How to get your golf cart battery charger to charge dead batteries
This is a scenario that happens a lot more than you might think. In the world of golf carts and our daily lives golf carts get left behind or neglected on a regular basis. When this happens the lead acid batteries in your vehicle drain down over months of neglect to the point the golf cart will not move or operate any longer because the voltage is so low in the system. So being we get calls all the time like ” How do I get my golf cart battery charger to charge my golf cart? The golf cart is completely dead…
The Issue – Old Style Golf Cart Battery Chargers Vs New Style Chargers
In the world of Golf Cart Battery Chargers only recently have the manufacturers come up with a solution to this issue. Old style chargers will only charge once then shut off. So if you leave for months unattended and do not unplug and then plug in again the charger will not charge the batteries again and over time these type of batteries drain down just naturally. ( At a rate of approx. 10% a month) Even faster if the golf cart batteries have a parasitic load on them from say a new golf cart light kit not installed correctly or a sound system like a golf cart Bluetooth sound bar. Though due to recent advances in charging technology you can now purchase a Smart charger for your golf cart that will basically baby sit your batteries while you are away on vacation for the summer or whenever. Just keep a new style golf cart battery charger like the new Lester Summit II Chargers plugged into your golf cart and it will do it’s thing. It will automatically kick on every 10 days to top off your golf cart batteries or if the voltage ever drops below a set number. ( Technically – I think that number is like 2.08 volts per cell. ) If you want to avoid this whole process I am about to explain in the future. Learn More About These Awesome Golf Cart Battery Chargers here
How To Make Electric Golf Cart Ownership Easy
Learn even more here with this great article on how to make life easier for the average electric golf cart owner. These are just a few basic tips and tricks I thought would be helpful for the new golf cart owner to consider and keep in mind.
Why Is Your Golf Cart Battery Charger Not Working
Ok… So the first guess or main reason why your golf cart battery charger is not working right now is because the batteries in your golf cart are completely dead. ( Not always but usually 90% of the time) This is because the federal government years ago made it mandatory that all manufacturers of these types of charging systems but a few safe guards into the device to avoid injury to you or another, electrocution or fire hazard.
Example – Your grandson ( AKA Dennis ) Finds grandpa’s battery charger in the garage and your grand daughter is bothering him somehow so he decides to start chasing her around the garage and shocking her by touching the connector on the end of the cord ( designed to be plugged into the golf cart ) to her skin causing harm.
Charger Manufacturers Mandate – All charging devices with an external connection will only be activated when connection is confirmed and a load or voltage is present to avoid possible electrocution or injury. ALL GOLF CART BATTERY CHARGERS MUST SENSE VOLTAGE BEFORE THEY WILL APPLY AMPERAGE!
So basically if the batteries in your golf cart are dead then the charger does not know it is plugged into a golf cart because it does not sense any voltage.
How To Get Some Electricity Back Into Dead Golf Cart Batteries
There are a few options in this process. The basic objective is to just get some energy back into the batteries so the golf cart battery charger can sense the voltage present at the charger receptacle and turn itself on again to charge the golf cart and the batteries completely. I recommend getting the batteries charged back up to their advertised voltage prior to plugging in the golf cart battery charger again. Depending on the size of the battery bank and the batteries. 6 volt, 8 volt or 12 volt batteries will determine how best to get that required energy back into them. Please note this process is a bit of a pain in the you know what but a valuable lesson to take better care of your electric golf cart. As letting the batteries go completely dead is very bad for the batteries and will definitely cut the life expectancy short.
In the golf cart business we use a golf cart battery recovery unit like BatteryPete’s Super Charger to jump start the golf cart in seconds or minutes to get the customers golf cart battery charger to kick on… It is kinda like a AED you would find in the airport or hospital to shock someone back to life after having a heart attack. At the push of a button you can apply a massive amount of voltage to a golf carts battery bank. Hence tricking the charger to turning on. Otherwise you can use a regular 12 volt or 24 volt battery charger for a car, boat or Rv to get some energy back into those dead batteries. More realistic as well because you or neighbor probably have one handy. The Heavy Duty Recovery Unit like the Super Charger run several hundred dollars but for the Golf Cart Guy it is a bargain because time is money and on average a service call will cost you $65-75 bucks… This device will allow him to put that money in his pocket in minutes and move on to the next service call or issue.
