Why will 6v golf cart batteries not stay charged if they are new?

Answer 1

You said "stay charged if new" - Did you use the cart? If so that is kind of how the cart works - You use it and recharge it. You said new batteries - Have they gone through the "break in" period (about 100 charging cycles)? If you did not use the cart then are you using an automatic charger and how long does it take to "not stay charged" or for the charge to go away? If you did not use the cart then I suspect the automatic charger may kick on and off as it needs to (like once every 7-30 days). If the charger has been turning on and off daily then there is a problem. Is the charging handle (from charger) damaged? Is the charging plug (on Golf cart) damaged? What is the brand, year, model, and type of golf cart (Example: E-Z-Go 1997 TXT Electric 36 volt)? What is the brand, model, and type of charger (Example: Powerwise II Automatic). Is the charging handle making good contact (Snap in) with the cart - Do you hear a click about one to three seconds after you snap it in? If you do, then that is the charger "shaking hands" with the golf cart and basically saying "I sure would like to charge you up if you want". The charger would then turn on with the above example cart/charger (E-Z-Go/Powerwise) REVIEW - I said "Snap" then "Click" and finally "Charger turns on" The whole process can take up to 2 -10 seconds. A damaged charging handle or cart plug may keep repeating the "clicking" and "charger on" thing. Is the drain caused by a short or bad battery? Battery: Use safety glasses, gloves, and a taped wrench (electrical tape wrapped over boxed half of wrench) to take off the negative and positive cable of the battery bank (search YouTube video for help). Let the cart set overnight to see if the cart loses the charge. If it does then it may be a hard (or junk) battery & that will also cause an automatic charger to stay on high amps (needle in red zone on charger's meter) for a long time (over an hour) during charge. [This may high amp thing may also take place when breaking in a new set of batteries but not after two hours.] Short or drain: If the batteries retained the charge with the cables unhooked over night then it may be a short (drain on the batteries). The short must be corrected or you may also have a fire hazard! If you are not sure how to trace a short then get the cart to someone who can without plugging the cart to the charger.