© December 2007
9-10
Section 9 - Batteries and Battery Charger
2007 Eagle Electric Golf Car Service Manual
Power percentage available from fully charged
batteries at various temperatures
State of charge
Temperature
100% 80°F
(26°C)
65% 32°F
(0°C)
40% 0°F
(-18°C)
•
As batteries age, they fi nish charge at progressively higher
charge rates and tend to use more distilled water. At this
point in battery age, charger will automatically begin reducing
charge time.
•
If batteries are unusually hot at the end of normal charge with
heavy deposits of moisture around the fi ller caps and/or water
use is high, this may indicate one or more defective cells or
that the batteries are nearing the end of their useful life. See
Testing Batteries
in this section.
•
If the batteries do not respond to normal charging, one or
more cells may be defective and all should be checked. See
Testing Batteries
in this section.
Batteries found defective must be replaced. All batteries in
a vehicle should be matched according to age, capacity and
brand.
The charger can be used to determine the overall condition of the
battery bank after charging. Compare the fi nish charge rate with
the specifi c gravity readings of the batteries. See the table below.
SPECIAL CHARGING PROCEDURE FOR
EXCESSIVELY DISCHARGED BATTERIES
NOTICE
The Delta-Q Automatic Battery Charger will not charge a dead
battery. Each battery will need to be brought up to an accept-
able state of charge, and establish that it does not have an
internal fault or bad cell. If a battery has remained too long
in a discharged state, it may be internally damaged and not
capable of accepting a charge. It must be replaced.
If the Delta-Q Battery Charger does not reach the full charging
mode, identifi ed by a steady LED in the upper region of the Bar
Graph display (18/15/12...), or the RED Fault Light is lit, it may in-
dicate that the minimum voltage is not present to allow the charger
to control the charging of the complete set of batteries. If the elec-
trolyte specifi c gravity is low (less than 1.140 SG), or the individual
battery voltage is less than 5.25 volts for three cells (or 10.50 volts
for 6 cells), it will need to be recharged with an ordinary automo-
tive style trickle charger at a rate of 3 to 6 amps for several hours
each. Follow specifi c charger instructions.
It is not necessary to disconnect the battery cables, as the alliga-
tor style clips can be connected to each positive and negative
battery post.
WARNING
Always disconnect the AC power fi rst when moving the posi-
tive/negative alligator clips to prevent a spark from igniting
the gas emitted from the batteries.
Be sure to charge all of the batteries in the set. Each battery
may require 2-3 hours of charging to bring it back to serviceable
condition. Measure the Specifi c Gravity (SG) of each cell after
this charging procedure is completed, to verify that the battery
is OK for use. Replace any batteries that can not be re-charged
(no change or improvement in SG). After all batteries have been
individually charged, and with the temporary automotive charger
removed, try operating the Automatic On-Board Delta-Q Charger
again to verify operation. Allow onboard Delta-Q Charger to com-
plete a full charge cycle for proper equalization of batteries. If the
6 Flash Fault persists; an internal fault may be present and the
charger will need to be replaced by a qualifi ed dealer technician.
A STEADY RED FAULT LED confi rms an internal electrical fault of
the Delta-Q, and also requires charger replacement and return.
TESTING BATTERIES
Testing with a Charger
The charger can be used to give an overall test of the battery bank
after it has received a full charge. The fi nish charge rate of a good
set of batteries is 3-5 amps as read on the charger ammeter.
1. Connect on board charger to an AC power source and turn
on.
2. Charger ammeter needle should jump to 15 amps or more
and then taper into the 1-3 amp area within 15 minutes, indi-
cating good fully charged batteries.
3. Battery banks failing this test should be tested with hydrom-
eter and/or load tester. See
Specif c Gravity Test
.
Specifi c Gravity Test
It is possible to determine a battery’s ability to perform by measur-
ing the specifi c gravity of each cell with a hydrometer. The hy-
drometer readings indicate two things:
•
State of Charge - The amount of electrical power stored in the
battery.
•
Condition - The ability of battery to store and deliver power.
NOTICE
Batteries should be fully charged before performing specif-
ic gravity tests to determine battery condition. Hydrometer
tests of batteries not fully charged are misleading and incon-
clusive.
Hydrometer Test
1. Squeeze rubber bulb and insert nozzle in cell, release bulb,
slowly drawing electrolyte up into barrel.
2. Adjust electrolyte level in barrel so fl oat rides free of bottom
but is not striking top of barrel.
3. Hold hydrometer vertically, making sure fl oat moves freely
and is not contacting sides of barrel. Read scale at the level
of electrolyte in the barrel. Record the reading.
4. Return electrolyte to cell from which it was removed.
5. Repeat these steps on all battery cells.
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