My Golf Cart Charger Will Not Turn On

The most frequent question we get concerning problems with electric golf carts is a suspected Bad charger.  The scenario is usually the same – something along the lines of not using the golf cart for a long period of time and the golf cart batteries are dead and the charger refuses to charge the batteries - the overwhelming majority of the time it is the batteries.

If your batteries have been unused for awhile and are discharged, the charger will not detect them and will not be able to charge.  If you a voltage meter and each battery has the correct voltage, then you have a charger problem. 

If they are reading low voltage then your batteries are probably still good.

How do you fix it?

The easiest way to get your batteries back on their feet is to give your batteries a little kick from a standard automotive-type battery charger.  Depending on the voltage of your batteries and the type of automotive charger you have this can be easy or somewhat of a hassle. 

Before you get started, check your water levels but do not fill up the individual cells, just make sure the plates inside are covered and not much more.  If you overlook this you stand the chance of boiling out the electrolyte and seriously compounding the problem.

Assuming your charger is the typical 12-volt automotive type and you have a 48-volt system that utilizes four 12-volt batteries all you will need to do is disconnect the batteries from each other and charge each one individually for about 20-30 minutes or so.

If your golf cart uses 6-volt batteries you would just charge two batteries at a time rather than individually. 

When trying to revive 8-volt batteries things get a bit hairy as you’re pumping 12-volts into an 8-volt container which is something you shouldn’t do for more than 15-20 minutes max.  Be sure to keep a close eye on the batteries when do this and never leave them unattended. Once your batteries have absorbed a small charge your automatic charger should be able to take over, which is ideal.

King of Carts - Golf Cart Superstore (843) 650-2497