How To Test A Golf Cart Battery Charger: 5 Tips For Golf Cart Owners

In this article, I have provided a detailed guide on how to test a golf cart battery charger using different tips and techniques!

The golf cart battery charger is the most important part of a golf cart that saves fuel costs and allows you to save money. But, how often do you test your golf cart battery charger? We all know the answer to that.

Testing your golf cart battery charger sometimes is important to ensure that it’s passing the proper current and powering up the battery your expensive cart requires for a smooth riding experience. 

If you’re a busy person who can’t check your cart charger regularly, testing your cart charger after 2-3 months is a wise move to save yourself the consequences. With that said, I’ve provided a detailed guide on how to test a golf cart battery charger while using safety measures and basic tools.

Why Golf Cart Battery Chargers Are Essential?

Electric golf carts come with a hefty price nowadays, and proper maintenance is required to ensure everything works fine. As a golf cart owner, I would never want something to happen to my golf cart. Chargers are the most important element of electric vehicles whether it’s a golf cart or any other vehicle.

After some time of owning a golf cart, it’s quite natural to experience issues with your golf cart battery or disturbance while driving. With that said, it only leads us to two things, either:

• The batteries are going down or reached their limit
• There’s something wrong with the charger

In both cases, it’s wise to check and make sure you fix the issue. You can read more about how to test golf cart batteries. For the charger, continue reading this article!

Signs Your Golf Cart Battery Charger Isn’t Working Properly

It’s common to get confused between a golf cart battery charger and your golf cart while inspecting the problem. The reason is both are connected and if the current supply is not stable from the circuit, it’s gonna be challenging to address the problem. 

However, if your golf cart battery charger is not working properly, there are six signs that you should keep in mind while analyzing:

• After turning on the charger, it’s not showing any output (e.g charging light, beep sound, etc)
• Cart batteries aren’t showing any response when connecting the charger
• Batteries are declining to charge fully
• You notice a burning smell when connecting the charger to the golf cart
• The charger is taking too long to charge but still fails to power up the batteries properly
• Charger is overheated and collapsed due to some reason

The above 5 signs are the key reasons you should replace your golf cart charger immediately to avoid any inconvenience. In case you don’t consider changing your charger, you may fry up the electrical parts of the golf cart which would be an expensive fix, and still need to replace the charger though. 

How To Test Golf Cart Battery Charger: Practical Ways To Inspect

Testing your golf cart battery charger is crucial for batteries and a smooth riding experience. Below, I have provided practical ways of testing your golf cart charger using simple tips and techniques.

1 – Testing Your Battery Voltage

You might be wondering what does checking battery voltage have to do anything with your golf cart charger? Well, the reason your golf cart charger is not working is that your batteries are dead and they are unable to maintain the ideal voltage for working properly. Check out the below points to know how you can test your voltage:

• Remove the charger from your golf cart and turn it off. After that make sure that you have removed the batteries.
• Test your golf cart battery with a multimeter or any other method you like and see if it’s showing you a voltage between 25-30 volts. If yes, then there’s nothing wrong with the battery.

Once you find out that your battery is working properly, you can move on to the next method that I have mentioned below.  Also,  remove the battery terminals and clean the battery using baking soda paste to remove dirt, or debris with the help of a bristled brush.

2 – Inspect The Charger & Identify The Issue

Inspect your golf cart charger thoroughly and see if there are any external damages such as teared-up wires or any other kind of damage. If not, disconnect the charger’s power cord from the outlet. This will allow you to see damages in the area that you can’t inspect while it is plugged in. 

After examining, also look inside the charger handle and see if the clips are not melted or bent. If they are use a needle-nose plier or a nail-cutter to pull them in their position.  

3 – Test The Charger’s Parts 

For this part, I would suggest you consult with a professional technician unless you’re one by yourself. Checking the internal parts of the charger is also important for troubleshooting before you plan to replace it with a new one. 

For inspecting the internal parts of the golf cart battery charger, follow the below steps that I have mentioned below:

• Unplug the charger from the power supply
• Untight and remove all the screws that holds the charger’s cover
• Once you have opened the charger, inspect the diodes before considering other electrical elements. There’s a possibility that it’s not working properly and that’s why you’re unable to charge.
• Remove the Diodes after loosing the connector. The diode will look like a U-shaped transformer wire.
• Use a multimeter to check the diode transformer wire of your cart charger. Check it multiple times using a multimeter, and write down the recordings. Ensure that you repeat this proess for both diodes
• If you get the positive readings for both the diodes, congratulations there’s nothing wrong with them. But, if they are bad, you can buy a new one and replace them. 

You May Also Like Reading: How Fast Do Golf Carts Go?

4 – Test The Golf Cart Battery Charger Fuse

Have a look at the fuse of your charger. You can use the multimeter for this purpose. Connect the black lead of the multimeter with the screw located next to the fuse. After that, connect the red led on the other side of the fuse and see if it gives you a beep.

If it does not, your fuse is not working and you may need to replace it. Although, replacing the fuse from your golf cart battery charger is simple, follow the simples steps I’ve mentioned below:

• Unscrew the wire connected to the fuse, and pull it out
• Purchase a new fuse as the placement with the same ampere and reinstall it. 
• After replacing, check the fuse again with the multimeter and see if it gives you the beep.

5 – Inspect The Circuit Board Of Your Golf Cart Charger

Checking your charger’s circuit board does not require any tools or equipment. It’s possible that there are any internal damages to your charger’s circuit board. You should examine it and search for visible damages. Make sure you have turned off the charger and it’s not connected with the power supply. 

Some common internal damages you may see are but not limited to cracks, corrosion, leakage, etc. However, if you found out the problem lies within the circuit board, replace it immediately. 

I would suggest to call a professional for replpacing the circuit board, as it’s a sensitive task that experts should do as they have experience in such type of jobs. 

Why Is It Important To Check Your Golf Cart Battery Charger?

On average, a golf cart charger can work for several years without causing any issues. However, a variety of issues and complications such as wiring issues, overheating problems, and other charger’s operating element contributes towards its lifespan. 

With that said, its important to check your golf cart battery charger for golf cart owners because that way, you’ll be able to ensure that everything is working fine. In addition, a fully functional battery charger can contribute to factors like:

1 – Extended Battery Life

Battery chargers that properly charge your golf cart ensures that it fully drains and power up the battery whether you use your vehicle daily or after a long period of time. But having any trouble with your charger will impact on your cart’s battery.

2 – You Can Identify Issues

As time passes, there’s a chance that your it may start causing issues. Like every other electronic device, it’s not an uncommon thing for us to replace them. But before replacing, you can save your cost by identifying the problem and fixing the issue using simple techniques and equipment. 

You May Also Like Reading: How To Transport A Golf Cart

How Long Do Golf Cart Batteries Last: Explained

For some people, golf carts are used as a daily-driven vehicle, which makes it even more important to ensure that your charger and batteries work perfectly. Although, the life of a golf cart battery depends on several factors such as manufacturer, how often do you charge them, which type of battery you had, etc.

But in general, a golf cart battery can last between 5 to 8 years. Although, your charging habits matters a lot at this point. For instance if you’re one of those guys who likes to keep the charger on for the whole night may impact the battery and charger performance.

If you want to know more about how long do golf cart batteries last, read this article!

Conclusion

So, how to test a golf cart battery charger? I hope, I’ve explained this pretty well. Testing your golf cart charger is a smart move and will save you a lot of money when it comes to replacement. 

With simple techniques and a bit knowledge about using equipment such as multimeter, you can check your charger by yourself without calling an expert.