Hi! I’m new to the forum. I already did a search but didn’t find any posts that specifically answered my question.
QUESTION: What non-OEM batteries will work in my 2002 GEM two seater golf cart? Will Optima gel batteries work?
Here’s my situation: I inherited a 2002 GEM two seater golf cart (sorry don’t have model number). It has Trojan deep cycle wet cell batteries. They are all dead and won’t hold a charge. (Yes, I tried charging with a regular charger first, then charge with the GEM system. Didn’t work.)
I can buy SIX new Trojan batteries from a local golf cart repair shop. At $200/battery plus labor, tax, etc. it will be expensive. If I have GEM replace the batteries it’s about $250/battery plus extras, i.e., more expensive.
I can get a Costco/Kirkland deep cycle group 27 for $70/battery and install myself rated at 115 amp hours. Also, I can get Optima batteries (blue top, group 24, 55 amp hours) at Costco for $155/battery. I like the gel batteries because I don’t have to check/fill the batteries monthly.
Lastly, the GEM will be used for low mileage trips only. Usually, less than 3 miles round trip. Probably not more than 5 miles per day then charge in the evening.
Can I successfully use non-oem batteries on my GEM? If so, are there any specs that I need to meet? Any specific battery brand/type suggestions. I don’t want to damage the electrical system.
No one on this forum has replied, but I did get some information from a battery dealer in my area. I don’t know how accurate the information is.
He said I could NOT change to OPTIMA batteries because those batteries require a change in the charging system. OPTIMA batteries are AGM, not gel as I had thought. I don’t know if you need a special charging system for gels.
Personally, I believe the low cost marine/RV batteries will work acceptably. They probably are not good for longer distances and frequent use and won’t last as long. I haven’t decided whether or not to give them a try. They cost about 1/2 of the price of the Trojan deep cycle batteries that are now in the cart, but are dead.
I have a 2002 E-825 that I inheited. It has 5 year old Ever Start Marine batteries in it. They are still charging but near the end of there life. I would rather not spend a lot on new batteries and wonder if the Costco Marine batteries would work well. I have similar uses as above.
A 2002 GEM should have a Zivan model NG1 72VDC charger. Documentation can be downloaded from their website. We own three 2002 GEMs, which all use this charger. Zivan also has good techical support and reasonable repair service. I would suggest that you first determine for sure whether you have a battery or charger problem. The batteries can be individually charged with an appropriate 12 volt charger and then load and voltage tests will tell if they are any good. Does the charger indicate an error code? Is power getting from the charger to the batteries? Are the batteries connected properly? If you must replace the batteries, the Zivan charger can be configured to correctly charge various types such as GEL, AGM, and also has profiles for different brands of wet batteries. There is a small rotary switch on top of the charger. The documentation from Zivan will tell you how to configure the charger for each type. If the charger will not not power up at all even with good, charged batteries, there is a fuse inside the charger that may have blown. This can be checked and replaced by dismantling the charger and checking the resistance. The fuse is soldered in place on the circuit board. I believe Optima deep cycle AGM batteries will work with the Zivan charger. The question is are they of sufficient amp hour capacity to power the GEM? We have never tried running the smaller group 24 batteries in any of our vehicles because of steep hills, heavy loads, and a large operating range. We do however, use marine batteries with excellent results. NAPA part number 8271 which is a GEL group 27 made by Dekka. Our wholesale price is about $220. We have several that are still good after more than five years of regular use. Bottom line with batteries is that you get what you pay for. The Mexican made batteries that sell for under $100 just do not last. One set of these all failed after just one year of service.
