If you are planning to start your own Do It Yourself (DIY) electric car conversion project, you need to head over to the golf course. No, I am not suggesting you play a round of golf there, but rather, head over to the golf carts service station.

Like any admirer of the game of golf; you too are sure to be acquainted with the expensive batteries that are required to power your homemade electric vehicle. However, if you think that you can simply pick up the used batteries, recharge them and use again, you are in for an unpleasant surprise and will find that the job is not that simple.

After you are through with these, the costly replacement of the exhausted and inefficient batteries is going to put a strain on your purse. But everything is not lost and you can take some necessary steps to make the second hand golf cart batteries work more effectively and serve you for a considerable length of time on your EV.

The first and foremost thing to consider is how the old golf cart batteries were maintained which will determine their life span and will eventually help you to not only cut down your expenses on replacement batteries but will also help your DIY electric vehicle runs efficiently. Remember to check the batteries and ensure that there are no leakages.

If you find the batteries are damaged, take necessary steps, which will not will give a longer life span to these but will also provide optimum power to your EV and cater to your entire satisfaction. You should regularly check for any cracks and defects with the batteries as well as the terminals.

After you have setup the batteries on your electric car, you should make the cleaning of the terminals an integral part of your maintenance routine and ensure that these are free of dust, dirt and water to prevent corrosion. However, to avoid any health hazard you must adopt the necessary precautionary measures while performing your maintenance routine.

This is of utmost importance since direct contact with acid batteries can harm your skin. To remain safe, you should always use distilled or de-ionized water for maintenance and cleaning purpose. Do not forget to check the manufacturer’s maintenance instructions of the batteries, which will lead to a longer life span of your batteries and bring down your replacement expenditure.

Acquaint yourself with the tried and tested measures of cleaning your electric vehicle power source, since this will ensure that your batteries work properly and also last longer. Follow the recommended maintenance routine and while performing this, ensure that the vent caps are tightly fitted.

Always use the recommended equipment and tools for maintenance and cleaning. You should also be mindful of the fact that proper charging of the batteries will ensure their optimum performance. You need to exhaust the batteries before charging and should always fully charge these; however, keep a keen eye and ensure that the batteries do not get over charged, since this will harm the batteries.

Last but not the least, filling your batteries with water up to the right level is a very important function that will ensure proper functioning of these over a long period and hence, as soon as the plates get covered stop filling water to your batteries.

If you follow these simple steps and the recommended maintenance schedule, you can ensure extended life span for the batteries on your custom made electric car, thereby reducing the necessity of early replacement of these and the associate cost, too.

Most of the recreational vehicles or sports vehicles are equipped with lead-acid batteries, also called deep cycle batteries. These batteries are so designed that they retain the charge for a long time even without any external source of power.

However, as this type of battery utilizes lead -acid in liquid form as an internal source of electricity, it can lose the charge very fast, if not maintained well. Fortunately, there is no need to purchase a new battery for your homemade electric car if the performance of the original battery begins to deteriorate.

The original deep cycle battery can be easily reconditioned. Reconditioning of deep cycle battery is comparatively a simple job and one can take up even as a do-it-yourself (DIY) venture. However, an external battery charger is required to recondition a deep cycle battery.

In addition, certain tools and consumables, like vise grips or a crescent wrench, steel wool, a funnel, a bucket and a pair of rubber gloves are also needed. Besides these items, baking soda, distilled water and Epsom salts should also be readily available for the job.

Steps For Reconditioning Old Deep Cycle Battery

To start with, make sure that acid is not leaking from the battery. The surface of the battery should not be touched with bare hands even if there is a little leakage, instead use a pair of gloves.

The next step is to disconnect the battery by removing positive and negative cables and after that take out the battery from the case. Clean both the housing of the battery and each one of the terminals with a paste prepared from baking soda and water. Steel wool will be useful for applying paste to the battery.

Afterwards, take out the plastic plugs normally located at the top of a battery and draw off the contents of the battery cells into the bucket. If the batteries are sealed, the caps cannot be removed and in that case, try to find out if there are any soft hollow portions along the top of the battery.

