So my 2001 E825 has decided to “act up” Looking for Help/Suggestions on Troubleshooting. Batteries are about 4 years old but in great shape ( at least they were until today)
So we hadn’t used it for a week or so and realized we left it unplugged-- Plugged it in and let is charge like we usually do… Now I get in and Batterys say 100% — Before I even pull out of the Garage battery level in the display drops to 85 – I take it out on the road and bring it up to speed-- Headlights Go out for 5-10 seconds and then come on… Then loud CLick and Cart loses all Power… Coast for a While and it comes back on-- Batteey level dropping fast after less than a Mile of Driving…
Any Ideas ? Light on the display Signals 4 red blinks — But Green after Charging
It sounds like one or more of your batteries may be on it’s way out. You need to do some diagnostics. How are you with going under the seat and checking on the batteries? You don’t say which battery you have in your cart. Do they need water?
You are going to need a meter and check each battery and note the voltage after charging(unplugged). Draw a map of your layout and make notes on that. Don’t forget about the two under the hood.
Then run it down the driveway and back (however long it takes for you to note the drop). Measure the voltage again. It should be obvious which one(s) are the problem.
You could find ALL the batteries have a problem.
If you do not see a change at all, check and clean your connections at the batteries.
Thanks for the reply----- I have the Gel Batteries ( – I do have a Meter and I will check them aoo Tonight
Since they are all "wired together " Do I need to Disconnect the terminals or can I just test directly on the Battery post of each of them… Just thinking wouldn’t power be coming through all of them ?
Also should I turn off the Main Battery Switch under the seat prior to testing or does this not matter ?
I believe that’s out of my scope of expertise-- I will Have to call a Professional for that, trying to avoid that but have to realize when it’s time for a PRO… ITS TIME FOR A PRO !!!
Going to Poke around with my Meter and limited skills first and see what I come up with.
Thank you for your time-- You have helped me in the Past as well… I appreciate it
@AssyRequired@Old_Houseboater Thanks again for your expertise— Hopefully I will be able to check the batteries this evening… I did find the date of Install for them and it was February of 2014-- Is 6 Years a Good Run for Gel Batteries ? I feel like that’s pretty decent especially in the Florida Heat
Yes, I’d say 6 years is a really good run on gel batts.
You don’t need to disconnect the wires on the batteries. Just touch the meter leads to the terminals on one pack at a time. Then for bonus points (if you can find the ends of the run) take a reading on the whole pack. Look for cables that come from a battery and go somewhere other than another battery. It might be better to do this up at the controller.
What Old Houseboater was talking about was a Brake Load Test. This is actually a snip of his very words from another post:
“Put your volt meter on 1 battery hold your foot on the brake HARD and push the throttle for 2 seconds and note the voltage. Do all 6 batteries. The dud will show up.”
Sometimes batts fresh off a charge will appear good, but once under a load it will quickly fall on it’s face. This easy test will show you which one(or all) are doing it, In real time. The only thing I would add is to make sure you are pointing the car OUT of the garage or put it up on jack stands when doing this test.
What you are seeing through the headlights is that the DC-DC step down converter(which powers the 12v accessories) is shutting down due to real low voltage. When you stop for a minute, the batts will kinda float back up and everything will work again until you try to drive off again.
Was Plugged in Overnight-- Battery Level showed 100% on Display
Unplugged and Got Distracted for about ten minutes… Went back to test batteries with my Meter
All Read 12.8 with the Exception of the Very Front one under the hood. It Read 10.2
Was trying to take it for a Ride and Dash Display shows Batteries Dropping fast – Down to 65% before I could even get it out of the Garage— Getting a Code 11 Accelerator Lock out error Code( I get this intermittently and turning off and on usually Fixes it )
After 5 or so minutes I hear the loud click and know I can now Drive it— Not even a hundred feet into the Drive lights are flashing , display goes out and cart dies but then comes back as you described.
I get it back in the Garage all Batteries read 12.7 except for the Front one again – That one now reads 9.9
So — I am wondering after 6.5 years with these batteries would it make sense to replace Just 1 of them ?