[QUOTE=GEMmechanic;8368]A 2002 GEM should have a Zivan model NG1 72VDC charger. Documentation can be downloaded from their website. We own three 2002 GEMs, which all use this charger. Zivan also has good techical support and reasonable repair service. I would suggest that you first determine for sure whether you have a battery or charger problem. The batteries can be individually charged with an appropriate 12 volt charger and then load and voltage tests will tell if they are any good. Does the charger indicate an error code? Is power getting from the charger to the batteries? Are the batteries connected properly? If you must replace the batteries, the Zivan charger can be configured to correctly charge various types such as GEL, AGM, and also has profiles for different brands of wet batteries. There is a small rotary switch on top of the charger. The documentation from Zivan will tell you how to configure the charger for each type. If the charger will not not power up at all even with good, charged batteries, there is a fuse inside the charger that may have blown. This can be checked and replaced by dismantling the charger and checking the resistance. The fuse is soldered in place on the circuit board. I believe Optima deep cycle AGM batteries will work with the Zivan charger. The question is are they of sufficient amp hour capacity to power the GEM? We have never tried running the smaller group 24 batteries in any of our vehicles because of steep hills, heavy loads, and a large operating range. We do however, use marine batteries with excellent results. NAPA part number 8271 which is a GEL group 27 made by Dekka. Our wholesale price is about $220. We have several that are still good after more than five years of regular use. Bottom line with batteries is that you get what you pay for. The Mexican made batteries that sell for under $100 just do not last. One set of these all failed after just one year of service.
Daniel[/QUOTE]
Daniel -
Thank you for the great information! I was beginning to wonder if anyone on this forum was ever going to respond to my questions.
I few more questions …
Where is the Zivan charger located on the GEM?
Please pardon my ignorance regarding batteries. What is a realistic minimum amp hour requirement for the GEM? What battery characteristic/identifier number shows the batteries amp hour capacity? Is it the group number? (I thought this referred to the batteries physical size dimensions.)
My goal is two fold:
Spend less money. I can get Trojan wet cell batteries (same as original battery) for about $200/each. I can get the Costco large size marine battery for about $80/each. Am I wasting my money? My use is short trips (less than 3 miles round trip), driver only aboard, and mostly on flat ground.
Avoid the constant hassle of checking and filling the wet cell batteries. With a total of 36 cells, it’s just too much work. My Dad (who passed away recently) let the batteries go too dry. When I filled them up, it took almost two gallons of distilled water. I’m pretty sure my problem is dead batteries, not the charger. The GEM ran fine then sat for about 4 months before I filled up the batteries.
I would also like to know if the Costco marine batteries would work adequately in my Gem Car. I do not go distances longer than 5 or 6 miles and keep my car charged most all of the time.
I am not familiar with Costco or their products. More than likely, this company does not actually manufacture the batteries. What is the amp hour rating of these batteries? The NAPA #8271 batteries we use are actually made by Deka. The group size is an arbitrary number assigned by BCI (Battery Council International) that indicates the battery’s physical dimensions and terminal configuration. The OEM battery size for a 2002 GEM is group 27. Group 27 batteries are usually, but not always, deep cycle batteries. The slightly larger group 31 batteries will fit with a slight reduction in payload capacity. Low quality (Mexican made) group 27 batteries cost less than $100. Conversely, The Odyssey group 31 AGM cost over $400 each. Other options include using 12 six volt GC5 golf car batteries or 9 eight volt batteries like the newer GEMs use. I have also seen two parallel strings of six 12 volt batteries. As long as the sum voltage equals 72. As far as maximum amp hour rating, chargers may have trouble if the battery is exceedingly oversize. The charger may overheat and show an alarm code. Additionally, The charge time will be very long, which may also cause the charger to time out and show an alarm code. The Zivan NG1 charger is located under the plastic dash panel. Open the rotary master switch located under the bench seat before working on the charger.
[QUOTE=GEMmechanic;8394]About 100 amp hours is normal for a group 27 deep cycle battery.
Daniel[/QUOTE]
Daniel -
Once again … thank you so much for sharing your expertise with the rest of us.
So … If I put in 100 amp hour group 27 deep cycle marine style wet cell batteries in my GEM, will they …
Work with the charger as is or will I need to change the charger settings? (My GEM now has the Trojan Deep Cycle 12v batteries which were standard equipment when it was new in 2002.)
Will their capacity be enough to do short trips … 2-3 miles round trip, relatively flat terrain, and no passengers?
Yes,
The Zivan NG1 72 volt charger is rated for use with batteries in the range of 65 to 130 amp hours. Assuming your charger has never been reprogrammed, the correct rotary switch setting for wet batteries is " F ". The original Trojans were wet batteries. You should not have any trouble with that short range, lack of hills, and light loads.
