Couple days ago, my 2002 GEM 825 started cutting out under heavy load (steep hill). It would lunge, show a code 11 like it was just starting, and then surge forward for a short distance. Fortunately, I was near home and limped into my garage. Today, I saw there was a fair amount of corrosion on a couple battery positive terminals, figure that might have been causing an intermittent loss of voltage. Cleaned up and tightened the terminals: problem solved! These are Trojan wet cells.
I’ve since put about 10 miles on it and today it stopped dead, complete power loss, accompanied by a brief but obvious sparking under the back seat. Again, near home; we towed it a few blocks.
Lo and behold, one of the suspect terminals had melted right off the battery. This is the right side one with the long cable which disappears forward under the body, I assume to the controller.
THE BIG QUESTION: Obviously massive resistance caused this. The battery will have to be replaced, but is that the cause or a result of some other issue?
ALSO: The end of the cable is fried, can I cut it and put another terminal on it or should I assume there is other damage downstream requiring replacement?
Just change the battery and the cable. Some batteries have both lead posts and steel studs that could allow you to switch to the lead post and save the battery. The GEM requires good quality #4 AWG battery cable. Do not use the smaller #6 AWG. Any good mechanic can match up the cable size and length and crimp on new terminals. This would be much faster than ordering a cable from the dealer. Make sure all connections are clean and tight.
[QUOTE=GEMmechanic;12511] Just change the battery and the cable. Some batteries have both lead posts and steel studs that could allow you to switch to the lead post and save the battery. …
Daniel[/QUOTE]
Thanks, Daniel, I’m going to follow your plan.
The threaded steel stud is still attached to the cable, looks like it has melted off the underlying lead surface – is that how it works? What would cause such extreme heating? The battery seemed to be making appropriate output; I’d been operating at normal speeds right up to the failure.
The real trick is going to be getting the car up my driveway, which has about a 25% grade for about 100 feet. Can I run a jumper from the next battery to the cable for that brief event, or will the controller recognize that I only have 60 volts and refuse the task?
[QUOTE=geminashland;12512]
The real trick is going to be getting the car up my driveway, which has about a 25% grade for about 100 feet. Can I run a jumper from the next battery to the cable for that brief event, or will the controller recognize that I only have 60 volts and refuse the task?
[/QUOTE]
Fabricated the world’s shortest jumper cable with NAPA clamps and 18" of #2 cable. Got the car into the garage where I will now go forward with Daniel’s plan.
[QUOTE=LuvMyTJ;12610]How are you making out with your Gem?[/QUOTE]
Been under the weather for a week, haven’t done much since getting it into the garage. Today’s issue: How to get the right rear battery out of the inadequate space allotted for the purpose? Seems to require standing it on end; spilling acid, not something I’m eager to do. Got any thoughts?
Yeah, they can be a puzzle to remove the under seat batts. I did not remove the master switch, but I did have to tilt mine quite a bit to remove them. Luckily with no acid spillage.
FYI… My battery indicator kept going down faster and faster over the last several weeks. Yesterday I was almost stranded as I had driven just 6 miles and the indicator was at 40% starting at 100%. My Walmart Marine batteries are 10 months old and I was afraid they were dying. When I got home I found one battery that measured 1/2 volt lower (11.8) than the others. I took it out and went to Walmart. They put it on their tester and it checked good…the only indicator out of spec. was the amp hour rated it at 4.2. Anyway they replaced it for free. I took it home and installed it. The meter read 80% with out charging so I knew I have found the culprit. Today I took it on a 5 mile trip and the meter only dropped 7%. Also before my top speed was 38 now it is 40 mph. (last week did Marlon’s recalib.) You talk about using 2 gauge wire. My 2002 e2 has a factory wiring harness and it is all 4 gauge.(The orange cables have B1+ B2+ etc.) I did replace a overheated wire connector. It must have been a loose connection on a set of batteries before the present as the nut and terminal on the battery was not discolored. Anyway this has restored my trust in the Walmart Maxx Marine batteries. Your thoughts are welcomed.
The GEM should not run on only five batteries. Be sure the connections are clean and tight. We have three 2002 GEMs, both are the long bed trucks and use #4 AWG cables.
[QUOTE=GEMmechanic;12660]The GEM should not run on only five batteries. Be sure the connections are clean and tight. We have three 2002 GEMs, both are the long bed trucks and use #2 AWG cables.
Daniel[/QUOTE]
Got it all back together. the 825-4 uses 4 gauge cables throughout. New T1275 battery; NAPA fabricated a 96" cable for $23.
Couldn’t pull the old cable out of the net sheath which carries a bunch of stuff under the car, so I cut and capped it (wirenuts and gorilla glue) and tie-wrapped the new one alongside the sheath.
Cleaned and tightened all terminals and brushed on “anti-corrosion” goop.
[QUOTE=geminashland;12793]Got it all back together. the 825-4 uses 4 gauge cables throughout. New T1275 battery; NAPA fabricated a 96" cable for $23.
Couldn’t pull the old cable out of the net sheath which carries a bunch of stuff under the car, so I cut and capped it (wirenuts and gorilla glue) and tie-wrapped the new one alongside the sheath.
Cleaned and tightened all terminals and brushed on “anti-corrosion” goop.
Runs just like new. Thanks for the advice.[/QUOTE]
I was going to suggest the anti corrosion goop as well. It helps in my daily driver as well. I just put on a new coating before winter. I’ll probably have to rebuild the battery too this winter, but for now
If I may make a suggestion. After you’ve made your cables and/or replaced batteries, I would suggest you coat the cable and battery terminals with No-ox-id.
I use this on 10 6V Trojans in my motor home, starter batteries and several golf carts and have been using this product for 20 years. If you start with shiny metal on the terminals, and coat them with No Ox, you will NEVER have corrosion problems. The active phrase here is “shiny metal”
We used this stuff in the power rooms at all AT&T central office locations and never had a problem with corrosion. Back in the day we had large submarine batteries connected by buss bars, coated every connection
with this stuff.