Not sure what my next move is here ---- Maybe a real Battery Load test ? Not sure
Any Ideas ? ( Besides biting the bullet and spending a grand or so on new batteries)
Are Gels still the best option( Other than Lithium kits which are beyond my skill level )
If one has failed, history shows the rest are soon to failure. IMO replace them all with lithium cells - go faster further with less maintenance. Whatever you do be sure to clean and tighten all the battery connections as you service the bad one(s).
Thanks— Voice in my head is telling to Just replace all of them …
Is there a “easy” Lithium Solution ? I haven’t been following the advances in that area very closely , I know people with a high level of expertise have been converting to Lithium but I think unless there is a Turn Key Solution I will be left with the Gel Batteries again
How long have you had it and did it work good for you?
Did you frequently run into it’s limits?
Where are you located and do you have any local shop support? You can forget about taking this to a dealer, EVER!
What is your financial status? (I don’t need to know this- keep it private)
(we are in some really tough times right now and not many have much disposable cash right now.)
IMO- If the car was perfectly fine the way it was, then stick with the Gel batts. They worked in this car for six years, man!!! Not saying the new batch will be that good.
If you wanted to go real cheap then sure-you could just buy one and see how the other batts test out. You may get a little more out of them but yeah, they got six years on them. Expect to do a full change soon. There is also the possibility that the others may hurt the new one enough that you might not be able to use it when you eventually buy all new. It’s a dice roll.
Then with this extra time, do your research. Be aware that Lithium is not for everybody. It is actually pretty scary tech. If done incorrectly, you can lose the pack, the car, or the house? Somewhere, I recently came across a pic of a gem burned to the ground! Yikes! You remember the reports of exploding phones and the hoverboard/scooters going full meltdown? Those were Little batteries!!!
Luckily, the guys here on this forum have figured out the neat parts needed for safety and the collective pool of smarts are keeping things under control if you pay attention. Feel free to click around and follow the build threads, do some searching for other posts and you will learn alot! It’s a tinkerers hobby/obsession. If it is in your skill set then jump in. Otherwise, be prepared to pay someone else to do the conversion and hopefully is close enough to bring it back to for checkups and tweaks.
We can drive the car all over the city we live in, Grocery stores , restaurants , Beach ETC… We are fortunate in that area
We have had the car almost 8 years
We really don’t push it to its limits
We are in South Florida – there is a Great Guy that knows the GEMS inside and out, very honest and a pleasure to deal with-- However he is in Miami and Doesn’t come up to me that often. Last time I needed something he referred me to a guy that he was trying to bring on Board and closer to me… he was a super nice Guy and Friendly but not as Knowledgeable-- I had him do the Brakes and it was a trying experience … ended up well in the end-- But I just wasn’t as comfortable with him( batteries area fairly simple swap so there is that)
Lithium is a whole other world and I am not ready for a “Pack Failure” or Pack Fire for that matter–YIKES… I think My Decision is made-- Just have to Bite the Bullet $$
Car has always been Kept inside, Previously owned as an estate vehicle on Palm Beach and when I purchased the batteries were shot but everything else was perfect and still in great shape cosmetically
I put the Faster motor in and just recently new brakes( should have done the disc conversion…UGGH)
Only Other issue/error that I receive lately and intermittently is the -11 Lock out— like I said it usually goes away in a matter of minutes… But when it happens at a stop light its a Big Issue.,… I will have to see about that one.
All that being said — Thank you for your honest and expert opinion !!! I owe you and others big time
Do you have a stove in your house? A water heater? BBQ? Xmas lights? An extension cord? A hair dryer? They can also catch fire. Fun trivia fact: basically almost anything electrical or gas powered can catch fire.
If lithium packs were as dangerous as some think, NTSB wouldn’t let hybrid cars or all-electrics on the road at all.
In fact, some of the lithium batteries out there (lifepo4) are quite possibly more safe than the lead or gel batteries (which are also acid based). Ever seen spilled acid set something on fire? I have…
A few posts back, you asked about a drop in solution, there is something close. You might have to do a little wiring, but @LithiumGods has pre-wired packs and they aren’t much more than the cost of 6 gel cells and some might even be less than 9 8v gels. And, bonus, he’s in Florida too.
Thanks I will reach out to him and ask about his Pre-Wired Packs.
My hesitation is 100% due to my lack of knowledge regarding install and configuring. Fear of the Unknown !!!
