want to install a light kit

pat fowler

Hello to all, I am a new member and this is my first post.I have been reading posts for awhile and I am concern about a possible meltdown if I do something wrong while installing a light kit. My cart is a 2003, 36 volt system. I have not yet purchased the kit so I don't know just what I am getting into. Previously owned a old Harley gas cart and putting lights in it was no problem but with a totally electric system I have some concerns. Any help will be appreciated.

BGW

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buscopat

Are you buying a real light kit made for a golf cart, or are you trying to make your own kit?
If you are using automotive lights, remember do not use the golf cart as ground, you have to run a positive and a negative wire.

OLD MEC

To be on safe side if you have never wired anything before I would get a kit for your 2003 Club Car and it should have directions for installation? Check with our sponsors for correct kit, also if you want to add brake lights and turn signals this would be the time to do it once and be done with it?
REMEMBER an electric golf cart has a "FLOATING GROUND" which means NOTHING IS GROUNDED TO FRAME, ONLY BACK TO NEGATIVE ON TOTAL BATTERY PACK.

shadowman

if your uncertain about your skills try an enlist some help........most important no matter what kind of lights you decide make sure you cut main power before doing anything.........take of and tape the ends of the pos cable of #1 battery and neg. cable of #6 battery.................make sure you take cable ends....................other than that lights are not a hard install

TahoeDawgZ71

If you run your lights a lot, the best method is to purchase a voltage reducer that will drop the voltage of the entire pack from 36V to 12V to power your lights. It's an even draw and will not get any batteries out of sync with the others. If you only use them periodically I see no problem hooking it to any two batteries of your choice in the battery pack. Just make sure to charge it frequently as batteries that are not synchronized with each other can do harm to the battery pack when charging. For example... If you're running lights off of 2 batteries for a couple of hours or so, and you do this repeatedly for months, years... whatever the case may be... It's eventually going to harm the batteries because while you charge the car, the other 4 batteries reach full charge capacity while waiting for the other 2 to catch up... While this is happening, you're cooking the 4 charged batteries because the charger will charge evenly across the pack and will not target only the two weakest batteries. You may end up ruining your entire set if this is prolonged for any lengthy period of time. You'll see acid boil-over and notice drastically decreased battery run-time.

pat fowler

Thanks for all the responses, I do appreciate the info. It sounds as if there is no single 12 volt point that I can connect to? I am going to buy a light kit made for club car and it is suppose to have instructions, hopefully they are good instructions. I have no trouble with basic electrical wiring but I have always worked with either 6v or 12v systems, never a 36v one. I will have to get the kit and maybe once in hand I will have some more pointed questions. Thanks again, Pat.

TahoeDawgZ71

Sure there is... Any two batteries in a series will provide you with 12 Volts. Use a positive of one battery and the negative of another battery in any set of batteries that is jumped together with a jumper wire. For example.. Battery 1 and 2.... Battery 3 and 4, Battery 5 and 6.

Pembroke36

I just installed lights this weekend. I got simple foglights and a trailer LED taillight from the auto parts store. I added a motorcycle battery and wired everything to and from the battery. Simple and cheap. The battery was only $25 and I'll charge it when needed. My night driving is short distances. The whole setup was around $50.

shadowman

pembroke, as dawg mentioned you could have wired it to 2 of your batteries.......would have saved you 25 dollars and and very simple to do...................

rabbitreborn

lol I love the fishing rod holders on the front....

step1, pull up to lake
step 2 cast 4 lines out
step 3 sit back and crack a cold beverage

Glad to hear the lights worked out for you, now save yourself some hassle and rig a solar panel on the roof and wire it to the motorcycle battery so it never has to be charged........