Most older style golf cart battery chargers require approx 75% of the chargers operating voltage present to activate. Others require a little less. So for example a 36 volt battery charger would require approx. 25-30 volts to activate, whereas a 48 volt charger would require 30-35 or even 40 volts present to activate. I recommend getting a digital volt meter out to start testing and checking voltage across the battery bank and the system in general. If you do not have one they can be purchased at any parts store, Home Depot or Harbor Freight for a few bucks… A volt meter is a valuable tool for anyone who owns a electric vehicle to check and test basic systems or doing basic diagnostics like this.
How To Check The Voltage In Your Golf Cart Batteries
These Images will show you the positive and negative most terminals in basic golf cart battery bank configurations. Almost all golf cart battery banks are comprised of multiple batteries ran in a series circuit. Meaning they are attached like Christmas lights one to another. So being if the golf cart battery cable lug connector or connection between two batteries is bad the cart will usually not work, drive or charge. So check all the connections and cables for signs of corrosion or wear or completely broken off battery. Again if the golf cart battery cables are broken or corroded they need to be replaced and reconnected accordingly. Also it is recommended to use some type of corrosion preventative on all terminal connections to avoid the elements eating away at your connector, cables or terminals. Try something like BatteryPete’s Corrosion Preventive!
Charging Select Golf Cart Battery Configurations
Depending on the Year, Make and Model or the golf cart you own will determine the best or fastest way to revive your golf cart batteries when completely dead. See some basic examples below that will cover most major makes and models..
36 Volt Golf Carts –
Systems comprised of 6x 6 volt batteries… Usually found in older golf carts ( Pre-1990’s) across the board Club Car, Ezgo and Yamaha Brands but also Columbia, Harley Davidson ( Yep – Harley used to make a golf cart as they also made boats under AMF) other carts include Fairplay, Par Car or Western. For this system you will need either a 6 volt battery charger to charge individually by placing the charger connections on the positive and negative terminals of each individual battery. Or you can use a 12 volt battery charger and place the charger connections on the positive terminal of the first battery and then the negative connection on that of the second battery. This will cut charge time down as you have less connections to make and depending on the charger output could decrease charge times. See Illustrations and images above.
48 Volt Golf Carts –
Systems comprised of 8x 6 volt batteries… 6x 8 volt batteries or 4x 12 volt batteries. Usually found in newer golf carts (Late 90’s and newer) across the board Club Car, Ezgo and Yamaha makes and models. For these systems you can just use a 12 volt battery charger to charge either individually by placing the charger connections on the positive and negative terminals of each individual battery. ( 12 volt battery applications and 8 volt battery applications) “(See Special Note Below for 8 Volt Batteries) “Or if you have a 6 volt battery bank as shown above connect in pairs positive on the first battery and then negative on the second battery. This scenario can also be applied if you happen to have a heavy duty battery charger found or used on car lots or old school with a 12v/24v adjustable output feature. Then you can charge up bank even faster ( limited by charger output) place the charger connections on the positive terminal of the first battery and then the negative connection on that of the second or third battery that make up 24 volts. This will cut charge time down as you have less connections to make and depending on the charger output could decrease charge times. See Illustrations and images above.
48 Volt Golf Carts Continued –
Systems comprised of 4x 12 volt batteries. Usually found in newer golf carts (early 2000’s to about 2008) across the board Club Car (Precedent Models 2004-2008.5), Ezgo Rxv Models and Yamaha Drive G29 models as well as several other cart models and brands. For these systems you can just use a 12 volt battery charger to charge each battery individually by placing the charger connections on the positive and negative terminals of each individual battery. You can also speed up the process if you happen to have a heavy duty battery charger found or used on car lots or old sckool ones with a 12v/24v adjustable output feature. Then you can charge up the bank even faster ( limited by charger output) place the charger connections on the positive terminal of the first battery and then the negative connection on that of the second battery that make up 24 volts. This will cut charge time down as you have less connections to make and depending on the charger output could decrease charge times. See Illustrations and images above.
