The golf cart battery can be read by using the meter that gets placed at the front part of the cart. A golf cart battery meter gets used for seeing some important things about the cart. Such as battery percentage, low battery, or overcharge. The procedure of reading the golf cart battery will now be described briefly below:
How to Read a Golf Cart Battery?
As the batteries of a golf cart are changeable and rechargeable, they have to keep in maintenance. Sometimes, the battery dies earlier than its efficiency. That is because of no maintenance and charging properly. A battery meter helps to provide all the information about the battery to the user.
How the Golf Cart Battery Meter Gets Used?
Well, it is a very easy process of using a battery meter in the golf cart. For installing the battery meter, you need some tools. They are:
- Drilling machine with holesaw (if the meter is round)
- Screwdriver
- Razor knife
- A torch
- Wire cutter
- Crimper and
- Dremel for cutting the slot of the meter
Follow some safety issues too. Because of, some of the tools may become harmful to use
For attaching the meter, the tools are:
- 15-20 gauge of wire. Make sure that the wire is made with good quality
- Electrical tape
- Terminal connectors
- Screws and butt connectors
- Clips
Installing method:
First of all, choose the suitable meter for adding to your cart. There is mainly two type meter available for the golf cart. Round one and the square one.
- Determine the place where the meter will be added. Most of the meters are getting attached to the dashboard. Users can easily see the meter from the front side of the cart.
- Now bring three separate pieces of wire size of 7-12 inches.
- Prep the wires together by using the terminal and the butt connectors. Connect the end of the wire with clips. Seal up the ending of the wires with the connecting part of the meter by using a lighter or the heater. This will help the connectors to join perfectly with the meter
- Use electrical clips or tape for covering the wires at the connecting joint of both sides.
- A good thing to protect the wires with the meter is aluminum or plastic made cage. They are available in local markets according to the sizes and can be changed easily.
- Connect the wire and the terminal with the ignition board. This will let the meter active. Use additional wire or the jumpers that get connected with the battery line and the meter. It will help to activate the meter when the cart will be getting started.
Now the meter is ready to go. Check the meter if it has been activated perfectly. For this, start up your cart and see the meter. If the lights of the meter are glowing, then the meter has been installed perfectly.
So this was the easy and simple method to connect the battery meter. But make sure to use the safety equipment all the time. This is because sometimes the wires may create sparks or shorten the battery. That is why; try to use safety gloves with gloves all the time. If you want to know Best Golf Cart Battery.
How to Read a Golf Cart Battery
Digital Meter Sign
A golf battery meter contains three different colors and indicators. Some of the digital battery meters have the sign of E at the top left side of the meter and F at the top right side. E indicates that the battery is low and the F indicates the full charge. Below the meter, there is a total of 10 different light bars that help to indicate the battery rate. Bright green means that the battery is full. As the battery starts to drain, the lights will increase in glowing. When the battery will have a medium charge, it will show the light to either yellow or orange. After the battery becomes low, the light will be turned red. So this is the simple process to get indicated from the digital battery meter.
Analog Meter Sign
The analog golf battery meter is still available in some old modeled golf carts. As the battery meter has started the journey from the analog meter. Digital meter console has acquired the themes from it. Therefore, they may not indicate like the digital ones, but they are very much valuable. Analog type battery meters contain 3 different colors. Most of them are round in shape. There is a plastic build indicator inside of the meter. Best thing about the analog meter is, it describes all the battery related data.
At the right side of the meter, there is a CHG rate that shows the charging rate when the cart getting a charge. If it gets overcharged, there is a small red part that will show the rate of overcharging. At the left side of the charging line, there is the green color with F at the top which shows the operating rate of the battery. Whenever the indicator cluster head to the most left and stay at the red color with E, that means the battery is empty and need to charge.
So this is the technique to follow and get aware of the battery. Sometimes, a digital meter can provide all the battery related information like the analog one. That is why the analog battery meter is best for the golf cart.
Reset System of the Meter
Sometimes the battery meter needs to reset and reinstall. This is because the meter may have some loose connection. That is why it has to remove and add again.
- Uninstall the wires along with the meter
- Fully charge up the batteries
- Connect the meter again
Check all the wires whether they are perfectly working or not. If it is needed to change any of the wire, use the wire cutter and to cut the old one and add new wire by using a soldering iron and electric tapes. Don’t forget to use safety materials during the activity. If you want to know How to Maintain Golf Cart Batteries?
Maintenance of the Batteries and the Meter
Though the installation method is easy, it is essential to have good maintenance of the meter along with the battery gauge. As the performance and health of the battery are dependent on it, use it carefully. Here are some of the best formulas have been listed which will help to provide proper care of the meter and the batteries.
Charge the battery properly: The very first step after installing the battery meter is, charge up the battery perfectly. This is not limited to that time, whenever the golf cart gets used; charge it properly to the highest level. This will help the user to keep the battery safe and work for a long time
Don’t let it drain totally: Some such users charge the batteries after they get drained totally. This will lead to some problems. First of all, the battery will lose performance very early. Performance with proper charge and performance with low level is different. Besides, it creates pressure on the batteries if they get the drive in a lower battery. The best thing is to charge the batteries when it comes to a 25-30 rate of charge.
Never overcharge: It may create a problem when the battery gets overcharged. The user was not aware of the charging rate before using the meter. But the meter has allowed them to know about the overcharge issue of the battery. Don’t overcharge the battery as it has a caution in the meter too. As batteries are made from high rated acids in them, they can’t take the pressure if they get overcharged. As a result, they hit up very much and have a good chance of getting explode too. Besides, they drain the battery very much if they get overcharged all the time. They lose the performance too. Users may not like to change the total battery setup because of this little issue.
Remove the batteries if they are not used: Sometimes the batteries not get used for a long time. People think that it will not create any problems. But the truth is, this thing can even create a big issue. As the batteries contain acids in them, they are deprived of maintenance and checking for a long time. As a result, leakage or internal damage is a simple issue for the batteries. Therefore, remove the batteries from the carts when they are not get used. This action will keep the batteries and the cart safe from any kind of accident. Store the batteries in a safe place after removing them.
Fixing the Meter Problems
Golf battery meters may create problems sometimes. Showing the meter full all the time, flashing the lights without any issue or the indicator is not working. To avoid this kind of issue, follow some necessary steps.
- Remove the battery along with the meter from the cart
- Check the wires of the meter if there is any kind of shorting or damage. If there is, fix it by replacing it with a new wire
- As the batteries contain acid water, check the water level in them
- Bring a voltage meter and check the batteries. The voltage rate of each battery is 6V. If there is a battery with a lower or higher volt than 6, that means the battery is dammed. Change it and add a new one
- Charge up the batteries perfectly and then connect the meter again
- There is a major chance of getting fixed by using the solution. If it is not, then the meter has to change or get repair by the technicians.
So these are all the important terms of battery and the battery matter. Use the battery meter in the golf cart for avoiding any kind of issues and for ensuring the durability of the batteries too.