Parking your golf cart when it’s cold? Winterizing your golf cart is crucial if you are storing it and hoping for a quick start in the spring. While the procedures are slightly different for a gas vs. an electric model, you should clean it and take care of the fuel source and tires for best results.

Before you begin winterizing your golf cart

Cleaning the cart body, battery terminal, and wheels is important both to maintain the finish and to make the job easier. Soap, water, and degreaser will clean up this year’s dried sand, mud, grime, and grime. Lift the seat to expose the battery and clean the case with water, a combination of baking soda and water, or a battery acid neutralizer. Clean battery terminals and make sure battery cables are tight and in good condition.

Before you begin your winter preparations, you must first determine where you are going to store it. Indoor storage is better. If you don’t have room in your garage, consider renting a storage unit and towing the cart there. If leaving it outside is your only option, remove the rain curtain. Position the vehicle at its winter destination, as once you do the following steps, the car will only move if you push it.

Steps to Winterize a Gas Vehicle

For gasoline-powered cars, you must remove the gasoline from the carburetor and fuel tank to prevent leftover fuel from clogging the job.

• Disconnect the fuel line and run the engine until it stops.

• Drain the carburetor by loosening the drain screw at the bottom and then tightening it again.

• After removing the air filter, spray cylinder oil into the carburetor while operating the starter motor, and then replace the air filter and reconnect the fuel line.

• Seal the gas tank to keep air out by stuffing a golf tee into the vent tube and sealing the edges with tape.

• Disconnect the battery and spray the terminal with protective spray.

• Inflate the tires to 12 to 14 psi and secure the car from rolling on the blocks without applying the parking brake.

Protection of an electric vehicle

For electric cars, clean the battery as described above, then:

• Remove battery caps to check water level in each cell and fill with distilled water if necessary.

• Coat the battery terminals with anti-corrosion gel to prevent corrosion during storage.

• Fully charge the battery with a battery charger.

• Inflate the tires to 18 to 20 psi to keep the car from rolling on blocks, but don’t engage the parking brake.

• Put the trailer switch in neutral.

Final Storage Tips

The final stage in preparing your golf cart for winter is covering it. A lightweight cover will protect you from dust if you store the vehicle indoors, while you’ll need a heavier cover if you have to leave the stroller outside. As a result of your care to protect your vehicle from winter damage, your preparation time to get the car back on the links will be much shorter next spring. Make winterizing your golf cart a priority now to save time.