Golf Cart Light Wiring 101 (36-Volt Cart)
February 02, 2023Author: Christian Attlesey
Read Time: 3-5 Minutes
[ If you still have questions after reading this article, leave them in the comment box at the bottom of the page. We will answer your questions with a reply comment as well as a direct email to you. ]
Whether you just want to add some clarity to your golf cart or you want to make sure your cart is street-legal , lights are a necessity.
At Golf Cart Stuff, we understand that although golf cart lights are simple in concept, you may have a few questions on how to add lights to your golf cart.
Thankfully, we have been selling golf cart light kits for quite some time.
As a result, we have a wealth of knowledge about typical golf cart light questions and troubleshooting issues.
This article breaks down how to wire lights into your golf cart with diagrams and easy-to-follow instructions.
If you still want more by the time you get to the end, throw your question in the comments or reach out to us, and we would be glad to help!
Article Structure
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Intro to Instamatic® golf cart lights
How do you hook up 12-volt lights to a golf cart?
- How to hook up golf cart lights to six 6-volt batteries
- Finding the main positive and negative batteries (with photos)
- Hooking up six batteries (with diagram)
- How to hook up golf cart lights to a single 12-volt battery
- Link to article about how to wire lights to a 48-volt golf cart
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Before we begin...
With golf cart lights, it is imperative that you hook up to the correct voltage to ensure you don't damage the lights. If you hook up 12-volt lights to too much voltage they will quickly burn out.
However... At Golf Cart Stuff, our branded Instamatic® FlexVolt™ lights operate on any voltage range between 12-48 volts without needing a reducer.
With our FlexVolt™ lights you no longer have to worry about burning out your lights or hooking up to the incorrect voltage (as long as it's not above 48 volts).
This makes installing your lights easier and cheaper as you don't have to install a voltage reducer. To see our selection of golf cart lights, click the Instamatic® logo above.
Now with that public service announcement out of the way, let's get into the installation!
How do you hook up 12-volt lights to a golf cart?
To hook up 12-volt lights to your golf cart, you need to hook up the connection cables on your light kit wiring harness to one of the following:
- Two 6-volt batteries (in a series connection)
- A single 12-volt battery
- A voltage reducer that has taken the voltage down to 12 volts
Let's break down each of the above scenarios below!
How to hook up your lights to two 6-volt batteries
Two connect your golf cart lights to two 6-volt batteries; you must connect to two batteries in "series" to get 12 volts of power.
When you have access to your battery compartment, you will need to locate the first and last battery in the sequence.
To find the last battery, look for the battery that has a wire (typically a heavier gauge wire) running from the negative terminal of the battery into the cart's controller. See below for an example.
To locate the first battery in the sequence, find the battery with a heavier gauge wire running from the positive terminal into the golf cart's controller or motor.
Once these are located, you will notice that in addition to the wire on the negative terminal that runs into the cart, the last battery in sequence has a wire that runs from the positive terminal to a negative terminal on another battery.
That next battery will then have a wire that runs from its positive terminal to the negative terminal on the next battery.
That sequence continues up to the last battery. Hooking up the batteries with this configuration draws the voltage of all the batteries and sends that into the controller of the cart. See below for an example diagram of a 36-volt cart.
In the diagram above you will notice that power flows from the last battery in sequence all the way to the first battery in the sequence that then feeds power into the golf cart.
Once you have the first and last batteries located, connect the positive terminal of your light kit wiring to one of the battery's positive terminals. You will then take a the negative connection on your light kit wiring and connect it to a negative post one the battery directly behind that first battery in sequence. See below for an example.
How to hook up your lights to a single 12-volt battery
If you have three 12-volt batteries (very rare) for your 36-volt golf cart, find the last battery in the sequence (follow the same pattern as the diagram above) and hook your positive and negative wire to the positive and negative terminal on that battery.
Unfortunately, we don't have a diagram for this, but if you look at the 6-volt diagram above, the same concept applies!
Once you have your light kit hooked up to your batteries, give your lights a check to make sure everything works correctly. If everything is good to go, get everything secured and go enjoy your new lights!
Hopefully, by now you feel confident installing lights on your 36-volt golf cart! If you still have questions, throw them in the comments below or reach out to us directly and we would be glad to help!
[ Is your golf cart 48 volts? Check out this article on how to install lights on a 48-volt golf cart . ]
...You probably know him as the humorous & relatable host of our YouTube channel!
Prior to taking on marketing, however, Christian honed his industry knowledge as our Customer Service Manager. Fast-forward to present day: it’s his mission to deliver the best and most current products, resources, and overall expertise to Golf Cart owners everywhere.