1988 Parcar DX4 Restoration

Eric the Ewok

Hi, I have just brought a 1988 5K DX4 Par Car buggy which I want to restore to it's former glory. Unfortunately it has been messed about with a bit - so I have a bit of an uphill battle to get it all back to how it should be. I'll post some pictures in the next few days so you can see what I am up against!

If anyone else has the same cart and is willing to provide some answers to the questions I will no doubt have as I go along that would be brilliant.

I have found the manuals so am ploughing through those at the moment.

Looking forward to meeting some fellow owners!

Cheers, Eric.
Diss, Norfolk, United Kingdom.

BGW

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Lochlin

Welcome.

A bit of history on these carts:

HD started making carts in the 60s and did so through 1981 when they sold their golf cart line to Columbia. Columbia then made the carts through the early 2000s (I think?) when the line was retired. Throughout this entire time, these carts actually maintained the same basic operation principals: similar motors, ignition circuits, charging circuits, etc. As such, you will find a lot of value in perusing both the Columbia and HD forums while researching problems so long as you realize there are some differences here or there.

The early 80s, when the HD line was transferring to Columbia, was interesting in that the carts from those years were somewhat hybrids between the two companies. To the best I can gather, around 85 is when things became pretty standard mechanically and things stayed that way from there on out. Late 80s carts are good as they remained very standard as compare the the early 80s ones.

Good news is that parts to these old dogs are still around. The mechanicals are pretty basic so you'll be able to get that thing back together easy enough. Post up questions, no matter how dumb you think they may be, there are a lot of guys here who really know that they are doing.

Eric the Ewok

Thank you for the encouraging info.

I can't post any pictures for another couple of days - but will pop some up as soon as I can.

First jobs when I start will be to sort out the electrics, test the ignition module, add and plumb up an oil tank to the oil pump, add the missing governor cable and fit a fuel pump - FPC-1-1 already ordered today.

I can find the odd picture but when the time comes some pics of a properly fitted up cart will be invaluable.

Cheers, Eric.

Eric the Ewok

So missing oil tank, fuel pump (got a FPC-1-1 on it's way) governor cable, solenoids and wiring in general have been messed with - so lots of fun even to get it going let alone sorting out the body :-) - oh yes, and apparently it has no spark - so that may well be the ignition module - better check the coil has the right resistance...

raydhd

You might want to take a look that is going on in the fan housing before you run the engine. The fan is expensive and delicate if debris hits it.

Eric the Ewok

Cheers - I will do. I suspect the ignition module is dead - so I'll be getting in that area to check. I'll be making a proper start in the coming weeks - so I'll post my progress and findings as I go along.

Eric the Ewok

Got chance to have a better look at the cart today. The wiring is all over the show - but had a look at the wiring diagram - and actually it's very straightforward - so I think I'll be replacing it all.

One question - can anyone tell me what amperage battery (AH or CCA) would have been fitted to the cart originally? I need to buy one as it came without. I can find details for the electric carts but not the gas ones.

Looking at the size of the battery carrier I can get a 35/265 or 45/350 ah/cca battery that will fit. Any recommendations?

Lochlin

Really, any car battery will work for a light use as is the case with carts. The physical size of the battery, ie making sure it fits in the battery tray, is probably more important than the actual battery performance.

Eric the Ewok

Just making up the missing oil control cable - does anyone have a picture of the bracket that holds the cable before the carb - is it part of the accelerator bracket?

Eric the Ewok

Micro Switch.

I can't get my head round how this should be wired - the wiring diagram is not clear what connects to what at the switch. The switch has common, normally open and normally closed.

Connections to it are permanent 12v (from circuit breaker) and then blue and orange both off to the key switch.

Anyone point me in the right direction?

After a bit more digging I see you use Normally closed and common. So looking at the wiring diagram the blue is permeant live all the way to the key switch and orange is energised when the accelerator is pressed. Does that sound right? That would mean the buzzer sounds as soon as you switch to reverse I think.


Cheers, Eric.