrolyte level so that the float rides free of the bottom but
does not strike the top of the glass tube. Remove the hydrometer from the cell and release the pressure from
the bulb.
5. Hold the hydrometer vertically, ensuring that the float is not touching the sides of the barrel. Hold the
hydrometer at eye level and read the scale at the level of electrolyte (Figure 13-8, Page 13-10).
6. Record the reading. Return the electrolyte to the cell from which it was taken. Replace vent cap.