Almost a year ago I had to replace one of my 6 batteries since it wouldn’t hold a charge. Now after less than a year it once again is weak and won’t hold a charge. I have tried to charge it with a stand alone charger as well as the built in charger. My quest ion concerns how to get the battery in and out–it is the second battery from the left and unfortunately has stuff in the way such as the disconnect switch and the parking brake equalizer. When I replaced it last time, I got all of that out of the way, but the battery can’t lift up because of the flanges on the fiberglass panel. I was finally able to get it out and in by tilting it on end and with the help of a friend, pulled it out. I hate to go thru that again and wonder if tilting the new battery on end may have caused a problem. It never had the capacity of the others after installing it. I’m not asking about the battery itself but how the hell do I get it in and out. BTW it is a type 29 Everstart Maxx with no refillable caps like the earlier ones. It fits in the tray just fine.
Yes they suck getting the center ones out. Doesn’t hurt them to go on end to install. Is it An AGM battery? all deep cycles have filler caps unless it is agm. Should have lasted more than a year
What is on the back of the car? Golf bag carrier/mini stakebed/cargo pod? Those simply unclip and remove the spat (rear fender) and the center batteries should come out the rear.
If you have the aluminum flatbed it is more of a hassle to remove, but still possible.
This would also be a good excuse/time to fully inspect your rear swing arm and suspension for cracks.
As to why a battery went dead- Have you been checking the balance on your pack? All batteries need to stay within 0.10 of each other. If one dips too far below the others, it gets drained below the 50% SOC threshold and gets hurt a little bit more every time you cycle the pack.
Your pack is only as good as your weakest battery.
Are there any other wires (besides the large cables) hooking up to this pack? Draining one battery without the others starts the cascade towards pack failure.
I have the removable cargo box and the rear spat is readily accessible. However, looking at the rear batteries, it looks like there is structure in the way that would prevent the battery from coming out the back–I will have another look. As far as the battery life, I use a NOCO 4 bank smart charger in the rear that maintains each battery separately. I leave the disconnect switch turned off so that there is no interplay between the other batteries. All the batteries are the same size and brand, but like I mentioned, the latest Walmart lead acid deep cycle batteries do not have a way to check fluid level–they are NOT agm.
Thanks for the help.
48v? and this is a Gem?
It is a 72V 2 seater 2000 GEM. 2 batteries in the front and 4 in the rear. I use a NOCO 2 bank charger in the front and a 4 bank for the rear. I can also charge it using the stock built in charger but that won’t maintain the batteries, nor equalize them unless you make it manually.
I have a 2001 GEM 4-seater. I use the same Walmart Type 29 Everstart Maxx batteries. I typically get only 1-2 years of service from each battery. I have never tried to equalize them. It is difficult to get Walmart to replace them under warranty, because their good/bad criteria is quite low, even when they take it in the back room and do a deep cycle test. They are mostly testing starting batteries, so their tester doesn’t really care whether you get decent deep cycle performance.
So far I have had good luck with them but the full replacement warranty has gone from 3 years down to 1. Some of them are pushing 4 years and still taking a full charge, but I think their batteries come form more than 1 supplier. The Walmart here close to Bisbee has no automotive department so it winds up just going to the customer service section and they can’t check it.
How to get the battery out?
Sawzall.
.
.
.man, i gave you guys a week, a whole damn week…
This comment got me to thinking.
Option 1: I checked, and NOCO does not make a 6-bank smart charger. What if I bought six cheapo small Chinese 12V 6A chargers, and put one on top of each Walmart battery? Gang all the AC cords together into a single plug-in. After charging the GEM conventionally with its onboard charger, I would turn off the GEM main battery switch (to isolate the batteries) and plug in the single AC cord into the wall. All six chargers would then peak charge each Walmart battery individually, solving the balance issue. Would this work?
Option 2: If I installed six individual Chinese AliExpress 12V 200Ah LiFePo batteries into my GEM, I understand that they will work poorly due to the difficulty in balancing six 12V batteries. Would my idea of using six individual chargers work to balance/equalize the LiFePo pack, after charging it conventionally?
Historically, that kind of arrangement tends to have problems. Each battery has its own internal BMS and usually the maximum you can series connect iand them sill have communication is 4.
Your idea of individual chargers may work or it may drive them bonkers.
Another issues is the low trip amperage on the bmses. I’ve had two 72v gems, ove seen both pull 300 amps on a hard launch and even around 200sms sustsined when loaded. This could easily trip one of these package batteries. Thats the last thing youvwant when pulling into traffic or with a dump druck behind you.
I dont know what 6 ali express lfp4 batteries woukd cost but Dave @Inwo and Mike @LithiumGods have a tested reliable li-ion pack that goes up front on the 00-04s that will handle the heavy amp draw
Because the front and rear batteries are so far apart, I found it easier to use the 4 channel charger for the rear and the 2 channel for the front. My experience with cheap chargers has not been good and many do not do a good job of changing modes depending on the state of charge. There is no BMS for lead acid batteries so I don’t worry about any of that.
I just went out and had a look–you are correct that the 2 rear center batteries will come out the back. I have had the spat off before and that’s an easy job. Thanks for the advice !
To remove and replace your type 29 Everstart Maxx battery, follow these steps:
- Disconnect all surrounding components: Temporarily remove the disconnect switch and parking brake equalizer.
- Tilt the battery: As before, tilt the battery on its end to maneuver it out. Be careful to avoid damage.
- Avoid tilting issues: Ensure the new battery is handled gently. Tilting shouldn’t affect its capacity if done carefully.
- Seek help: Having an extra pair of hands can make the process smoother.
Tilting the battery should not have caused the capacity issue, but handle the new battery carefully during installation.
Thank you. Yes that"s the procedure I used. I wasn’t strong enough to pull the battery out once I had it tilted on end so I placed a long rod/pole thru the handles and had a friend on one end and myself on the other. We got it out but even that was a struggle. Now I have to replace it before the warranty runs out so I plan to remove the rear skirt and slide it out end wise. I’ve had the skirt off before and that is pretty easy and straight forward. Thanks for the reply !