We bought a Ford Think Neighbor from a savvy friend. He said it needed new batteries.
It ran great at first, despite the batteries. (I took it the mile to our daughter’s preschool and back.) Then it started dying rapidly after a full charge. The battery indicator showed full. If I stopped and waited for a while, it would work again. (Perhaps something overheating?) Then it just stopped going – I thought: time for those batteries!
We bought refurbished ones from a reputable battery store – heck, $300 compared with $1500 sounds good while I learn to drive kindly on the batteries. (We’ll get gels the next go round.)
We topped off each battery separately, then topped them off again, hooked together.
The first time we drove it, it died in 1/2 block. We worried the connections weren’t solid – sure enough, one connector seemed particularly hot. We took everything apart, filed all parts, added conductive goo, and buttoned it all up again.
Another drive around the block and everything was great! I even put the lights on and had no troubles at all.
Yesterday evening (the next day,) I wanted to take it on a longer test drive before relying on it for the preschool commute, but it died within 1/2 block again.
The battery indicator showed full. It got progressively slower until it didn’t move – like, in 100 feet! The dash finally died and won’t turn on. The break lights come on, however, and so do the hazards, bright and strong, but not the lights or the dash at all, so the batteries aren’t totally dead.
I just tried it before dawn, hoping the cold would help overheating issues, but the dash still won’t go on. Kinda dead-dead now. When I turn the key, I can hear a click at the keyhole in each mode – the key switch sounds ok.
Been scouring forums for ideas. I don’t think it’s the motor because the dash died. I can’t rule out the refurbished batteries, except that the company has good Yelp ratings and clearly deal with many batteries – for all kinds of applications. Also, I’m suspicious that it is dying in exactly the same way as the old batteries – wouldn’t the refurbished batteries last at least a little longer than the dead ones? The behavior seems the same, and so it seems the batteries might not be the cause.
I admit that I didn’t plug it in after the around-the-block drive the day before. I figured we didn’t drain it much and it would stay charged for 24 hours. Plus, the battery indicator said full, even as it was dying. (With the last batteries, the indicator might drop a single bar before dying, but I figured the dead batteries would do that.) Maybe there’s a short?
One last thing, when I put it in reverse yesterday, the pedal didn’t do anything at first. I pressed gently so as not to floor it off the line. Nothing first time, then a clunk and it moved – solonoid issues? Contactor?
It sure seems like it’s something between the 48V system and 12V system independent of the “ignition” switch.
Questions:
Is it worth checking the motor?
Should I check the resistance in the battery pack? (ie the connections are still poor, despite the care?)
Could the battery cables be bad? (If so, why would the break lights still work?)
Maybe could there be a short – can I check that easily? (ie you can check for a short in a gas car by disconnecting then touching the terminal cable to the battery and looking for a spark. If there’s a spark when everything is off, something is using power.)
Maybe the battery cables? They seemed solid, but maybe that’s why one was hot.
Maybe the (expensive!!) contactor? Any simple way to check that?
What other things should I check?
Sorry for the long a story – just trying to be accurate and complete.
Kiki
PS Yeah, I’m a female, and a software engineer to boot so I’m weak on hardware, but doesn’t mean I can’t follow good suggestions! 
And I’ll take any and all suggestions! Thanx in advance for your wisdom!
This year the “turtle” would show up after about 3 miles,and the car would go into the “safe mode” (reduced power),and I would creep home! I found two batterys that had flat/dead cells in them. I replaced them with two new Napa battery’s,but never tried the car out. My friend is into NEV’s (He has a ford think,and two Gems). I was talking about it with him,and he said to replace all the batterys,as the others most likley were on “their way out”. After looking over the batterys available I decided to go with Gel Cell batterys. No more checking 36 cells every 30 days!:cheer2: I cringed at the price for a complete set of Gel Cells,but my friend told me I would think they were worth every cent,after I used them for a while! I’m also thinking about up grading to a bigger motor,as the town we live in has more hills,than level ground. the 5 hp motor dosen’t keep the speed up going up a steep hill,with two people onboard,and in the summer it runs hot! Ron