Lead out. Lithium in.
Most swaps take 1–2 hours with basic hand tools and no cutting, welding or drilling. Here's the whole job, start to finish. Your kit's manual has the exact torque values and wiring diagram for your cart.
Tools & safety
Battery banks carry enough current to weld a wrench to a terminal. Work slowly and keep metal off both posts at once.
- Insulated wrench & socket set
- Torque wrench
- Safety glasses & acid-resistant gloves
- Baking soda + water to clean the tray
- Phone camera for "before" photos
- A helper for lifting batteries
- A well-ventilated space, away from sparks, flames and cigarettes
Read this first
This guide is general guidance only. Always follow your kit's install manual and your cart's service manual, which take priority over anything here. You are responsible for your own installation.
- Work in a well-ventilated area. Flooded lead-acid batteries vent hydrogen gas, which is explosive. Keep sparks, flames and cigarettes away from the battery bay.
- Lead-acid batteries contain sulfuric acid. Wear eye protection and acid-resistant gloves, and keep baking soda and water nearby for spills.
- A golf cart battery bank is a high-current DC system. Use insulated tools, take off rings and watches, and never let metal touch both terminals at once.
- If you're not comfortable working on high-voltage DC systems, have a qualified golf cart technician install it.
The 10-step swap
Park, switch to TOW, key out
Park on level ground, set the parking brake and pull the key. Flip the Run/Tow switch (usually under the seat) to TOW so the controller is safe to work on.
Photograph the old wiring
Before you touch anything, take clear photos of the battery bay and cable routing. They're your reference if anything looks different on your model.
Disconnect the main negative first
With insulated tools, remove the pack's main negative cable first, then the main positive, then the jumpers between batteries. Take off rings and watches first, because a wrench across a terminal can arc. No sparks, flames or smoking near the bay: flooded lead-acid batteries vent explosive hydrogen gas.
Lift out the lead-acid batteries
Each one weighs about 50–65 lb and holds acid, so lift with your legs and keep them upright. Most auto parts stores take old lead-acid batteries for recycling, and many pay a core credit.
Clean the tray
Neutralize any acid residue with a baking soda and water mix, rinse, and let it dry. Check the tray and frame for corrosion while they're exposed.
Install brackets and set the pack
Before you set the pack, confirm its power switch is OFF. Bolt in the cart-specific brackets from your kit, lower the pack in with the terminals facing the way the manual shows, and tighten the hold-downs until the pack can't shift.
Connect the main cables
Connect main positive, then main negative, using the kit harness, and torque the terminals to the value in your kit manual. Leave the pack switched off until everything is connected.
Add the 12V converter and SOC meter
Wire the DC-DC converter to power lights and accessories, and mount the SOC meter on the dash. On Club Car models with an OBC (onboard computer), follow the kit's bypass step.
Fit the charge port adapter
Install the charge port adapter so the included lithium charger plugs straight into your cart's existing port.
Power on, switch to RUN, test drive
Turn the pack on, flip back to RUN, and confirm the meter reads. Take a slow test loop, then give the pack a full first charge on the included charger.
A tech on video, free
Book a free video call and a Lithium Factory tech will walk you through the install on your own cart, from the first bolt to the test drive.
Good to know
- Don't reuse your lead-acid charger. Use only the lithium charger in your kit.
- The pack won't accept a charge below 32°F. That's the BMS protecting the cells.
- Storing it more than a month? Leave it at 50–80% and switch the pack off.
- Nothing on the cart is cut, welded or drilled. Club Cars with an OBC need an electrical bypass, and 72V conversions need a 72V-rated controller and motor.