2002 club car headlights

[Rick726]

Hi, I have a used 02 Club Car DS IR 48 volt cart and it came with cracked up headlight bezels and aftermarket headlights. (Pictured) I ordered replacement headlight assemblies that are 12 volt. When I checked the voltage at the harness it reads 16.9 volts on both sides. Does anyone have a clue why I'm getting 16.9 volts at the harness and at the headlight switch?? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

[Michael Eddie]

Well based on what you’re seeing with the voltage it seems like the lights were wired up straight to just two of the 8 volt batteries in your 48V pack giving you that 16.9V reading. This is pretty common for lighting because it’s an easy way to pull power for 12V accessories without needing a full converter, but I wouldn’t recommend it for higher draw sensitive equipment like radios or sound systems, it puts strain on your accessories. Club Car actually makes a 16 to 12V converter that would work better here and you can probably track one down on eBay if you’d rather go with the right setup. Just a bit of info from years of seeing this same setup and a few potential headaches down the road.

[Rick726]

Thanks for the reply Michael. I don't see any battery connections that aren't going to the 48 volt connections so I don't know. I wish I knew how that 16.9v was getting to the headlight switch. Do you know if the two headlights have a common ground thru the harness?

[Michael Eddie]

Here's something to try that should get you closer to the answer and help you uncover what’s going on. Grab your multimeter and set it to measure DC Voltage. Stick the black probe on the main pack negative and leave it there, and follow the wiring from battery to battery probing each post with the red probe as you go. Watch the readings, when you find that 16.9V range, you have pinpointed where your headlight wiring connects. Often, it’s tucked away in the harness so this step by step will help you see exactly where things stand.

Before I get called out, I’d be remiss not to mention that running a 48V to 12V reducer is actually the best way to go long term. This setup draws power across all your batteries, not just two. That way, you avoid putting strain on individual batteries. Once you’ve got everything dialed in your whole setup will be better for it!

IMG_1302.jpg

[Rick726]

I did the check and I had 16.9 volts on two different posts. One on battery 4 and one on battery 5. There are no leads besides the battery leads connected to either battery so that baffled me lol. I had already installed the 48v to 12 v reducer to power a panel on the dash so rather than continue to be "baffled" I ran a fused jumper over to the light switch and the new lights work great. I can't say enough about the people in this site helping out. Thanks again for the info!

[Rick726]

OH I last thing. Where does the above schematic tie in to the head and tail lights? Is that a separate harness for the light kit that you just hook anywhere that is convenient.