Why is My Electric Golf Cart Stuttering? [Reasons and Fixes]

An electric golf cart can stutter or hesitate on various occasions. Among them, you’d mostly see them stuttering or jerking when you’re riding uphill or trying to accelerate. 

Whatever the situation is, electric golf car stuttering occurs when the battery is low on power or the wirings are loose. If it’s not the case then you must check the speed controllers as they can also be the reason behind the issue. 

Below, we’re covering up how you can get rid of this problem and what measures you need to take for prevention. 

Car Stuttering: How It Sounds?

Stuttering means hesitating to express or speak. When something has the capability to express or perform a task but keeps giving sudden intervals while performing is known as stutter.

Car stuttering is the situation when the engine hesitates to follow the command or go smoothly. The sound of stuttering feels like the engine or motor is stammering and it is hard to maintain the continuous process. 

Car stuttering can also make you feel like the engine might get shut down or feel a lack of energy from the sources. 

The car stutter or hesitation issue itself is a problem that needs fixing ASAP. But sometimes, stuttering can be a symptom of many other internal problems of the vehicle. 

Troubleshooting and Fixes for Electric Golf Cart Stuttering

Before going into troubleshooting, let’s tell you some of the main reasons for car stuttering: 

1. Low battery voltage
2. Corroded battery terminals
3. Loose wirings
4. Bad accelerator
5. Faulty speed controller

Your golf cart might be stuttering because of any one or two reasons from the above list. Now, let’s see how you can run a complete troubleshooting session to solve the issue. 

Turn off the car and put it higher off the ground

Before starting your work, you better turn off the engine and put the car higher than the ground using levers or bricks at every corner. This would help you to gain access to components and check the acceleration when needed. 

Besides, you should wear at least gloves and rubber boots while dealing with your golf cart. 

Check each battery separately

First, you need to test every battery separately. Take a voltmeter and note down the reading of the batteries. Each reading should be the same and around 9V (a little less in the case of 36V golf carts). 

Experts say that even if one battery misses the margin you better replace it with a new one similar to the existing models. 

Look for any damages or corrosions in the wirings and terminals 

After that, see the battery terminals and wires related to the power source. 

If any of the terminals have corroded, you need to clean them by breaking the deposits. And try to move the connections with the terminals. When the wires seem very fragile and easy to break, you must replace them with new ones. 

Test the solenoid and its temperature 

Now, put off the seat of the car. You can see the solenoid that regulates power. 

Start your engine and press the gas pedal. Try to hear if the solenoid is making any clicking noise or not. But make sure the batteries are fully charged.  

When the solenoid is not making any noise, clean the solenoid mount and reinstall the solenoid properly. After that, use a voltmeter and get readings of the solenoid. If the reading doesn’t match the battery readings and the temperature rises faster, you need to change the solenoid. 

Press the accelerator and see the condition 

After making the solenoid condition okay, you can hear the clicking sound by pressing the accelerator pad or gas pad. At this stage, continuously press the pedal for 5-10 seconds and see if the cart stutters or not. 

If the stuttering hasn’t been fixed, try to feel the smoothness of the gas pedal. Sometimes, debris can block the pedal. The padel can also get stuck by getting older. 

Whatever the case is, clean the accelerator and the areas around it. 

And don’t forget to check the condition of the accelerator sensors and speed sensors while fixing the pedal. Any wire with damages needs immediate replacement. 

Check the speed controller in the end 

If nothing has eradicated the stuttering till now, the last resort is to check the speed controller. 

Disconnect the negative terminal or the black wire of the batteries. Then, remove the controller cover and reconnect the black wire. Then try to take some readings using a voltmeter. You’d see that the readings are zero or nearly zero when the speed controller is dead. 

In that case, replace the speed controller like you replaced other damaged parts. 

Go for a mechanic 

Sometimes, things can be out of your hands. You should take the experts’ help. Hire a mechanic to diagnose the cart completely. An expert can easily detect and fix the reason that you failed to discover. 

Pro Tips to Prevent Car Stuttering, Stalling, or Hesitation

To make sure problems like car stuttering don’t happen again, follow these tips:

• Always inspect the battery conditions whenever you see any change in the power of the engine.
• Don’t keep any batteries more than 5 years old.
• Clean your car once every month. 
• Don’t keep your golf cart idle for too long. 
• Ask experts to know about any situation unknown to you. 

FAQs

After going through the discussion, some questions might have appeared in your thoughts. Let’s answer some of the most common ones regarding stuttering or hesitating of golf carts.

Why does my electric golf cart surge?

Golf carts surge due to bad batteries and cables. Besides, damaged acceleration components also cause golf cart surges. Check the battery voltage and test the sensors to know the exact reason.

How do I know if my electric golf cart motor is bad?

You can sense the bad condition of the golf cart motor when the car performance is decreasing, the starting time is more than usual, the system is draining energy, etc. 

Why does my golf cart hesitate when accelerating?

Either the battery is out of power or the acceleration sensors have gone bad; that’s why your golf cart is not accelerating swiftly. 

Final Words

Stuttering won’t stop your car from working or damage any component. Instead, it’s a symptom that tells you some of the car components have gone bad or need replacement. 

So, if you see your electric golf cart is not accelerating or starting smoothly, you better diagnose every part that can cause stuttering and replace the bad ones. 

We’ve given you an easy and complete guide today. Hope you understand and use it to make your cart work like before.