[Graspher]

Unbelievable - you would think raise the seat, disconnect battery and lift it up and out of the cart.

That would be a solid no-go.

I called the seller - Carts and Clubs - service is closed but the person answering said the only way to extract the battery is to remove the whole driver side body panel.

Absolutely incredible.

Does anyone know.... 1) is that true? 2) is there another way to remove the battery that doesn’t involve disassembling the body?

This is so insane....

[Bill14564]

Nope, doesn't look like the battery is coming out the top.

Here is a youtube video about removing the body panels. Start at about 4:22 for the rear panels.

[Graspher]

Thanks for that!! I searched YouTube but didn’t find the one u identified. Guess my search skills are a bit off!!

Thanks again!!

[sail33or]

You can get the battery out (I upgraded my battery).

You must remove 2 bolts (that screw into the frame). These hold that plastic shroud that is in the way.

Once bolts are removed, push the shroud as far back and away as you can. Then you have to really yank the battery (the shroud will give a little.

Put new battery in. You can only put one of the bolts back in. The other really is not needed.

Sure not user friendly.

[TSO/ISPF]

Originally Posted by Graspher

Thanks for that!! I searched YouTube but didn’t find the one u identified. Guess my search skills are a bit off!!

Thanks again!!

Just clicked on the words and it took me right to the video. Not really all that much to do but Yamaha definitely did not make the cart user friendly.
Would be a good idea to have the tool to pull those plastic fasteners.

[Topspinmo]

Side panels don’t look that hard to remove. luckily mine 2012 1/2 FI and battery easily comes out top. With video provided should be snap.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by heims01

Just clicked on the words and it took me right to the video. Not really all that much to do but Yamaha definitely did not make the cart user friendly.
Would be a good idea to have the tool to pull those plastic fasteners.

If you’re careful and they haven’t been baked in sun small screwdriver works good.

[Graspher]

Originally Posted by sail33or

You can get the battery out (I upgraded my battery).

You must remove 2 bolts (that screw into the frame). These hold that plastic shroud that is in the way.

Once bolts are removed, push the shroud as far back and away as you can. Then you have to really yank the battery (the shroud will give a little.

Put new battery in. You can only put one of the bolts back in. The other really is not needed.

Sure not user friendly.

I was focused on that direction but gave up knowing the second bolt was hard to reach.

I followed the YouTube video that was recommended and that got the job done.

That shroud is the way to go - will definitely facilitate that option with next battery change.

Thanks for taking the time to post on this option.

[Graspher]

Originally Posted by heims01

Just clicked on the words and it took me right to the video. Not really all that much to do but Yamaha definitely did not make the cart user friendly.
Would be a good idea to have the tool to pull those plastic fasteners.

That video is helpful and it did get the job done for me.

I didn’t need the special tool - those pop fasteners are low quality and pretty much pull right out.

Agree - the design is very poor - especially for a reoccurring consumable.

[Graspher]

Bill’s research and response saved the day for me! Most appreciated Bill.

I was pretty much on the verge of screaming like a spoiled 7 year old girl for most of the day!!

And so it goes....

[thevillagernie]

put the battery in the rear were you would put golf bag.....wow,thats terrible

[irishwonone]

Originally Posted by Graspher

Bill’s research and response saved the day for me! Most appreciated Bill.

I was pretty much on the verge of screaming like a spoiled 7 year old girl for most of the day!!

And so it goes....

Thanks for your good explanation on battery removal/replacement. I’m wondering how long the batteries normally last before failing? Too is it a sealed battery or can water be added. Thanks much.

[turk3531]

A fork works beautifully!

[Rango]

There is a tool to remove plastic hardware. Available at Auto stores or Harbor freight

[Graspher]

Originally Posted by irishwonone

Thanks for your good explanation on battery removal/replacement. I’m wondering how long the batteries normally last before failing? Too is it a sealed battery or can water be added. Thanks much.

Thanks - but a bunch of credit goes to the others who responded with valuable tidbits.

I had searched the forum for this very issue and found nothing. I can’t be the only person who/will stumble upon this disastrous design concept. So I’m hoping future searches on this issue will unveil this factual solution. I get a lot of quality insights from this forum and want to give back whenever I can.

The bad battery was the sealed type.

I let my frustration get to me yesterday and didn’t do a very good job of finding a price friendly replacement battery. I’m too embarrassed to reveal the purchase price - suffice it to say that I would recommend NOT going to advance auto for a battery purchase!

I ended up with a “traditional” battery where you can remove the caps to top off the fluid.

Old battery was 460 cca new is 700. New battery fit like a glove.

My conclusion is... the original battery was probably low quality - which may be the reason why I got only 2 years of use.

Disconnected - I’d charge the battery to almost 100% and it would drop to 20% in a couple of days. Connected with the cart running the battery meter would indicate near 15 volts so I knew the charging system was A-ok.

End of day - it’s not that difficult to remove the side body panel. Watching the recommended vid shows exactly how to do it.

One poster mentioned removing the bolts from the insulated metal shield (that’s what it is in a 2019 drive 2) which will allow the battery to be pulled up and out of the cart.

That’s the direction I’m going to go with on the next battery change - I figure that will be in like 8 years.....you know - given the price I paid for the new bat!!!!