The Golf Cart Guru
Is your golf car making a funny sound ? Do you have a repair question ? Need to know how to install something ?
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The Golf Cart Guru
• When I started writing articles for the golf cart industry many years ago I started with the simple things like battery maintenance , windshield care and the like . Quickly I moved into the deeper more technical aspects and have stayed there ever since .
Recently we received a question from Walker . He asked “ How difficult is it for a novice to replace the front and rear springs on a Club- Car ?” He continues , “ I have a 1995 DS with a flip-down rear seat .”
This note reminded me that there are many out there who need assistance and direction on some of the less technical aspects of a golf cart . So Walker , Thanks for reminding me of that , here you go .
Replacing the leaf springs on a golf cart isn ’ t too difficult but it is a fairly involved operation . This will be a pretty basic instructional .
First , whether gas or electric shut the car down , key off , F & R in neutral , Run / Tow in tow , etc and disconnect the battery last negative and last positive .
Jack the car up , support the frame on four stable jack stands and remove all four tires .
On the rear , it ’ s easiest to replace the springs one at a time . ( The main reason is the axle and motor or clutch are on top and heavy . This will cause the axle to flip over if both springs are removed . Obviously , this could cause catastrophic damage to you and the cart so DO NOT DO THIS .) Use your jack to support that side of the rear axle . Remove the front hanger bolt the rear shackle bolt and the U-bolt that attaches the axle to the spring .
NOTE : You will want to loosen the U-bolt on the opposite spring just a bit so you can wiggle things around some .
Is your golf car making a funny sound ? Do you have a repair question ? Need to know how to install something ?
Ask the Golf Car Guru .
Install the new spring with new bushings on this side . be sure to line up the alignment pin on the spring with the locater hole on the spring perch on the axle . Leave the U-bolt just a bit loose for ease of fitment .
Once both springs are in tighten up the U-bolts equally .
NOTE : If you have a rear seat or box you should use heavy duty springs . There are several types on the market .
The front transverse leaf is much simpler . be sure to pay attention to the placement of all the plates and bolts ... there are several .
The one main difference is the more complex alignment pin on the front . It ’ s an eccentric that is held in place with a lock nut that fits into a slot on the spring perch . This is to allow for camber adjustment . You ’ ll have to move this from the old spring to the new one .
Once the front spring is installed you ’ ll need to put the wheels back on and get it back on the ground to align the front end .
Leave the spring to perch mounting bolts just a bit lose so the spring will slide left to right . As you rotate the eccentric the camber will change on both wheels . Find the spot where it ’ s equal on both sides . a framers square is very helpful with this . When you find that equal alignment tightens up the perch bolts then the eccentric lock nut .
You should check the toe-in alignment at this point . on a DS it ’ s a simple tie-rod adjustment . The toe should be 1 / 8 ” -1 / 4 ” toe-in on all golf carts .
This is extremely brief . If you need any further instruction don ’ t hesitate to write . •
The Golf Cart Guru
Have a question ? Send it to Tim at : golfcartguru @ gmail . com
APRIL 2018 17