Ac Voltage; Troubleshooting; Hydrometer - Cushman 29175-G01 Owner's Manual And Service Manual

ELECTRIC THREE WHEEL SERVICE VEHICLE
Read all of manual to become thoroughly familiar with this vehicle. Pay particular attention to all Notes, Cautions and Warnings
automatic battery chargers contain an electronic module
that may not activate and the battery charger will not
function. Automatic chargers will determine the correct
duration of charge to the battery set and will shut off
when the battery set is fully charged. Always refer to the
instructions of the specific charger used.
Before charging, the following should be observed:
Do not overfill batteries. The charging
cycle will expel electrolyte and result in
component damage.
•
The electrolyte level in all cells must be at the rec-
ommended level and cover the plates.
•
The charging must take place in an area that is
well ventilated and capable of removing the hydro-
gen gas that is generated by the charging pro-
cess. A minimum of five air exchanges per hour
is recommended.
•
The charging connector components are in good
condition and free from dirt or debris.
•
The charger connector is 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 electri-
cal arc is generated at the DC plug/receptacle
contacts.

AC Voltage

Battery charger output is directly related to the input volt-
age. If multiple vehicles are receiving an incomplete
charge in a normally adequate time period, low AC volt-
age 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 out-
side of the manufacturers specification should be identi-
fied in order to replace it under the terms of the
manufacturer's warranty. Different manufacturers have
different requirements. Consult the battery manufacturer
or a service representative for specific requirements.
The second reason is to determine why a particular vehi-
cle does not perform adequately. Performance problems
Page 22
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 max-
imum capacity. Maturing may take up to 100 charge/dis-
charge 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 bat-
tery is to use a hydrometer to identify a battery in a set
with a lower than normal specific gravity. Once the partic-
ular 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 (Ref Fig. 29 on page 23). This is
performed by measuring the density of the electrolyte,
which is accomplished by measuring the specific gravity
of the electrolyte. The greater the concentration of sulfu-
ric acid, the more dense the electrolyte becomes. The
higher the density, the higher the state of charge.
death, never insert a metal thermometer into a bat-
tery. Use a hydrometer with a built in thermometer
that is designed for testing batteries.
Specific gravity is the measurement of a liquid that is
compared to a baseline. The baseline is water which is
assigned a base number of 1.000. The concentration of
sulfuric acid to water in a new golf car battery is 1.280
which means that the electrolyte weighs 1.280 times the
weight of the same volume of water. A fully charged bat-
tery will test at 1.275 - 1.280 while a discharged battery
will read in the 1.140 range.
go through at least one charge and discharge cycle in order to
permit the water to adequately mix with the electrolyte.
The temperature of the electrolyte is important since the
hydrometer reading must be corrected to 80° F (27° C).
High quality hydrometers are equipped with an internal
Owner's Manual and Service Guide
! !
Do not perform a hydrometer test on a battery
that has just been watered. The battery must
To prevent battery explo-
sion that could result in
severe personal injury or