E-Z-GO TERRAIN 1000 - Manual (Page 57)

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MAINTENANCE
Read all of SAFETY and this section before attempting any procedure. Pay particular attention to Notices, Cautions, Warnings and Dangers.
Owner’s Guide
• The charger connector must be fully inserted into the vehicle receptacle.
• The charger connector/cord set is protected from damage and is located in an area to prevent injury that may
result from personnel running over or tripping over the cord set.
• The charger is automatically turned off during the connect/disconnect cycle and therefore no electrical arc is
generated at the DC plug/receptacle contacts.
In some portable chargers, there will be a rattle present in the body of the charger DC plug. This rattle is caused by an
internal magnet contained within the charger plug. The magnet is part of the interlock system that prevents the vehicle
from being driven when the charger plug is inserted in the vehicle charging receptacle.
AC Voltage
Battery charger output is directly related to the input voltage. If multiple vehicles are receiving an incomplete charge in a
normally adequate time period, low AC voltage could be the cause and the power company should be consulted.
Troubleshooting
In general, troubleshooting will be done for two distinct reasons. First, a battery that performs poorly and is outside of the
manufacturers specification should be identified in order to replace it under the terms of the manufacturer’s warranty. Dif-
ferent manufacturers have different requirements. Consult the battery manufacturer or the manufacturer’s representative
for specific requirements.
The second reason is to determine why a particular vehicle does not perform adequately. Performance problems may
result in a vehicle that runs slowly or in a vehicle that is unable to operate for the time required.
A new battery must mature
before it will develop its maximum capacity. Maturing may take up to 100 charge/discharge
cycles. After the maturing phase, the older a battery gets, the lower the capacity. The only way to determine the capacity
of a battery is to perform a load test using a discharge machine following manufacturer’s recommendations.
A cost effective way to identify a poorly performing battery is to use a hydrometer to identify a battery in a set with a lower
than normal specific gravity. Once the particular cell or cells that are the problem are identified, the suspect battery can
be removed and replaced. At this point there is nothing that can be done to salvage the battery; however, the individual
battery should be replaced with a good battery of the same brand, type and approximate age.
Hydrometer
A hydrometer (P/N 50900-G1) is used to test the state of
charge of a battery cell. This is performed by measuring the
density of the electrolyte, which is accomplished by measur-
ing the specific gravity of the electrolyte. The greater the con-
centration of sulfuric acid, the more dense the electrolyte
becomes. The higher the density, the higher the state of
charge.
To prevent battery explosion that could result in
severe personal injury or death, never insert a
metal thermometer into a battery. Use a hydrome-
ter with a built in thermometer that is designed for
testing batteries.
Specific gravity is the measurement of a liquid that is com-
pared to a baseline. The baseline is water which is assigned a
base number of 1.000. The concentration of sulfuric acid to
Float Bulb Cylinder
Thermometer
Add to Float
Reading
Subtract
from Float
Reading
Weight
Hydrometer