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Winter Preparation and Storage of Golf Cars Beyond the usual wash and wax job you need to perform, putting your golf car down for its winter nap time requires quite a bit of preparation and some careful technical procedures. GAS CARS Drain the carburetor completely and either treat the fuel tank or fill the tank to the top. A full tank of gas will prevent gumming and minimize fuel deterioration, but it also a large expense. The alternative is to pour a few ounces of motor oil in the fuel tank and plan on cleaning the tank in the spring. If you can afford to fill the tank, good, but is wise to clamp the fuel hose from the tank, to prevent siphoning during the storage period. After cleaning the battery thoroughly and placing the car in its resting place, disconnect the battery terminals. (See below for more about batteries preparation.) ELECTRIC CARS The same cleaning issues apply to the electric car, but it a little more complicated, namely, that older technology is the heart of the power system in the form of batteries. Again, whether you choose gas or electric depends on personal preference and the course terrain, however electric cars are by far the most vulnerable to the cold. Giving specific maintenance tips in this area is risky. Shortcuts cannot be taken in battery care and maintenance unless an owner is accepting of having a down car and expensive battery replacement costs. Although the following are a few parameters and some background data, the car owner must accept the challenge of learning about battery care, including critical safety precautions. Improperly handled battery service can be fatal. At this point, it is strongly recommended that owners seek a copy of the "Storage Battery Technical Service Manual", produced by Battery Council International. To prep your battery, you need to spray it down with a solution of baking soda (1/4 cup to a gallon of water) to neutralize the acids. Waste runoff regulation may prevent you from using soda, and new products are available that are safer for the environment. Check with your local suppliers. Wax the top of the battery to minimize electrical current leakage then apply terminal protectant spray to prevent corrosion. Charge the battery as in your daily routine. If your electric car has a regenerative braking system, make sure that you turn the tow/run switch to the "tow" position, removing the current to the motor control unit, thus reducing consumption. Given that the charging unit is plugged in for the duration of the storage term, periodic inspections of the storage area, cars and chargers are highly recommended. Most manufacturers supply automatic chargers with their cars, and when the voltage level drops to a certain level, the charger turns on, maintaining the needed specific gravity of the acid inside of the battery. It is at this point that owners demand to know, "What will keep my batteries from dying or freezing over winter?" The bottom line is, don’t let them freeze. A hydrometer is used to determine the battery condition for storage. See the Battery Freeze Factors chart that identifies at what temperature and at what specific gravity your batteries may freeze. Looking at the chart, 1.280 specific gravity is fully charged. At that stage, your batteries should not freeze until the temperature reaches –69 degrees C (-92degrees F). On the other hand, if the specific gravity gets down to 1.100, your batteries may freeze at –7.2 degrees C (+19 degrees F).
A NOTE ON BATTERY WARRANTIES Have you ever read a four-year battery warranty policy? If not, request one, and read it carefully. The warranty normally covers failures caused only by defects in material and workmanship. This excludes dead, worn out, low or any other things that are caused by poor maintenance. If you submit a claim, you must provide detailed maintenance records, and you must be willing to ship (at your expense), the battery to the manufacturer for evaluation. Once you understand the fundamentals and requirements of electric car battery maintenance, you may question how many owners actually get it right. Understandably, many don’t. Golf car manufacturers realize that the warranty would more often than not be refused by the battery manufacturer, so they decided to pay for it themselves. This may seem like a nice gesture, but often the operator will get new (or used) batteries, but probably not a lesson about why it happened, and it does not eliminate the fact that your car has already been out of commission. And finally, the owner/operator needs to ask who ends up paying for that cost in the long run? As they say, ‘an ounce of prevention…"
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Glenboro Golf & Country Club welcomes all visitors to our course. Please
remember to phone ahead to ensure
the tees have not been closed due to a tournament or group event.
Don't forget that tee times are required every day. |
