Electric golf carts, while being better for the environment and more durable, have a few faults. The main issue with electric golf carts is that they tend to die with little warning while you’re driving them. Having an electric golf cart die on you is especially possible if you have a faulty charger or old batteries you’re unaware of.
If your electric golf cart dies while driving, the first thing you should do is get your golf cart to a safe location. Next, you should hook the golf cart charger up to your cart and rejuvenate the batteries. If that isn’t possible because you have bad batteries or no access to a charger, you must find a way to get your golf cart towed to a repair shop.
While having an electric golf cart die while driving is fairly common, it’s still very inconvenient. It can also be dangerous if you’re operating your cart in a busy area with heavy traffic. Anytime you have an inoperable cart, the safety of you and your passengers should always come first. Once safety is assured, you can start troubleshooting possible issues and repairs.
What Would Cause an Electric Golf Cart to Lose Power?
Dead or Bad Batteries
The most common reason that electric golf carts die or lose power while you’re driving is because of battery issues. You may have forgotten to charge the golf cart before you took it out, likely resulting in dead batteries. It’s also possible that you didn’t hook up your charger properly or that your charger isn’t working.
Another possibility is that you drained the battery by leaving the charger hooked up around the clock. If you have a trickle charger that turns off automatically when your batteries are full, that’s not a problem. However, if you have a standard battery charger that you leave hooked up to your batteries all the time, the constant charge will damage your batteries, causing them to die.
The problem with batteries is that they don’t usually show damage on the outside. It can be difficult to know when something is wrong with them. It’s also possible that the water level is low, which will kill battery cells if the problem is left unchecked. Whether it’s because of overcharge, low water levels, or age, your batteries will die more quickly and often while you’re driving.
Our batteries gave up and left us stranded at a park. I went home and got a generator and golf cart charger. I tried to charge the batteries, but there was no doing so. We ended up having to push our cart about a mile home.
Solenoid Coils
The solenoid in your electric golf cart acts as a conductor and director. It’s responsible for taking the electrical energy that your battery produces and converting it into mechanical energy. It then sends this mechanical energy to various parts of your golf cart, including the motor and ignition, and provides the power it needs to start and drive.
Therefore, when there’s a problem with the solenoid or its coils, your electric golf cart won’t start or receive the energy it needs to operate. It’s also possible for the solenoid to go bad in the middle of using the cart, leaving you stranded. Solenoids will often last for the lifetime of your golf cart, but they can also give out and usually without warning.
Other Issues
In addition to these common issues, there are a handful of less likely possibilities to consider.
- It’s possible that the motor controller output regulator has given out. When this happens, your golf cart won’t be able to send electrical signals from the gas pedal to the motor or batteries when you press down on it.
- It’s possible that the speed magnet is broken, which means that your speed sensor won’t work properly.
- The V-Glide Unit may be damaged, and your resistor golf cart cannot generate power.
What do You do If Your Golf Cart Dies?
I’ll say it again because of how important it is. If your golf cart dies while you’re driving it, the first thing you should do is ensure that you and your passengers are safe. Safety is especially important if you’re on the side of a hill or driving in a busy area. The last thing you want is your golf cart to get hit by another vehicle or roll down a hill with you inside of it.
Once you and your passengers are safe, attempt to get your golf cart to a safe location on level ground away from traffic. Next, you can start the troubleshooting process to determine why your golf cart died.
- If it’s because of a bad solenoid, you’ll have to replace it.
- If the cart dies because the batteries are dead, you’ll have to recharge them to continue.
- If the golf cart dies because your batteries have given out, you’ll have to replace the batteries to get it moving again.
- If your golf cart died because of another reason, you would likely require the assistance of a qualified mechanic. Golf cart mechanics will have the equipment, experience, and tools necessary to diagnose your issue and repair it in a timely manner.
Where is the Reset Button on an Electric Golf Cart?
One of the many advantages that electric golf carts have over gas ones is that they have a reset button. Pressing the reset button on your golf cart will restore the motor to the original factory version. Doing this can help repair electrical issues, error codes, and other minor problems that can cause your golf cart to shut off.
There’s a chance that if your batteries are in good shape and not the cause of your dead golf cart, pushing the reset button can get you moving again. The reset button is usually located near the motor of your golf cart, and here’s how to find it.
- Make sure your golf cart is turned off and in Park before beginning.
- Lift the motor cover on the back of your golf cart.
- You may need a screwdriver to raise the motor cover.
- The reset button is usually on the motor or near the largest battery on the motor.
- There’s a chance that it’s labeled as “reset.” If not, however, it’s usually a red color.
- Press the reset button for several seconds before releasing.
- You’ll likely have to recharge your batteries after performing a factory reset.
How do You Move an Electric Dead Golf Cart?
The best option for moving an electric golf cart that’s dead is to recharge the batteries. However, if you don’t have access to your charger or the batteries aren’t the issue, you’ll have to move it using other methods.
- Call a tow truck and have them give you a lift.
- Call a friend with a truck and trailer and have them help you push the golf cart onto their trailer. You can do this by putting the cart in neutral and mustering enough force to move the cart.
- If you’re close to help, you can put the cart in neutral and move it manually. (I have sadly had to do this with my cart. We sure received a lot of look and comments as we had to push the cart about a mile)
- Tow the golf cart with another golf cart
