'94 Columbia F&R switch

PaConstable

Guys, I know that has been a long time issue with these. I used my cart recently for an entire weekend at a special event that I was one of the managers at. First, the starting became sluggish and later, wouldn't go into reverse. First, the starter/generator and battery were eliminated as possible reasons. I made it through the weekend anyway and once I had it home, the F&R switch burned up, which was obviously the problem. Smoke coming up through the cup holder was a dead giveaway. Once removed, one burnt contact was the other.

I was reading an old thread here about guys coming up with home made fixes using other make switches and some ingenuity, but I'm concerned about doing that. I see that there are now a couple vendors marketing an upgrade with dual solenoids to fix the issue. The best deal I found on that is at Golf Cart Care in Alliance, Ohio (stock #71762-82C) for $85.59. They are a short distance from me to just drive over and get it even though their shipping is quite reasonable. Has anyone else used this upgrade and is it worth the price? I really want to get this back usable as I took a long time restoring it from a basket case. I'm open to other ideas, also.

I've attached a picture of the finished product of a lot of work.

Thanks.

Attached Images

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BGW

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aasukisuki

I'd be interested in hearing what you decide to do. My switch is still good (knock on wood), but I've been looking at the dual solenoid solution in another thread, and would love to just buy all of it in a kit. I'm hoping to find something that gives me both an on/off key, and a separate forward/reverse switch, so my parcar can operate closer to how other carts work.

PaConstable

I will let you know after the retrofit, though it looks like I am going this route with the upgrade kit. I called them today and they are out of stock, but should have them back within a week. another delay, but what can you do? Apparently, this guy claims that he is the originator of this upgrade kit. Interesting. The kit doesn't have a separate on/off, but uses the solenoids to take the amperage strain off of the switch, much like what a relay does for a fog light wiring setup.

FYI, the cheapest I found the upgrade kit elsewhere was $147. $85 is a major difference in price. The cheapest I found a direct replacement F&R switch was $78 elsewhere online, so for the $7 difference, it only makes sense to go with the upgrade and save future issues.