[Villageshooter]

My golf cart has set approximately eight weeks and the battery has went dead in it. I have a jumpstart module to jumpstart it, but what would be the best situation to get it charged up, by driving it?, Do I take it on a long trip from the top of the villages to the bottom of the villages? Will that charge it well enough? I really don’t want to have to buy a battery charger. Any advice you could give me I would be appreciated.

[mrf6969]

That battery sitting for just 2 months should not have been dead. What you need to do is have a cart tech install a new battery for testing purposes only and then they will be able to see if the starter generator is actually doing its job. If it is then you probably need a new battery, especially if it is over 3-4 years old. The worst-case scenario is that you have draw, and those can be a real challenge to find.
There is a golf cart tech that is on this site, Kenny P. I believe, hopefully he will chime in and give you the professional advice.

[Normal]

I know you don’t want to buy a battery charger but;

You may be able to bring it back to life with a trickle charge. The charger is cheaper than the battery and it can be used again. I would remove or disconnect it, and place it on a low charge for a couple days.

[TommyT]

I've used this for years on my golf car and motorcycle usually I get five years on the battery even in Florida.

Amazon.com

[villagetinker]

Be careful with a trickle charger, especially the cheap ones, I destroyed a new battery with one around 2-3 years ago. A true battery tender will work much better.
I agree with the previous comments regarding the age of the battery and the possibility of a parasitic load. If you have or can borrow a digital voltmeter, use some long leads and clip directly on the battery, you should have around 12.5 VDC at rest. Now take the cart out for a ride with the voltmeter still connected, you should get 13.5 to possibly 14.5 VDC which would indicate the starter/generator is working. Last test, back at your house, disconnect one of the battery leads, set the digital voltmeter up for DC amps, and connect the meter from the battery terminal to the disconnected lead, you should have 0 amps. If you get a reading, then something on your cart is still on. In the past the speedometer was reported to be the main culprit since these can be wired to be on all the time.
If you do not have access to this equipment or are concerned about doing these measurements, send me a PM and I can help.

[MrFlorida]

If you don't live here full time , you should have a battery tender for your cart. It will keep your battery charged, and shut off when it reaches a full charge.

[Topspinmo]

IMO knowing the cart was going to set you should have disconnected battery. Why? Some carts have add on features that drawn milliamperes. And With weak battery could drawn it down enough to not crank the starter generator. As reported Yamaha carts seems to have overcharging problem so if you drive it the battery will charge up. But, that maybe part of problem if battery few years old? Bottom line unless you charge battery and test it or have it tested you have no clue the condition of battery. Unless you know the condition by testing if could die at anytime?

[Bill14564]

Driving the cart for a while (how long??) should charge the battery.

BUT

As many others have pointed out, you really should figure out why it lost charge in the first place.

1. If the generator is bad then driving it won't charge it at all (probably won't go far either)
2. If something is drawing current when the key is off then it will continue to discharge while you are away and you'll come back to a problem again
3. If the battery is bad (happens at about 5 years) then it won't hold charge and you will have the same problem about three days from now.

I have left the cart for several months multiple times without a battery tender. Most of those times I disconnected the battery cable to ensure there was no load but not every time.

One time after not using it for a week it had a dead battery. No problem, I put the charger on it and used it later that day. Two days later the battery was dead again. I knew there was no extra load because of my past experience with letting it sit for months. I guessed it was a bad battery and found a replacement. It has worked fine ever since.

[Arctic Fox]

[QUOTE=Topspinmo;2364275]Knowing the cart was going to sit you should have disconnected battery./QUOTE]

We leave our car for up to six months, with the battery disconnected, and it always fires up first time when we get back. It then charges up fully after just a few drives.

[Topspinmo]

This cheap battery tester will tell you the exact condition of battery.

ACCEL BST200 battery analyzer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kDc8gAypW4

[Velvet]

I’ve got this little thingy and it works like a dream. Lift cart seat up, I use a wooden spoon to brace it, hook black cable then red cable. Plug in. Select battery type; lead. Leave for several hours. Takes maybe 15 seconds to do. Works like a charm to jump start (takes time to charge up), or to leave on for 6 months at a time, or to just charge up to full any time. (I have a Yamaha gas cart.)

[Villageshooter]

a special, thank you to everyone that commented to help me solve my problem with my dead battery in my golf cart,, I did go to Walmart and purchase one of those instant jumpstart boxes, I used it to start the cart. It started right off. I did take a trip in the cart down to Finney and back which was almost a two hour trip. The battery has gotten completely charged. I have it set overnight and it fired off first thing this morning., I did use a volt meter on the current setting to see if there was a constant drain on the battery and there was absolutely no current flowing. So I think we are good, thank you so much for everyone for the suggestions. I did order a trickle charger for it so that when I leave again if there’s any problems.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by Villageshooter

a special, thank you to everyone that commented to help me solve my problem with my dead battery in my golf cart,, I did go to Walmart and purchase one of those instant jumpstart boxes, I used it to start the cart. It started right off. I did take a trip in the cart down to Finney and back which was almost a two hour trip. The battery has gotten completely charged. I have it set overnight and it fired off first thing this morning., I did use a volt meter on the current setting to see if there was a constant drain on the battery and there was absolutely no current flowing. So I think we are good, thank you so much for everyone for the suggestions. I did order a trickle charger for it so that when I leave again if there’s any problems.

Glad you got it working. Definitely a good idea to use a battery tender when not there for an extended period of time. Also, if you have a Yamaha, use your volt meter to check out the charging voltage. Some Yamahas charging voltage is too high which can prematurely kill the battery. Put the cart in neutral with a wedge under a tire and check the voltage while holding the gas pedal to the floor. If the voltage is over 15, especially 16-17, it’s a good idea to fix the problem. There is an excellent thread on TOTV, authored by Villagetinker, that illustrates the fix.

[Lyarham]

Originally Posted by Villageshooter

My golf cart has set approximately eight weeks and the battery has went dead in it. I have a jumpstart module to jumpstart it, but what would be the best situation to get it charged up, by driving it?, Do I take it on a long trip from the top of the villages to the bottom of the villages? Will that charge it well enough? I really don’t want to have to buy a battery charger. Any advice you could give me I would be appreciated.

Buy a battery maintainer

[pvetrano1]

Buy a battery tender at Walmart for $25. Whenever you go away for any period of time it will keep your battery charged.