Needing Some Help with Powerwise Battery Charger

Iann215

Iann215

New Member
Hey everyone! So I have a 36 volt EZGO cart. My issue is that I changed the control board along with the relay inside my Power wise charger. It was working great, my cart was getting great charge. We mainly drive it at night around our neighborhood (without the kids ). As of recently , when I come back from a ride and plug in the charger , when it clicks on it only shows about 2-3 amps on the display meter? Also I am noticing that while my cart seems to be somewhat charged, the main headlight dims when I press the gas pedel? Anyone one help? Can it be the capacitor inside the charger? And also the wiring to the headlight seemed to be ok, no broken wires, I’m not to good with the electrical aspect of carts. Thanks guys !!!!
 
Awesome. I’ll try the capacitor. I have one on my old charger. I wonder if I can swap them out? Also I know capacitors can shock you. Is it safe to remove both wires from capacitor individually. And do I need to discharge it with a screw driver? I have a friend who got hit with one. And my meter does not have a capacitor setting or do I ohm it out ?
 
No you need the capacitance test. Just test the diodes, if they're fine it's most likely the capacitor. You can short it with a screwdriver or you can use a resistor to avoid the violent arc.
 
Iann215 said:
Awesome. I’ll try the capacitor. I have one on my old charger. I wonder if I can swap them out? Also I know capacitors can shock you. Is it safe to remove both wires from capacitor individually. And do I need to discharge it with a screw driver? I have a friend who got hit with one. And my meter does not have a capacitor setting or do I ohm it out ?
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you can buy a capacitance checking meter for about 20.00 on amazon

capacitors have three values you need to pay attention to
the first is the skin of the unit, plastic or metal, do not interchange

the second is micro farads, or MF or uF
this value must be matched exactly for metal container type caps
if the cap has a plastic container and a range/span for the MF, you just need to be in the ball park

the third is voltage, a higher rating is always better, very simply this just means the cap has better internal insulation

metal skin caps are used where they are connected in the circuit all of the time
they are called run caps

plastic skin caps are used when they are only in the circuit for the first few moments
they are called start caps

run caps are not made with high MF's like start caps
start caps will blow up if left in the circuit continuously ..... like a hand grenade
 
Hey again, so I bought a new metal jacket capacitor and matched all the info to the one stock in my PowerWise charger. So now that I have the new one. What steps should I do to take the old one off and installing the new one? For some reason I am deathly afraid of getting hit !!! hahahah please let me know so I don't die ..... hhahahaaha
 
Iann215 said:
Hey again, so I bought a new metal jacket capacitor and matched all the info to the one stock in my PowerWise charger. So now that I have the new one. What steps should I do to take the old one off and installing the new one? For some reason I am deathly afraid of getting hit !!! hahahah please let me know so I don't die ..... hhahahaaha
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you are correct to worry , caps can zap you , but they wont kill you (unless they are gigantic)
very first thing to do
unplug both cords of the charger and keep those plugs where you can look at them when you want to
the cap is probably discharged in the circuit , but you can be certain by putting an old screwdriver across the cap terminals
now remove the wires from the terminals, polarity will not matter when you put them back
(this is on the AC side of the circuit and AC goes back and forth +,- so no difference to the wires)
next loosen the clamp holding the cap, pull out the old put in the new
pay attention to the label on the new cap, make sure you can read it while installed
next time you want to check it , you can see the mfd value
tighten the clamp and put the wires on the new cap
good to go !

the next thing to check if the charger does not show amps on the scale is the diodes, then the fuse
if all else is good, most likely the control board
around 50.00 on Az
 
Jeff10456 said:
you are correct to worry , caps can zap you , but they wont kill you (unless they are gigantic)
very first thing to do
unplug both cords of the charger and keep those plugs where you can look at them when you want to
the cap is probably discharged in the circuit , but you can be certain by putting an old screwdriver across the cap terminals
now remove the wires from the terminals, polarity will not matter when you put them back
(this is on the AC side of the circuit and AC goes back and forth +,- so no difference to the wires)
next loosen the clamp holding the cap, pull out the old put in the new
pay attention to the label on the new cap, make sure you can read it while installed
next time you want to check it , you can see the mfd value
tighten the clamp and put the wires on the new cap
good to go !

the next thing to check if the charger does not show amps on the scale is the diodes, then the fuse
if all else is good, most likely the control board
around 50.00 on Az
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Got it! Jeff, I got the new cap and successfully got it in without blowing myself up. So after I installed it I plugged it in to see if the charger would kick on up to the 12-15 amp range. Once I plugged it in again, my Powerwise charger only reads about 4amps? I then checked cont for the fuse, the diode, etc and all checked out ok. I am loosing hope with this thing. I also checked the power cord, etc. When I installed the new control board not that long ago it was changing like a champ and the battery life was good for rides. It just all of a sudden starting doing this charge not to the amps it should be. I also bypassed the new control board to see if that was it an its not. Any suggestions? And I did check the level of distilled water in all of my batteries. Please see my attached photos for reference.
 