[QUOTE=GEMmechanic;8398]Yes,
The Zivan NG1 72 volt charger is rated for use with batteries in the range of 65 to 130 amp hours. Assuming your charger has never been reprogrammed, the correct rotary switch setting for wet batteries is " F ". The original Trojans were wet batteries. You should not have any trouble with that short range, lack of hills, and light loads.
Thanks for all your help. Your advice encouraged me to have a try at getting my GEM running again. (I had inherited it, not operational, from my Dad.)
I bought 6 Costco group 27 batteries (115 amp hour), put them into my GEM, and … they work great! I’m able to go 25mph without a problem.
The Costco batteries cost $70 each. I understand that these are far from the ideal battery, but they seem to work. I’m using them for short trips (2-3 miles roundtrip) and on relatively flat terrain. The Trojan batteries would be much better, but they would have cost me about $200 each.
I’ll try to update this thread on how well the cheap batteries perform. I imagine there are other people, who like myself, like the GEM, use it for short/easy runs, and don’t want to spend the “big bucks” on better batteries.
Regardless of what Dan the man GEMmechanic has posted above, forget what he said - that information is inaccurate. GEM never used a group 27 in any vehicle ever! its always been group 30/31. The group 27 battery will not work! Its not even close in size or lead content, which is giving you reserve capacity and range. A group 27 is probably at best 65 lbs for a gel, compared to a group 31 that it should be for a gel that weighs in at nearly 72 lbs. Buy OEM replacemnt batteries from GEM at nevservice.biz and set your charger accordingly. I got 5-1/2yrs on my GEM gels and another guy I know got 6 yrs on his (seasonal of course as we travel and let them sit during off months). Call GEM Tech Support again for the same info I just posted and they will tell you as well that no way no how is Dan right on this one! Group 27, ha!
With all due respect to Nev.tech, there are 5 year old Ever Start Marine 27DC6 batteries in my Gem car that were purchased over 5 years ago from Wal Mart. They do now need to be repalced but they obviously worked. I do not go more than 7 miles at a time.
[QUOTE=nev.tech;8477]Regardless of what Dan the man GEMmechanic has posted above, forget what he said - that information is inaccurate. GEM never used a group 27 in any vehicle ever! its always been group 30/31. The group 27 battery will not work! Its not even close in size or lead content, which is giving you reserve capacity and range. A group 27 is probably at best 65 lbs for a gel, compared to a group 31 that it should be for a gel that weighs in at nearly 72 lbs. Buy OEM replacemnt batteries from GEM at nevservice.biz and set your charger accordingly. I got 5-1/2yrs on my GEM gels and another guy I know got 6 yrs on his (seasonal of course as we travel and let them sit during off months). Call GEM Tech Support again for the same info I just posted and they will tell you as well that no way no how is Dan right on this one! Group 27, ha![/QUOTE]
nev.tech -
I already know what the “correct” battery type is. I spoke to GEM tech support on DAY ONE of trying to get my GEM working again. (I inherited it from my Dad.)
The “correct” wet cell batteries would cost me over $200 each, times six equals $1200+. As I said in my original post, I was looking for alternatives that might be cheaper.
Since my use of the GEM is for occasional easy short trips (2-3 miles total - a few days during the week), I figured I would give the cheap Costco Group 27 batteries a try. The set of six batteries cost me $420.
So far the GEM is working fine on the cheap Costco batteries. It goes 25mph. I know the group 27 batteries don’t have the range or life of the “correct” batteries, but I am hoping that they will meet my limited needs. According to member GEM 27’s post, Group 27 batteries seem to have worked fine for him.
I’ll try to keep members in this forum posted on how my cheap batteries are doing … for better or for worse.
Simon, you’ll be looking for new batteries again in about 1.5yrs. I’ve seen it and heard of it 1000 times. I know! Ideally any 12-volt battery deep cycle will work - temporarily. the size battery you put in are too small, will over charge and soon start to diminish, leaving you with less range per charge and the vehicle dropping out of power suddenly when the meter says 50% remaining. If GEM had found a cheaper alternative that was an exact equivalent, they would have released it for sale on their web page or would tell you when you call them what would be authorized as a close comparison. Good luck! I’ve worked on MANY GEM vehicles and own 3.