Gas Golf Cart

If you own a gas golf cart, and you live in an area that has long, cold winters, you need to know what to do when the seasons turn. Of all the reasons that these smaller vehicles become disabled and unusable, improper maintenance is perhaps top of the list. And what is so unfortunate about this is that maintaining a gas golf cart does not have to be difficult, expensive, or time consuming. Here are some general tips you can apply to your vehicle when the weather turns cold and it is time to store the vehicle until spring.

These maintenance tips are general in nature, and that means that you should always go by what your owner’s manual says first. The manufacturer of your gas golf cart spent a lot of energy in determining what best practices would keep the machine in good running order for years to come. Follow that advice.

Generally, winterizing your gas golf cart is simply getting it ready for storage. For the purposes of this article, storage means non-use. It really does not matter if you store you cart in the family garage or at the course barn. In either case, you need to do a few things to help protect it during cold temperatures.

Visual Check: The first thing to do is simply look at the engine and the engine compartment. Try to find any leaks that may be occurring around the crankshaft, valve covers, or seals. These should be repaired before you store any type of gas golf cart or other 2- or 4-cycle vehicle.

Clean the Engine and Battery: Next, you should clean the engine and the battery. Disconnect the battery before you clean it. You can use engine cleaner on the motor and a commercial cleaning product for the battery and battery terminals. Make sure you spray all the cleaner off both battery and engine.

Check fluids and filters: Even through the engine will not be used, it is good to keep it topped off with oil. For cold temps use 10W30. It is also important to check filters, especially the fuel filter. If you expect the vehicle to sit idle for over a month, go ahead and drain the tank and disconnect the fuel filter to allow it to drain as well. A gas golf cart left with dirty fuel in the tank will be a nightmare to service when spring returns.

Charge the battery: If you need to, charge the battery now to its full level. You may also need to charge it again before you can use the vehicle in the spring. If you leave the battery in the gas golf cart and it is connected be aware that any device in the vehicle that draws power from the battery will continue to draw power from the battery. Examples of this might be a clock, charge indicator that was left on, etc. Either disconnect these devices or better yet disconnect the battery from its terminals.

The above tips for gas golf cart maintenance are important and if you do them before the snow starts falling you will help prolong the life of your vehicle.