Maximize Battery Life: Tips for Electric Golf Cars

Essential tips for properly maintaining, caring for, and extending the lifespan of your electric golf car battery.

Before reading this article, please see the following notes:

• These steps are for lead acid (also called a flooded battery) 

• Always wear proper face and eye protection when working around batteries.

• This information serves as a reference guideline; it's recommended to follow all manufacturer instructions.

• Reader accepts all responsibility on serving their own golf car. Reader needs to know what they are doing and are fully capable of replacing their batteries.

Replacing golf car batteries is a big investment and costly in this day and age. Properly caring for them so you can get the most out of them can be a benefit in the long run. I’ve seen new batteries that last 12 years and I’ve seen some that only  last one year.  The following steps will help get the best from your batteries. Never let the water level run low, always keep the plates inside the battery under water. Never overfill the batteries, keeping them at the proper level is important. Do short charges to prevent overheating. Keep good clean and secured connections for proper voltage transfer. Never let the batteries go dead and never let the batteries freeze. TID BIT: A fully charged battery of any type will not freeze. 

Battery Water Level

Battery water: Distilled water is preferred but not necessary. Tap water can be used. Ideally let the tap water sit for 24 to 48 hours, placing the water in the sun will help remove the chlorine from the water.   

Always check the water levels in your batteries AFTER the batteries are fully charged. This will help to not overfill the batteries. The water levels should never be filled to the top of the battery or even to the top of the inner notch of the battery. Water levels should be about an 1/8 of an inch below the lower inner lip of the battery or about an 1/8 of an inch above the plates inside the battery. Remember heat from charging the battery can cause the water to expand. If your batteries are over filled it will cause acid to leak out of the vents causing acid to corrode the cables and hardware around the batteries.

Charging Your Golf Car

Make sure the charger plug is fully plugged into the receptacle. Loose connection can cause improper charging and melting of the charger pins. Also make sure that all cables have a good clean and tight connection. Improper connection can cause the cable end to melt.  Leaking battery acid from having overfilled water levels can cause the battery cable ends to corrode causing them to become disconnected from the battery post.

If your golf car has a tow run switch under the seat, place the switch in tow when charging. This will help eliminate any damage to the car’s controller that could be caused by a power surge or lightning strike.

For golf car batteries, it is best to charge the batteries whenever the car is not being used.

So, if you use your car for 5 or 10 minutes and not use it the rest of the day, plug it in and charge it.

Short charging times are better than long charge times.

Short charges do not create a lot of heat. Heat causes more chance of water evaporation and warped plates inside the batteries. Long charge times will also shorten the life of your battery.

Dead Batteries and Your Charger Will Not Turn On

When battery voltage drops below a threshold your charger will not turn on, that goes for 36v and 48v. systems. It is designed like that so a 48-volt charger does not get plugged into a 24/36-volt system and so on. There are ways to get your battery voltage back up enough to get your charger to turn on. Here is a brief discretion of what they are: Having another electric golf car of the same voltage is the easiest. It takes a pair of jumper cables and your charger. The second way is charging each battery one at a time with an automotive charger, proper charger setting needed to charge each battery. This takes patience, time and a little understanding on how this works. 

To Jump Dead Batteries From One Golf Car to Another

If you do not fully understand the following steps or are unclear and not sure of yourself doing this process then DO NOT follow these steps and CALL someone that is fully qualified.

The golf car that is dead and is a 48-volt system you will need another golf car that is a 48-volt system. This is the same for a 36-volt system, you will need another golf car that is a 36-volt system.

A golf car has what is called a dead end run or main battery, meaning that the last two batteries are NOT connected to another battery. These two batteries have their cable connection going to the golf car. This is like that on all golf cars. Once you know what two batteries are the dead end run or main battery, this is where you will hook up jumper cables. Once you start connecting the jumper cables NEVER let the red and black cable end touch the other cable end. Never let the red cable touch another battery post or let the black cable touch another post. First connect the red jumper cable to the main + positive post of the golf car that will be jumping to the dead golf car. Take that same red cable to the other end and connect it to the dead battery main + positive post. Next take the black jumper cable and connect it to the main – negative post of the car doing the jumping to the dead golf car. Take that same black cable end and connect it to the main dead battery – negative post. Once you have made the proper connections and the jumper cables have a good clean grip on the battery post you now connect the dead golf car’s charger to the car’s receptacle. Leave the jumper cables connected to each car for about an hour or longer. That should be long enough to have enough voltage to remove the jumper cables. Leave the charger connected when removing the jumper cables. Once the batteries are fully charged and the charger has turned off check the water levels. Next you will need to unplug the charger for about 5 minutes and re-plug the charger in for a second charge. YES, you are doing a back-to-back charge. After the second charge, take the golf car for about a 5-to-10-minute drive to remove the surface charge of the batteries. Now do a 3rd charge to the battery this will properly bring the battery to its best working condition.

If the batteries are old or have not been well maintained, the batteries may not fully come back and will need to be replaced.

To Charge Each Battery One at a Time

You will need an automotive 6-volt/12-volt car charger.   

This first step is for 6-volt batteries

36-volt system with 6, 6-volt batteries

In this step you can charge 2 batteries at a time. Again, there are 2 batteries that are your main end-run batteries that go to the car. 

Start with the main battery that has the positive + red cable going to the car and not to another battery.

Connect the red charger jump cable to that terminal. On the adjoining (that is the same battery that is connected to that main positive + battery) but on the negative side going to the positive side of that next battery. Connect the black jumper cable to the second battery's negative cable. This is 12 volts. Set your charger to 12-volts and let that charge for about 1 ½ hours on 10-amps.

You will repeat these steps for the remaining batteries, charging 2 batteries at a time. Keeping the 2 batteries that are paired together when you charge them.

See diagram:

The second step is for 48-volt with 4, 12-volt batteries. 

48- volt system with 4, 12-volt batteries

See diagram:

We're Here to Help!

At Mainstreet Golf Cars, we’re here for the handy and the hopeful - if you’ve got a cigar box of tool, some ambition, and a little bit of handiness, we’ve got your back.

We know that there are people who like to work on their own stuff and can run into a dead end when it comes to repairing it. We fully understand that and are willing to help walk you through getting your golf car back up and running. 

We hope this free information will give you a better understanding of what your golf car is all about. Caring and sharing is old school, and that makes the world a better place!

---

If you have any questions, concerns, or need to talk through your electric golf car give us a call. We would be more than happy to help with your needs!

Phone: 630.216.9272

Email: Info@MainstreetGolfCars.com

CONTACT US