Wow! I hope anyone having front end problems reads this thread. Your information is fantastic!!
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Originally Posted by Cartmaster
Glad to be of help so far. I wonder if you had this cart from new, or bought it used? maybe if used, a previous owner had a bump and replaced obviously damaged parts but missed something critical like the spindles and one may be bent on the steering arm. If you look closely, the arms each side should look parallel to the ground. Sometimes when a front wheel gets bumped, the steering arm will bend up slightly causing tracking issues, sometimes the tracking arm will bend, right by the end of the thread by the locking nut. (not always obvious) this is why i know they can be replaced but did not realise two different brands were available!.
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The cart was about 4 years old when I bought it from a local cart dealer. All he told me was that the cart came "from Florida" from a dealer he frequently bought carts from. I knew nothing about golf carts at the time.
The left arm is definitely a little lower than the right, so it is not parallel to the floor.
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Originally Posted by Cartmaster
Sometimes the small end of the a arm will bend up slightly, again not always obvious. I have made a jig that i can slide an a arm onto to check this. Basically a thick flat bar with two pins that fit perfectly in the arm bushes. If the a arm slides on and off easily its good, if not it goes in the scrap bin and is replaced. Ask me how i know! Publicly hired carts are so abused, that i am repairing front ends on a weekly basis LOL.
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You see, your info about the small end of the A-arm is invaluable. If I had known this great tip I would have looked at the arms much more closely. The jig is a brillant idea.
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Originally Posted by Cartmaster
If as you say one steering track arm ball joint is worn and sloppy, that may be a sign of a bump on that side as they usually wear very evenly!
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Another brilliant statement. I never thought about the fact they would wear evenly. That loose arm is a red flag.
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Originally Posted by Cartmaster
I will say this, in my experience with these carts, you are unlikely to get it perfect, as the build tolerances on these things are pretty wide unlike an auto or other road going vehicle. Remember these are designed for golf courses and slow speeds so not built to a particularly high standard.
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I understand and it's a great reminder. I do tend to be a perfectionist, about some things. LOL
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Originally Posted by Cartmaster
It does look like you have taken most precautions and replaced a lot of suspect parts already, so there cant be much more to check. So put your big girl panties on and go for it. (sorry, thats an English expression, not meant to offend LOL).
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That's funny and no offense taken.
I decided to order a whole new steering assembly rather than replacing only the inner joints. Go big or go home is my motto in this case. LOL. Also, new shocks. So, the only parts that I have NOT replaced will be the A-arms, right spindle, wheel hubs and leaf spring. If the new steering assemble and left spindle do not correct the problem I'll go further.
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Originally Posted by Cartmaster
Just had a thought! is it worth swapping common parts such as the a arms, track rod ends and king pins from one side to the other and see if the problem moves from one side to the other? that will identify the source of any problem. Obviously you cant swap the spindles as they are handed, but you CAN swap the clevis, just the bolts go in the opposite side!
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Great idea!! I think at this point I'll wait to try that since my new parts should arrive in a few days. Again, if it were earlier in the repair it would have been the thing to try! At this point all I could swap would be the A-arms since the king pins, washers, clevis and bushings are all new.
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Originally Posted by Cartmaster
One other thing to double check, is the thread on the top of the king pin can bend slightly and make the clevis sit at the wrong angle. this would affect camber and possibly tracking. Again, not always obvious. The tangs on the bottom of the king pin can also bend slightly and cause issues, hopefully you have checked this and you may notice that when fitted the bolt closes them up a fair bit and makes them tight to remove and replace. New ones you will find fit right on and then close up when you tighten the bolt. Those tangs need to be perfectly aligned with the king pin. if they are really bad, you would struggle to get the bolt in, so fairly obvious usually.
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King pins are new. Yes, they did fit perfectly and closed up as you described, thank goodness!
Thank you!! You are a wealth of knowledge and so kind to take your valuable time to help me. I appreciate it more than you can know!!