I have what appears to be a Schott Charger in my 2001 e825. My batteries seems to rapid lose charge as I am driving and when the charging level gets down to 25% I get a charging cycle sometimes for 10 mins other times for several hours. Sometimes the charged level when done is 100% other times it only 45%. What is the best way to check the charger and if it needs replaced what is the best alternative. I have sealed Duracell batteries 31DTMAGMs that are 1 year old and I have checked each battery after a charge and they all seem to be at the same level. I continue to get a 27 error code whenever I am at a stop and then need to pull a hill. I then need to turn the key off and turn it back on again to proceed. Any suggestion on the two issues above would be appreciated.
1 You should never go below 50% charge. Doing so is a battery killer. Your getting the error code 27 because the battery pack drops below the voltage to supply the DC/DC converter requirements. How many miles are you getting per charge. Are you in a hilly area? Is your cart modified in any way - big tires/wheels? Are you expecting too much.
Flat land 15 to 20 miles to 50% - hilly 12 to 15.
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Shott chargers are obsolete and no one services them. Most were replaced with Zivan NG1’s
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Try not running your batterie pack below 50% and see if the situation improves. (some chargers shut down on a timer even if batttery pack isn’t fully charged - probably your situation because of taking your charge level so low.)
It’s normal for a battery pack down to 50% to take 6 to 8 hours to charge. You might consider having the batteries evaluated by a good battery shop. They may still be under warrenty. Note: these are not Golf Cart rated batteries. They Give “OK” service in flat areas but are marginal if in hilly.
You state that you have AGM batteries. MAKE SURE your charger is on the GEL setting for your batteries. (AGM’s did not exist when your charger was manufactured.) The flooded setting is too strong for AGM’s and will ruin them in a few months.
I don’t think you have a charger problem - more likely overdriving the charge.
If you do upgrade I STRONGLY suggest ZIVAN. You might pay a little more but they are the best.
I am only getting maybe a mile and I lose 15-20% of the charge. If I get the 27 error code the charge indicator falls another 10%. So generally speaking I can drop down to 45% in less than 3 miles. You asked me to make sure the charger is set to GEL. Does a Schott charger have the ability to switch to GEL. I cannot see a place to switch it. I am driving it mainly on flat roads with one moderate sized hill and still getting rapid discharge and almost every time I drive it the 27 error code.
Also the cart has not been modified with different tires etc
Also when I am charging the GEM sometimes when the charger shuts off i get a 100% reading sometimes its only 85% when it shuts off
You have the classic symptoms of worn out batteries.
If your charger is shutting off at about 86 volts it’s on a Gel setting if is over 90 its set up for flooded. and probably ate your AGM’s’
To be honest the only downside of flooded batteries is that you have to water them. They can stand more abuse than any other type. I have MDC31’s by East Pen and I get 3+ years out of them. I bought my last set from ORilley Auto a year ago for $620 out the door. They have to be charged on the flooded setting or they sulfate up and lose capacity.
BTW did you check all connections for bright and tight?
Can you change the setting on a Schott charger? These batteries have a 18 month warranty. I just bought this cart and I have the receipt on the batteries from Sams club. What are the best steps from here. Is it to change the charger and stay with the batteries? Looking for suggestions
I would have the batteries load tested first. I think their shot. If not you might have other problems.
A couple of question first.
Did you check the brakes for dragging, you should be able to move the car with 2 fingers.
Do the batteries get hot when charging? This might indicate wrong charger setting.
Do all batteries have the same voltage before you put them on charge?
What is the voltage reading after the car has set 2 hours after charging? (each battery)
If you can get a reading on the voltage as close to shut off as you can.
Here’s a little informaton:
An excellent automatic constant voltage battery charger is a 15 volt
regulated power supply adjusted to the manufacturer’s recommendations
or, if not available, to voltages below with the electrolyte at 70
degrees:
Battery Type .........Charging ....... Float.........Equalizing
Wet Low Maintenance 14.4........13.2 ........15.1
Wet Maintenance Free ...14.8 ......13.6.........15.5
AGM ..................................14.6........13.8 ........N/A
Gel Cel................................14.0 .......13.5 ........NA
Wet Deep Cycle .................15.0 ........13.2 ........15.8
IF YOU WILL NOTE: the max that an AGM should see is 14.6 volts. A flooded algorithm finishes off at 15.8 or 96 volts for the pack.
Can you change the charger setting on a Schott charger?
I called Electornic ControlsI
Schott charger is Flooded only.
New Zivan is $595 +s&h
The original batteries were Trojan Flooded. XH30’s My experience has been with Zivan (good) and DeltaQ (not so good).
Depending on how long your going to keep the cart:
1 If they will give you new batteries - replace the charger New Zivan is $595 +s&h.
2 If they will give you credit replace the batteries with Dura Cell 29 HM Flooded batteries.These are made by East Penn and are my choice. Good 3+ year batrtery. Keep the Schott No out of pocket $
Perfect. I will check with Sams club and see if they will give me a credit instead of a replacement. Thank you for your help.
Note: The batteries just didn’t hold up. You haven’t got the slightest idea why.
Got it understood
What’s the latest?
I will be getting the batteries load tested tomorrow. I am pulling the wheels tomorrow to see if the brakes are hanging up. I tried to push the cart by hand and while it does roll it take alittle effort. I rode it this morning and I started with a 90% charge. Rode maybe 1 mile all flat and wgen I got home I was at 60%
Just an update. I pulled all the batteries and took them back to Sam’s Club since the batteries where under warranty. They tested the batteries and said they were all in good shape. The ccas and voltages were all exceeded specs. I took a look at all the brakes. I used a good break cleaner to clean all the components and lubed all the springs and checked the function of the wheel cylinders. the one parking brake cable needed lubed and it may have been hanging up. I individually charges each battery overnight and then reinstalled the batteries. I got a 100% reading when I started riding. I rode it over a couple of days and got the charge down to 80% I think used the on board Schott charger and it took about 2 1/2 hours to bring the charge back to 100%. So far so good I will continue to ride the car for a couple week and see how it works.
Couple of other questions. Since I live in a cold climate and I store the cart in an unheated garage to avoid having to remove the batteries does it make sense to replace the Schott charger and replace it with a Zivan so that it can be trickled charged every 7 days.
Also my brakes are very difficult to apply especially down hill. I really need to apply alot of pressure to get it to stop. I didnt see any leaks on the wheel cylinders and the master cylinder is full. What else can I check?
If you pull back the boots on the wheel cylinders you will probably find fluid and rust. New cylinders are only 25 bucks apiece on ebay.
The brakes are marginal when there working properly. If you have a stuck wheel cylinder or just a drop of fluid on the linings your in a world of hurt.
The Charger isn’t broke don’t fix it. Plug in the charger every 2 weeks for a day. There is a post on using 2 Home Depot timers to charge your battery every 2 weeks.There is also a DIY post on adding helper springs to brake cables.
Note: The Zivan doesn’t trickle charge It determines when the pack needs a charge and it does it’s thing.
Thanks for reporting back.
Than you for the suggestions. I tried searching this forum for the Home Depot charger post and the helper spring posts but I got no results. Whats the best why to find these posts?
http://www.electricforum.com/cars/batteries-charging-systems/8710-bi-weekly-charging.html
http://www.electricforum.com/cars/conversions-kit-electric-cars-diy/8639-do-yourself.html
Its the Fifth or sixth posting in the DIY heading