brakes vibrate and "bounce" violently

smokey tennis shoe

I just bought a 2001 EZGO PDS cart, 36 volt. The batteries are completly dead.
Also the previous owner put a lift kit on it, looks like a 3" or 4" lift. The cart has stock 18" tires on it, and looks funny .

I plan to sell the cart as soon as I can. I know I need to put new batteries in the cart, that is not a problem.

I have 2 isssues here, that I need advice with.

First : I charged the old batteries enough to take a drive around the block. When I stepped on the brakes, I got this real radical shaking/vibrating thing going on. The cart will stop, but it feels like the brakes are grabbing and letting goover and over and over.
I am hoping the brake issue is do to the lift, and maybe the cables are now too short or to tight.
I want to remove the lift kit, and lower the cart to original so the tires will look normal.
Does anyone have an idea about the braking issue I am feeling? Do you think by removing the lift kit, it will fix the brakes?

Second : I don't see what I need to remove in the front, in order to drop the cart to original. I see the back pieces that I need to remove, but can't figure out the front.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks in advance.

BGW

__________________
This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members.
Register your free account today and become a member on Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum

JohnnieB

I've never lifted or de-lifted a cart, so I can't help you in that area, but I suspect you brake drums are out of round.

Back when cars had disks in front and drums in rear, I would occasionally get some hard thumping the first few time I used the brakes if I had engaged the parking brake while the drums were hot. It would usually go away after I used the brakes a few times.

I'm not sure if it will help, but I'd try coasting down some hills with the brakes partially applied.
Who knows, maybe a little heat and pressure will change the ellipses back to circles.

Bowslayer

On the front lift it depends on if it's a spindle lift or complete front axle lift. If it's a spindle lift you will need factory length spindles to lower back down. If it's the axle lift you will need the factory front axle.

smokey tennis shoe

OK, It sounds like I will just leave the cart lifted as it is right now.
The reason I was thinking of removing the left, was hoping it would fix my braking issue.

I noticed in the two responses I got so far, neither mentioned the brake cable, so maybe the cable is not the problem. I thought that I read somewhere that someone lifted a cart, and that in turn made the brake cable shorter/tighter, and was not right.

So i was thinking if i "unlifted" the cart, that would make the brake cable looser, and hopefully fix this vibration issue.

Later this week, I will put some batteries in the cart and drive it and see if I can explain this better.

JohnnieB I live in a gated community that is FLAT, no hills of any kind. You throw a marble in the street, and I think it would stop.

How about if I get up some speed, and then start standing on the brakes?
Should I take anything apart?

JohnnieB

If the cable is too short, the brake shoes will drag on the hubs.
If they are too long, the brake shoes won't rub on hubs hard enough to stop cart quickly.
If they have unequal tension on them, the cart will either pull to the left or to the right when brakes are applied.
If they are corroded or rusted, you either cannot apply the brakes or they won't release.
Other than broken cables, I think that is the complete list of brake cable maladies, but I might be wrong.

The slip and grab effect can be caused by out of round hubs, rusted areas on the contact surface inside the hub and uneven pitting, or something similar.

The cart probably sit for a while with the parking brake on, so the inside diameter where the shoes rub could have rusted/pitted where the shoes weren't touching.

I'd try a series of randomly alternating gentle and hard stops to see if the slip/grab problem improved and then go from there as required.

scottyb

If you are going to be buying and reselling golf carts you are going to have to get dirty. Pull the wheels and drums and investigate the mechanical condition of the components. Also if you want help with removing a lift kit post pics of the lift so we can help you identify it .

smokey tennis shoe

Ok guys ( Scotty and Johnny), this is what I have done so far :

I removed both rear brake drums, checked the drums and pads. Pads look new, and drums look very good. No rust or out of round stuff going on there.
This has self adjusting brakes, so I have been driving and slamming on the brakes alot. Still I have felt no improvement at all.

I got the manual out and went step by step, adjusted rubber pedal bumper, checked pedal travel, cables are working, and are not binding. I even cut loose the tywraps from the driver side cable and removed the passenger cable from the bracket underneath.
I will post pictures of the lift kit that someone put on this cart. They changed the front end when they lifted it, so the original spindals and front bar, etc, are gone.
Looks like it is jacked up about 4 inches. Cart has standard golf cart size tires on it. When I step on the brakes, it definately stops the cart. As a matter of fact, it will screech the tires and lay skid almost everytime, even at real slow speed.
So I don't have an issue about the brakes stopping the cart. What happens, is the brake pedal "bounces" / "vibrates" so hard and fast, under your foot.
It is a very hard bouncing.

I just want to fix the brake thing and sell the cart. I don't want to lower the cart, because I would need to buy more parts. I really don't want to put bigger tires on it, again, more money. I have a guy interested in the carts , as it is, as far as being lifted with small tires ( yea go figure).

But I don't want him to drive it like this, or he might change his mind. I would like to fix the problem first.

Can someone help me decipher this problem?
Help?

Attached Images

	ezgo lift.jpg (56.5 KB, 0 views)
	ezgo lift2.jpg (143.4 KB, 0 views)
	ezgo lift3.jpg (43.1 KB, 0 views)
	ezgo lift4.jpg (89.7 KB, 0 views)

rocknrone

I think part of your problem with the braking is that from the last pic, it looks like the passenger side rear wheel is hitting the shock mounting plate. You can see the tire scrub on the inside of the tire. Maybe the axle isn't centered or the wheels have different offsets or something on the rear lift is loose and the axle is moving? It doesn't appear from the pics that the driver's side is scrubbing, but I could be wrong. Hope this helps.

camaroluvz28

I have had this problem with the brakes....reason was the rubber bushings in the leaf springs were gone/worn out and when the brake pedal was pressed the rear end shifted forward and then suddenly grabbed when it stopped and gave it a bouncing effect...something to check..

smokey tennis shoe

OK, I have acouple things to add here that I forgot to mention.
Since the original owner lifted this cart, I assume he took the tires and rims he had used with the lift. That is why he stuck the small original stock tires and rims back on the cart.

HERE IS WHAT I FORGOT TO MENTION: All four wheels, have one 1/2" flat fender washer, on each stud, between the hub and the rim. If i remove the washers ( again only one washer per stud, for a total of four per wheel), then the inside lip of the rim will rub on something. Since the opening in the rim is only 8", it looks like the rim sits so deep , that the washers are needed as spacers.

The back wheel also have the four washers per tire, because they also will rub without them.

My goal is to fix this brake problem, without spending more money on this cart.

CAMAROLUV, As far as what you said, there is some sort of feeling when taking off and also braking. When i first take off, it feels like something is shifting under the seat. Also when braking I feel that same shifting. Originally I threw some good batteries in the cart to test drive, without mounting them down, After i felt this shifting, I put the brackets on the batteries and tightened everything, but that was not the problem. It still gets that shifting feeling .

Later today I will look under the cart and see if I can find these bushings you are describing.

Still will take any advice on this. Thanks