72 Volt Golf Carts –
Systems comprised of 9x 8 volt batteries or 6x 12 volt batteries. Usually found in newer golf carts like the Bad Boy Buggy, Gem Car, Kandi Coco and Textron or Polaris Off Road Vehicles. For these systems you can just use a 12 volt battery charger to charge each battery individually by placing the charger connections on the positive and negative terminals of each individual battery. You can again speed up the process if you happen to have that heavy duty battery charger with a 12v/24v adjustable output feature. ( Usually common on car lots and dealerships back in the day) Then you can charge up the bank even faster ( limited by charger output) place the charger connections on the positive terminal of the first battery and then the negative connection on that of the second battery that make up 24 volts. This will cut charge time down as you have less connections to make and depending on the charger output could decrease charge times. See Illustrations and images above.
Special Note – When Using a 12 Volt Battery charger To Charge 8 Volt Batteries
We usually do not suggest doing this especially on a regular basis but most people do not have a 8 volt battery charger or a 24 volt battery charger. So being in a pinch a 12 volt battery charger will work to get some energy back into your dead golf cart . The sole purpose here is to just get some energy back into the batteries so the golf cart battery charger itself can do the brunt of the charging and charge the batteries properly. This process will work and give the batteries a surface charge long enough to go thru the bank across an afternoon , going one by one positive and negative to each battery individually until the batteries have a little charge to them. ( If the batteries are so dead or have been for a long time they might not take a charge if this is the case you will unfortunately need to replace the batteries with new ones… This round keep them charged and they will last longer. )
I suggest checking the voltage of each battery prior to attaching the 12 volt charger to confirm a starting voltage. Then place on charger for approx 15-20 minutes. remove or unplug the charger for a minute – then check the voltage again. If the battery voltage is going up slowly great you are making progress – if not check connections, check to see if batteries have any water in them, and check the charger AC power input to make sure it is powered up. Also I would give them the hand test – Place your hand on the side of the battery if it did take a charge and see how hot it is…. You are applying more voltage to it to replace some energy then what it is designed to take so being cautious is just smart. Continue this process until you have reached the advertised 8 volts in the battery and move onto the next battery. Or anything close… If you can get enough voltage and energy back into the batteries to make the golf cart move, beep or lights to work usually means there is enough voltage present at this point for the original golf cart battery charger to be plugged in and it will turn on to charge the batteries completely.
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After going through this process and your charger still not working. Please Feel free to contact us or drop us a line. Pete’s team is always standing by to help you. (772) 247 – GOLF (4653)
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Tim K 
Tim K 
Steve 
Mike 
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Miles 
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32 thoughts on “How To Revive Your Golf Cart if Your Batteries Are Completely Dead?”
Very helpful. I’ve had Club Car in the past with different remedies.
i just hook up a bypass charger to main negative to main positive then plug in there charger this works for me
Jeff – Absolutely… Though most people only own one golf cart and surely do not have multiple battery chargers around to revive dead batteries like yourself being in the golf cart business. Actually we make a very great little device designed specifically for guys like yourself in the business. Faster service call and no need to take cart to your shop or have brought in. The BatteryPete Super Charger is like a AED for a multi battery bank in seconds it will jump systems up to 72 volts and allow the customers charger to kick on.
Power On…
Pete
This was a very helpful description of the solution to my dead 48v EZGO cart batteries.
I’m not sure if I missed it in the diagrams or it wasn’t included in the text, but the missing step for me was to disconnect each battery from the series circuit and charge them individually for 20 – 30 minutes with a 6/12v trickle charger. After I did that (and had 42v across the entire circuit) my charger began flashing its green LED and full charging began again.
This system is configured with 6 8v batteries.
Tim – Glad to hear it! Though FYI – You do not need to disconnect the battery cables… simply attach the positive and negative leads from the battery charger to each battery. and they will charge. Electricity will always travel the path of least resistance so being it will just flow through the battery you attach the leads to ….
Power On…
Pete
Thanks for the reply, Pete.
I disconnected the batteries because my DVOM wasn’t showing more than 2 volts across the battery when I disconnected the charger and measured the voltage across the terminals. It seemed as though the series circuit was passing the current to all/some of the batteries and the voltage didn’t build up.
