Article #1 November 7, 2008
WINTER STORAGE OF YOUR GOLF CAR FLEET
Preventive maintenance before winter storage is a very important step to ensure proper operation and
longevity of your investment in your golf car fleet. Let’s look at what should be on your checklist of items
to address before storing your golf cars for the winter.
ELECTRIC GOLF CARS
The most important maintenance on an electric golf car is battery care. Think of your battery pack as a
fuel tank. Let’s take a few minutes to make sure you don’t have to purchase a new “fuel tank” before
you absolutely need to. Before storing your electric golf cars for the winter they need a full charge to
“top-off” the tank. However, before we charge the batteries we need to check a few things.

Battery cable condition. Make sure the battery cables and connections are tight, clean, and free
of corrosion. If the terminal connection is corroded it may cause a voltage drop between
batteries. It may also cause the cable to eventually fail due to heat caused by high resistance.
Replace badly corroded cables with new. Make sure you apply a good coating of terminal
protectant after cleaning and before charging.

Cleaning Batteries. During normal operation and charging, the batteries “gas”. The result is acid
will accumulate on the battery tops. This will cause corroded terminal connections and
eventually frame damage. It is highly recommended you use a 50/50 solution of baking soda and
water to neutralize and clean the acid from the battery compartment. Once a month is
recommended. It is a must before winter storage since acid on battery tops could cause a path
of discharge to occur causing your batteries to drain down faster than normal.

Battery Cell Electrolyte Levels. Before charging make sure each cell has the proper electrolyte
level. Never charge a battery if the electrolyte level is below the tops of the battery plates. This
will cause irreversible damage to the battery and shorten the capacity and life expectancy. If you
discover this condition, simply add enough water to cover the plates before charging. Always
check for proper electrolyte levels AFTER charging the battery. During the charge process the
electrolyte levels rise. If you add too much it will be forced out of the cap vents causing a real
mess on your cart barn floor and possibly cause corrosion in the battery tray. Battery
manufacturers recommend distilled water or you may use your tap water if it tests below 200
parts per million of total dissolved solids.

Charging. Once you have the correct battery cell fluid levels and battery cables are clean and
tight, its time to charge. Charge the batteries completely allowing the charger to shut off once
full charge is met.

Tow switch. This is VERY IMPORTANT. Place the TOW switch into the “TOW” position. This
disables the regenative braking system and removes the load of the system from the battery
pack. If this is not done your battery pack WILL completely discharge in a matter of weeks. You
then run the risk of freezing and cracking your batteries. Even if the temperature never reaches
freezing you will still experience irreversible damage called sulfation if the batteries are left in a
state of total discharge for a long period of time.

Battery rate of self discharge. The battery manufacturers say the rate of self discharge (even
with the tow switch in “TOW”) is 1% per day. That equates to a total discharge in approximately
100 days. Their recommendations are to recharge the batteries each month to keep the state of
charge levels up.
GAS GOLF CARS
Here are several important items we want to make sure we address before we store our gas cars for the
winter.

Engine oil change. Oil is the life blood of your engine. It’s not good to leave dirty, contaminated
oil in your engine for long periods of time. Change it before winter storage. One quart of oil, no
oil filter on the Yamaha.

Battery Condition. Make sure the battery terminal connections are clean, tight, and free of
corrosion.

Air Filter Replacement. Yamaha recommends that you replace the engine air filter at least once
a year. And, it may be a good idea to change the pre-filter at the same time.

Spark Plug. Yamaha also recommends a spark plug replacement at least once a year. Make sure
you use Yamaha’s recommended heat range. You may encounter plug fouling if you use the
incorrect plug.

Fuel Filter Replacement. It costs very little and is easy to replace the fuel filter in your golf car.
This is considered "cheap insurance". After all, it only takes one tank of bad gasoline or a small
amount of dirt to create a big headache with your fleet.
BOTH GAS AND ELECTRIC MODELS
Tire Air Pressure. Inflate tire pressure to 20 psi. Tire air pressure will lower during the cold temperatures
of winter. This pratice will lower your risk of flat tires when your fleet is in storage.
Turn the ignition key to the “off” position. Even though there is no draw on the battery or battery pack,
it’s a good safe practice. No need to disconnect the battery or battery pack. As long as the tow switch is
in the "tow" position on the electric models there is no draw or load on the battery pack. If you follow
these quick and easy steps before winter storage, you’ll have less headaches once Spring rolls around!