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Hey everyone ! I posted a few weeks ago in regards to my Power Wise 36 volt charger acting funny. I purchased used, it didn't work from the beginning. I put in a new control board with relay, kicked on and off and charged my cart just fine for a few weeks. As of lately, it all of a sudden when plugged into the cart, to would only kick on up to 4-5 amps on the meter. I left it plugged in and yes the relay is still working because it shut off. I asked a few questions and found out, maybe the capacitor was bad? I ordered that and I installed that and it still didn't work ? SO my last suggestion was a bad diode, I ordered that AND PUT THEM IN TODAY fingers crossed, and as soon as I plugged it in, nothing. I am so confused with what's going on? I am really stumped with all of this because I suck at figuring out golf cart mechanics. Any help or direction would be awesome . I just want my cart to charge all the way so we can ride it around!!! Thanks guys !!!
 

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Iann215 said:
Hey everyone ! I posted a few weeks ago in regards to my Power Wise 36 volt charger acting funny. I purchased used, it didn't work from the beginning. I put in a new control board with relay, kicked on and off and charged my cart just fine for a few weeks. As of lately, it all of a sudden when plugged into the cart, to would only kick on up to 4-5 amps on the meter. I left it plugged in and yes the relay is still working because it shut off. I asked a few questions and found out, maybe the capacitor was bad? I ordered that and I installed that and it still didn't work ? SO my last suggestion was a bad diode, I ordered that AND PUT THEM IN TODAY fingers crossed, and as soon as I plugged it in, nothing. I am so confused with what's going on? I am really stumped with all of this because I suck at figuring out golf cart mechanics. Any help or direction would be awesome . I just want my cart to charge all the way so we can ride it around!!! Thanks guys !!!
Click to expand...
 
So I did review that same YouTube video and I did do all of those things in the video and all my stuff checked out. Can this issue but an issue on the cart side of things? I think I need to move on to there?
 
Hey everyone! I wanted to circle back around for one of my original posts. I have a 2006 36 volt EZgo txt. So it started with my Power Wise charger only kicking on when plugged in to 2-5 amps. I have replaced all charger components , board, diodes, cap, etc. Still no change in kicking on to the original 20 amps. Anyway, I have one 6 volt battery that after being on a trickle charger, it will only charge up to 4 volts. My cart dashboard charger level drops down a bunch when I go around the block. The battery that is low , it has enough water. Can this one battery be the problem with my carts operation ? I want to make sure before I pull it and go buy a new one. All other battery's are good on charge. Please if anyone can answer this for me. Also if I replace the battery, do you think that it will make my charger kick back on and up to the 20 amps when plugged in ? Thanks in advance !!!!
 
Yes that battery obviously has a shorted cell, if you have bad batteries the charger is not going to charge correctly. I looked at the original post and saw no mention of the battery age or voltage, that is why members have to tell people to check their battery voltage until they’re blue in the face, if you had done that the first time you would have saved all the hassle changing parts for no reason. Checking the battery voltages preferably with a load is always the first step in troubleshooting an electric golf cart.
 
Golf Cart Wizard said:
Yes that battery obviously has a shorted cell, if you have bad batteries the charger is not going to charge correctly. I looked at the original post and saw no mention of the battery age or voltage, that is why members have to tell people to check their battery voltage until they’re blue in the face, if you had done that the first time you would have saved all the hassle changing parts for no reason. Checking the battery voltages preferably with a load is always the first step in troubleshooting an electric golf cart.
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Understood, another member mentioned that to me and I did so. At the time the voltage for that battery was 5 volts, I am wondering in the meantime the battery cell was just on its way out. My first concern was that the charger was the issue and we troubleshoot that till all was replaced. Good thing the charger parts are pretty inexpensive and probably needed it anyway. I am off to get a new battery. I appreciate the response and giving me some direction on this issue. I will update my progress once I change the battery . Thanks !

PS. The batteries are 3 years old by the way
 
You should really replace all 6, at 3 years old the new will not mix with old and you will ruin the brand new battery as well and end up buying 7 batteries instead of 6. Also if your accessories are hooked up to 2 batteries you should install a voltage reducer to prevent premature failure of the batteries hooked to the accessories
 
If you are on a budget look for used batteries, if you get a used one in similar condition to the others and they aren’t also on their way out you can make it work. Being as you likely have a shorted cell the other batteries may still be fine, but regardless new and old don’t mix well. Often when one goes bad the others will follow shortly thereafter and it becomes a never ending series of changing batteries.
 
Iann215 said:
Understood, another member mentioned that to me and I did so. At the time the voltage for that battery was 5 volts, I am wondering in the meantime the battery cell was just on its way out. My first concern was that the charger was the issue and we troubleshoot that till all was replaced. Good thing the charger parts are pretty inexpensive and probably needed it anyway. I am off to get a new battery. I appreciate the response and giving me some direction on this issue. I will update my progress once I change the battery . Thanks !

PS. The batteries are 3 years old by the way
Click to expand...
follow this chart and learn about what voltage you should expect at any time or state of charge
when you are measuring battery voltage tenths and hundredths of a volt matter

HotRodCarts

Thread 'Battery State of Charge Percentages & FAQ'

Battery State of Charge Percentages 6-48 Volts
StateOfChargePercentages.jpg

Battery State of Charge Percentages 6-48 Volts

Battery State of Charge Percentages 6-120 Volts
state-of-charge-chart-6-120.jpg

Battery State of Charge Percentages 6-120 Volts
 
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