The good news is that, after a couple of charger aborts with 2 blinking red lights, and successful reconnections, I had 1265 on my hydrometer in all cells after about 24 hours of total charge.
Thanks Again!
Great – Good to hear it! Glad to be of assistance….
Power On…
Pete
I have a EZgo 48v, (4×12) I use it frequently on the golf course. Plug in after every use. One day charger was clicking on/off flashing red. I used 12v 10a charger bumped all the batteries. Getting 52v across and 13 on ea one. The EZgo delta charger still not working. Purchased new accusence, still nothing. Any suggestions
Steve – Understand your frustration…. Usually when the charger goes on the fritz on an Ezgo it is the little temp sensor in the charge circuit. Unfortunately they do not offer a repair kit for them need to replace the whole receptacle…. See link below to the battery charger receptacle – cart side
Pete
I have an EZGO 36v golf cart. After winter storage, the batteries will not charge with our charger. We tried to charge the batteries in a 12v configuration and only 2 of the 6 batteries fully charged. The other 4 are reading zero volts. Is it worth trying to charge the 4 dead ones with a higher amp battery charge to see if I can bring them to life? Someone suggested they need a “jolt” to get them started. He suggested a high amp charge for 1 hour and then trickle charge over night. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Mike – Sure thing…. It is worth a shot to hit the batteries with some amps to try and take a charge…. but still doubt they will perform as needed if they did recover…. batteries should always be stored fully charged and maintained at the advertised voltage level… If not sulfation takes place ( Kinda like rust on a old car ) , once this process starts it is all down hill from there for the life and health of the battery. If they where dead for any length of time…. i would just replace them with new ones… Good ones ( Made in USA ) Brands Like Trojan, Deka, Crown or US Battery… then I would also recommend buying a smart charger like the all new Lester Summit II Golf Cart Battery Charger… This charger will take care of the batteries when in storage and will turn itself on and off to keep the batteries exercised and fully charged….
Lets face it without good batteries and a charging system an electric vehicle is useless….
Power On…
Pete
I have a Ford Think with 6-12 volt GEL batteries. The RoHS on-board Charger indicates 2 red lights (i.e. low voltage) and has not improved/changed being plugged into the wall.
Am I on the correct path if I buy a 250 amp Schumacher charger and then try and charge the batteries one at a time?
What are my odds of this being successful?
Jeff – Thanks for your inquiry. I would start by using or buying a digital volt meter and check the voltage across the system and each battery individually if need be. Once you have done this it will be obvious what needs to be replaced or charged.
Pete’s team
i have a club car with 4 12v batteries. When connecting the 12v car charger to them individually, only two read and begin to charge, the other two just have the charge flash the message, “connect cables”. thoughts?
Miles… Thanks for your inquiry. Those two batteries that will not kick the charger on are most likely completely dead. So the charger does not know it is attached to a battery because it is not sensing voltage. All new style chargers made in the last 20 years or so need to sense voltage before they turn on and apply amperage.
Pete’s team
I have a 99 Gem that was upgraded to gel batteries and a delta q charger. However, it is a single charge unit. I am a snowbird. Is there a charger available that will float so I can leave them unattended for several months?
Gary thanks for your inquiry…. I would say the Lester Electrical new line of Summit II chargers hands down …. but they do not have a 72 volt flavor currently. So next up would be the DPI Accu-sense charger which keeps track of time and will turn itself on automatically every so often… ( Think it is every 28 days ) then go back to sleep after the charge cycle is complete…. check out the link below…. you might have to rig up a quick disconnect set up going from the batteries positive 72v/negative 72v posts to say a Anderson connector or something for ease of use as they are bigger than the onboard units…. and know space is an issue on a cart and a GEM is no exception. See link below DPI Golf Cart Battery Chargers
Pete
Hello,
I have 4 12v batts In my club car. I got 3 batteries revived using a standard 12v charger. However, one of the batts is reading 0 v on the charger. What can I do?
