Lets start off with the Why… Your Electric Golf Carts system is designed to store energy in the battery bank and distribute that energy to your golf carts electric motor to create motive power to carry you down the road, trail or across the green. The only way you can get that power to the golf cart motor is via the conductors or cables connecting all your golf cart batteries.
Watch out for cracked or exposed wires
If you notice your original golf cart cables are cracked or showing exposed wire during your usual inspections they should be replaced immediately. If your connectors are showing signs of corrosion they should be cleaned and protected immediately with a product like BatteryPete’s Corrosion Block or Preventative.
Resistance means heat
This is because where ever there is resistance it will generate heat but also severely limit the performance of your golf carts electric system. Picture a beautiful natural fresh water mountain stream. Come Spring time it is flowing well as the snow in the mountains above starts to melt. This would be your battery cable system in good form. Then Mr. Beaver decides to build a nice little damn and block the flow of your stream, this is what you get with the electricity trying to pass thru a electrical system with corrosion on connections, frayed wires, or loose connections. Even more so apparent on high performance systems when you would upgrade the motor/controller in your golf cart to provide more speed or torque. In this case just bigger diameter wires are needed to handle the additional flow of voltage and amperage.
Get snappy
So when the time comes to replace those battery cables you will want to do one specific thing before you dig into your afternoon project. Get your smart phone out and snap a few pictures. This way you have a frame of reference and can go back to if need be to make sure you wire up the battery bank correctly.
Cleaning up your battery
Usually after removal of all cables and / or before we will clean the area and battery terminals. Depending on how bad they are will determine the course of action. Usually we will hit them with a small wire brush and then spray off with a hose or pressure washer. Water dilutes battery acid and a good time to clean out the battery hold on your golf cart to curb corrosion damage. Also nicer to work in a clean area…
After that we will spray a corrosion preventative on all the battery terminals, let sit for a few minutes and proceed to attach new battery cables to all the batteries in question. Being sure to attach with a SS nut and SS Lock Washer on every connection to make sure they do not corrode or come loose over time.
Remember – resistance generates heat! A loose wire under a load (such as you holding the gas pedal to the floor for a few minutes) will cause a battery connector to melt straight through to the plastic battery case, which will require a battery replacement or repair. Both can be expensive! Preventive maintenance is always the best approach to vehicle ownership.
Ratchet it up
Once you have connected all the batteries again with the new battery cables, you should go back through each connection and double check it is snug (a good quarter turn with a ratchet on each will ensure success). Then last but not least another round of spraying some Anti-Corrosive on the battery terminals to prevent corrosion build up.
Replacements available
Pete’s Golf Carts offers replacement golf cart cables for any make and model golf cart as well as Corrosion Preventative to get the job done right. Whether it is a individual jumper wire lead or a complete set of golf cart battery cables. Available in 2 AWG, 4 AWG and 6 AWG.
Get help from Pete’s Team
All of BatteryPete’s Cables and Connectors are manufactured and assembled right here in the good ole’ US of A! If you need a specific cable length or terminal end you can always give Pete’s team a call with your specifications. They even make custom length cable just for your cart or project.
Shop online
All Golf Cart Battery related items are also available here on Pete’s Golf Carts Store as well. Pick up you new set of Golf Cart Battery Cables Today!