Sealed batteries are generally opened and drained out by drilling holes in each of theses hollow portions, using a1/4 inch drill bit. As the battery cells are being drained, mix quarter of a gallon of distilled water and eight ounces of Epsom salts and then blend the mixture well till the Epsom salts are fully dissolved. As a next step, fill all the cells of the battery with the mixture using a funnel.

After filling, replace the caps or seal the battery once again and make it ready for re-installation. In case the battery was sealed and holes had to be drilled, then, the drilled holes can be sealed with rubber plugs, which can be easily procured from any stores dealing in automobile parts.

After the battery is sealed, hook it to a regular multiphase battery charger. Sufficient time should be allowed to charge a deep cycle battery and “Quick Start” option should never be used to charge the battery quickly. It usually takes about an hour or more to fully charge a deep cycle battery.

After the battery is completely charged, reconnect the cables and then reinstall it on your DIY electric car. In order to test the battery after reconditioning and ensure that it is working, drive around for a few minutes. It is very essential to check the battery after every drive, initially, for a few days after reconditioning.

The process of charging the battery should be repeated till the mixture of salt and water facilitates retention of charge for a longer period. As a safety precaution, reconditioning of deep cycle battery should not be undertaken in a limited space and protective eye-shades should be put on while working with uncovered cells.

Deep Cycle Battery Reconditioning Guide

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Lead acid batteries come in a variety of types and the most frequently used ones in homemade electric cars are tubular deep cycle batteries designed to hold the electric charge for prolonged periods without the necessity of renewing their charge by trickle or regular recharging. This especially suits their use in electric vehicles (EV) which are not used on a daily basis.

However, since they also contain liquid electrolyte in the form of dilute sulfuric acid, they need continuous maintenance. When they do finally fail or show signs of failing, their replacement costs are high and it is therefore economical to get them reconditioned at much lower price.

Reconditioning technique in the case of deep cycle batteries is not very difficult to master and one can attempt to do it as a DIY project, if the right tolls and knowledge is available to you. One of the first requirements is to get a suitable external multi-phase battery charger of the right capacity.

You would also need accessories like vice grips, crescent wrench, steel wool, glass funnel, bucket and protective rubber gloves. Certain chemical materials like baking soda, distilled water and Epsom salt are also needed. Once all these are ready, we can start by following the below instructions meticulously.

First, the external battery container needs to be checked thoroughly for any cracks or signs of leakage. If any leakage is detected, avoid touching the battery with bare hands and ensure rubber gloves are used for the task.

Disconnect the positive and negative leads connecting the terminal to the battery and remove the battery from its holding compartment. The battery housing and the terminals are to be thoroughly cleaned using a paste of baking soda and water to remove any traces of acid. Wherever necessary use steel wool to apply the paste.

Now remove the plastic breathing plugs on top of the battery and carefully drain the cells into a bucket without spilling. Certain brands of batteries are sealed and come without screwed plugs, but may have soft depressions on the top.

Drill these with a ¼ inch drill to open them and drain the electrolyte. Make a solution of eight ounces of Epsom salt in a quart of distilled water, without leaving any crystalline residue, stirring vigorously if required.

Using the funnel pour this solution to fill up each cell and recap them when plugs are available or in cases where holes were drilled to drain the battery, use rubber plugs easily available in most auto parts shops. Now connect the battery to the multi-phase battery charger using appropriate clips.

Since deep cycle batteries take longer duration for the charging process, avoid using the “quick start” feature if provided in the charger. Once the battery is fully charged, remove it from the charger and reconnect to your vehicle in the normal way.

Try to keep the charge by driving around slowly for a few minutes at a time. During the next few days inspect the battery regularly and repeat the charging process if required for full long duration charge. Adequate precautions like avoiding the reconditioning procedure in enclosed small spaces, wearing of safety eye glasses and use of rubber gloves will go a long way in ensuring safety.

DIY Deep Cycle Battery Reconditioning Guide

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