Most likely you will need to replace that battery. If complete zero internally it is a mess most likely…. Some times you can revive a stubborn battery with a quick punch of volts and amps… 12v/24v for a few seconds at a time… and increased amperage at 12v… But usually still stubborn… unless it was completely drained in a day or two and the time at absolute zero was minimal…
Pete’s team
How much of a charge does the batteries have to have before the charger will kick in?
Depends on charger… some require only 5 volts or so… and others will require close to 75% of advertised voltage or battery or system
Pete’s team…
How much of a charge does the golf cart batteries need to be for the golf cart charger will start to charge
Depends on charger… some require only 5 volts or so… and others will require close to 75% of advertised voltage or battery or system
Pete’s team…
I have an EZGo 48v cart. several batteries went dry. I have added water and then used a charger to bring them up to 5-8v each. I plugged in the charger and got a rapid green flashing light. I went back to check on it a few minutes later and now the light is out. I unplugged it and plugged it back in – no luck, does this mean the overall voltage is insufficient? any suggestions welcomed. thanks!
Sounds like the charger is faulting out….. if one of the Ezgo factory offered Delta Q QE units they are known for this…. try another charger if possible to get the batteries back to full charge then the other charger should work again… they do not like to bring back deeply discharged batteries…. or the batteries are shot – internal short and the charger is detecting the issue. batteries that have gone dry much less just low allow the lead plates to be contaminated by reaching the atmosphere around… sulfation starts to take place much more rapidly…. like a old car that lived in a coastal area along ocean… rust rust rust…
Pete’s team
Pete, I have a 48 volt Club Car golf cart with 6 8-volt batteries. The Trojan batteries are 2 years old with a notation of A8.
My voltage reading on the 6 batteries range from 8.49 to 8.90.
On battery 1 specific gravity average is 1230
On battery 2 specific gravity average is 1250
On battery 3 specific gravity average is 1260
On battery 4 specific gravity average is 1290
On battery 5 specific gravity average is 1270
On battery 6 specific gravity average is 1200
After a full charge, my golf cart only goes about 14 holes before the light starts flashing and as I’m driving the carts it “bumps” along.
I have continually kept the batteries charged all night. I use the golf cart an average of 3 to 4 times per week. What would be my best options? Thank you, Jon Farnsworth
Jon – I would recommend performing a load test on each battery after fully charged. See This Blog article – how to test your golf cart batteries. Then decide if the performance is still good enough for you to enjoy the cart or replace the batteries. As they are the heart of the system. Batteries service life cannot be determined in years old like a human or pet but much more scientific and specific. Technically a lead acid battery is good for between 200-250 cycles at 50% depth of discharge. So the more you use the batteries/vehicle the Charge-discharge the sooner they will need to be replaced.
What brand are they…. Again you get what you pay for …. alot of the black box batteries on the market are made over seas and quality is not so good. Stick with a quality battery like a Trojan, Deka or US battery … as we know they will have quality components and made here in the states.
Power On…
Pete
I have an ez go golf cart… my charger just all the sudden started throwing fault code….! Anyhow I replaced batteries and it is still doing same thing!!!! So does this mean it’s the charger itself or the receptacle on the cart itself? Or something else?
Larry – Thanks for the inquiry. Sorry to hear of the charger issues. If you are running a Delta Q QE model. The freebie Ezgo gives with a cart! I always recommend replacing with a quality charger like the Lester Summit Series II – hands down the best on the market for numerous reasons – Great Brand, Great Charger , Great Warranty. Lester Golf Cart Battery Chargers
Sounds like yours has either an internal fault or the thermistor in the charge circuit (cart side ) …. Easiest way to diagnose is get another charger like yours … maybe neighbor has one or friend. Plug their charger into your cart see if it does the same thing? and like wise plug your charger into their cart and see if does the same thing. Will isolate the issue. If it is the thermistor you will need to change out the whole charge receptacle cart side as Ezgo does not sell just the Thermistor – only wired up into the complete circuit. See link to Ezgo cart side charge receptacle here.
Power On…
Pete
Very good explainations and advises. Thank you so much. It helps me great deal. I save $195 in-home service charge.
I am so glad that we are able to help you!!
Power on Pete
Happy to have found this explanation. Just picked up a used cart at auction. Fingers crossed that the batteries are dead flat and will recover. Glad to at least know where to start. Thank You
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