Testing a golf cart motor is essential for ensuring your vehicle’s performance and diagnosing potential issues. Whether you’re a golf course manager, a golf cart owner, or a maintenance enthusiast, understanding how to test a golf cart motor is a valuable skill. By assessing the motor’s health, you can identify problems early, avoid breakdowns, and maintain a reliable and efficient mode of transportation.
Electric golf carts are typically trouble-free and perform their duties effectively and without fuss, but occasionally you suspect your golf cart may be having issues. The golf cart motor may need to be repaired if the speed seems off or if your cart smells like burning wires. It’s not as difficult to learn how to test a golf cart motor as you might think. In fact, it can be a fairly simple process if the right tools and instructions are used. In this article, we will describe a step-by-step procedure for testing your golf cart motor.
Golf Cart Motor Testing Precautions
It’s crucial to put in place a few safety precautions before you begin.
- First, make sure your golf cart is parked on a level surface and turn the key to the “off” position.
- Second, always use wheelchocks to protect your golf cart from rolling away from you (or over you!).
- The primary positive and negative cables from the battery pack should then always be removed in order to detach the battery.
- Avoid taking the chance of receiving an electric shock.
What To Try Before Testing Your Golf Cart Motor
Before testing your motor, you should first attempt the “reset” button.
The reset button is often found on the exterior of electric golf carts, however, some may have one inside or close to the motor. It always pays to attempt this, as pressing a button is far simpler than checking your golf cart’s motor.
Next, check to see whether you’re receiving a good reading back on the voltage of each of your golf cart batteries using a multimeter (black on negative and red on positive).
Tools You’ll Need
We have listed the tools that you will need for the job below:
- Screwdriver
- Pliers
- Wrench
- Volt meter or multimeter
How To Test A Golf Cart Motor
There are a few simple steps that you may test your golf cart motor by following a few simple procedures.
These steps are described below, along with the equipment you’ll need for them.
Step 1: Inspect The Motor
- The motor has to be inspected first.
- On the back of the cart, look for the plate that covers the motor.
- Remove the screws that are keeping it in place; it generally has a rectangular or square form and is held in place by them.
- Next, before disassembling anything in the motor compartment of your golf cart, we advise you to take several photographs of everything there so you can refer to them in the future.
- This is a crucial action! Wiring diagrams are helpful, but photos will make your job easier when it’s time to reassemble everything.
- Make sure that there are no obvious damage or problems.
If not, move on to the following action.
Step 2: How to Run a Short Test on Your Golf Cart Motor
To make sure the terminals of your golf cart’s motor are functioning as they should and effectively transferring electric impulses throughout the cart’s components, you should examine them.
First, set your multimeter to the ohms or continuity check setting.
Next, the motor for your golf cart will have four poles, usually identified as A1, A2, S1, and S2, or F1 and F2, depending on the model.
Check your multimeter for the following readouts as you test the following pole combinations:
S1 to S2 (or F1 to F2) test
- Insert your red probe into S2/F2 and your black probe into S1/F1.
- Seek a measurement between 0.8 and 1.2 Ohms.
A1 to A2 tests
- Your red probe is on A2, and your black probe is on A1.
- Your continuity meter should beep or display.
A1 or A2 motor body tests
- Put your red probe on the metal section of the motor body and your black probe on either S1 or S2 (also known as F1 or F2 on Regen motors).
- Your continuity meter should display 0.
A1 to S1/F1 test
- Put your red probe on A1 and your black probe on S1/F1.
- Your continuity meter should display 0.
- You can go on to the following testing stage if each of these tests passes.
- You should consider replacing or repairing the terminal that is malfunctioning if any of the tests were unsuccessful.
Step 3: Test The Solenoid
It’s crucial to examine the solenoid in your golf cart’s engine since it transmits power to many components, some of which might malfunction or deteriorate with time.
Cleaning the terminals is a good idea before testing the solenoid since it can occasionally make things better.
Use a wire brush or an old toothbrush to scrub the terminals with a 2:1 solution of water and baking soda. After cleaning and drying the terminals, repeat the process.
Check to see whether it fixes the issue; if not, it’s time to test the solenoid.
Testing the solenoid on your golf cart
- First, ensure sure the batteries in your golf cart are fully charged.
- Next, attempt to start your golf cart while keeping an ear out for a slight “clicking” sound. That is the solenoid operating properly.
- If there isn’t a click, the solenoid is likely to be at fault, and you’ll need to swap it out.
- You can rule out the solenoid as the problem’s source if you heard a click but the cart didn’t start up
Conclusion
If you can find a problem by following our instructions to test an electric golf cart motor, you might save money on the time of a repairman. Keep a few simple tools on hand for your golf cart so you can test it out and make repairs whenever you can. If a component breaks down and you have some free time and an internet connection, you might be able to replace it yourself and save even more money.
Find a trustworthy online retailer that has the components you need for the brand and model of your golf cart, and have them quickly delivered to your house. If you’re unclear on how to proceed, golfing forums or YouTube may provide helpful video instructions regarding your motor and its particular model. You can quickly get your cart going again with a little perseverance, a few tools, and some patience.
FAQs
How Can You Tell If The Electric Golf Cart Motor Is Damaged?
If your motor won’t turn on when you turn the key, your golf cart motor may be damaged. If the engine won’t start, runs slowly, or displays all of the aforementioned symptoms, it may malfunction.
How Much Does A New Golf Cart Motor Cost?
A new motor may cost between $500 and $1,100 without the expense of labour to install it, but a reconditioned motor is between $350 and $450.
What Accelerates A Cart?
With new batteries, a cart’s motor power may be enhanced. The maximum voltage of new batteries can increase the speed of your car. After purchasing new batteries, you can test drive the car to observe the difference.