From the shop
Can You Drive a Golf Cart in the Rain?
Short answer: yes, you can drive a golf cart in light rain, and most carts around here do it every spring. What causes damage is heavy rain, standing water and puddles, because water gets into the controller, the motor, the battery box and the wheel bearings. If the cart got soaked, do not charge it wet, and get the electrical parts checked before you trust it.
Light rain: fine
A roof and a windshield keep the driver dry, and the electrical parts on a golf cart are built to take some weather. Driving home from the neighbor's in a shower is not going to hurt anything.
Heavy rain and standing water: this is the problem
East Texas storms drop a lot of water fast. Driving through standing water on the lake roads pushes water up into places it should not be:
- The controller and solenoid. Water in a connector means corrosion later and an intermittent fault now.
- The motor. Electric motors do not like a bath. Water in the motor is a real repair.
- The battery box. Water sitting in the box corrodes terminals and cables, which is where most "it acts up after rain" complaints start.
- Wheel bearings and brakes. Water washes the grease out of bearings and leaves brake shoes wet and weak.
After the cart gets soaked
- Do not plug in the charger while the batteries or the box are wet.
- Park it under cover and let it dry completely.
- Look in the battery box. Standing water means the terminals need cleaning.
- If the cart hesitates, cuts out or will not go after a storm, that is water in a connection. It will not fix itself, and it gets worse as the corrosion sets in.
Gas carts
A gas cart is less bothered by rain on the electrics but has its own list: a wet air filter, water in the fuel, and a drive belt that slips when it is wet. Same advice on standing water.
If it is acting up after a storm
We find the wet connection, clean or replace what corroded, and check the motor and controller. Mobile or in the shop, gas and electric, all makes and models, across Quinlan, Lone Oak, Greenville and Lake Tawakoni. Call or text 903 458 2311.
Questions
Straight answers
Is it safe to drive a golf cart in the rain?
Light rain is fine on most carts. Heavy rain, standing water and driving through puddles is how water gets into the electrical parts and the wheel bearings.
What should I do if my golf cart got soaked?
Do not charge it wet. Let it dry out, then have the battery box, controller and connections checked before it goes back in service.
Why does my golf cart act up after it rains?
Water or damp in a connection or a switch. It usually shows up as intermittent faults, a cart that hesitates, or a cart that will not go at all until it dries.
Book it
Let us dothe work.
So you can enjoy the ride. Call or text 903 458 2311 — tell us what the cart is doing and where it is.