Change CC DS gears in chassis?

[oldphart]

Good morning......
I just finished a ground-up rebuild of an '87 DS and added a VC625. After driving it a little, I think I've decided to put high-speed gears in it; more to quiet it down at a cruise than for the added speed. If I pull the rear body off it, can I just pull the driver's side axle tube and the 1/2 of the diff case and do the job without pulling the whole axle assy out?

Thanks a bunch for any input.
Jim

[Fairtax4me]

No, the whole axle really needs to come out. The trans case has to be removed and then the axle case splits in the middle to get access to the gears inside.

[oldphart]

Thanks....I didn't realize the trans had to be separated also. That job got bigger....

Jim

[CP241]

You'll need a shop press also.

I took apart an electric 36v DS but it was a 2002. I dont know if the gears are the same, but I've got the gears and differential from it (case is gone). I've read the electric and gas rear ends were exact same, the gas just had a separate part that bolts on with transmission in lieu of the electric motor.

If they're the same, you can have them if you want them. You could have the gears installed and just swap them out. Save some down time perhaps. Whatever shipping costs (flat rate box) or I'll be in Michigan in a few weeks.

FT4M, david hicks, or someone may be able to say for sure if they're the same or different.

[oldphart]

CP....I really appreciate the offer.....but yours are the post '97 gears....and won't work in this antique CC axle I have. But.....when you get to MI.....the shop is always warm, and the beer is always cold...

Jim

[CP241]

I know gas carts completely changed in 97, but I dont know if the electric ones did. And as I've read, pre 97 electric and gas were the same part?

I havent compared internals because I've got no reason to open mine, but the DS looked awfully similar to my 93 gas carryall.

[Fairtax4me]

Yeah he wold have a Kawasaki axle which as far as I know had different gears in it. Same ratio, just a slightly different design.

Sometime in the mid-late 90s Club car changed over from a Kawasaki axle to Graziano. Graziano and Kawasaki axles are dimensionally the same on the outside, but there are internal differences.
The gear ratio on the old Gas axles was different than what the electric had. I don't remember exact numbers but it was kinda like the difference between an 8:1 vs a 12:1 (Gas vs electric).

As far as I know you can bolt an old style transmission case to any electric axle up until around 04 when they changed the offset of the center case to accomodate the narrower frame of the Precedent. They moved it over about an inch and a half IIRC to have room to fit the motor.
The bolt pattern and spline count stayed the same so up until that, Graziano or Kawasaki axle would bolt up to the old style Kawasaki transmission case.

You could probably still use a newer axle with the old style transmission, but it would need high speed gears and you would have to make an extension or adapter for the input shaft for the clutch to sit in the right place to line up with the clutch on the engine.


But I guess that's going a bit off topic.
To get the axle out you remove the drive belt, disconnect the shift cable, and the governor cables.
Disconnect the brake cables, remove the bolt from the little dogbone brace on front center of the axle that holds it to the cradle.
Then remove the lower nuts for the shocks, the nuts on the U-bolts, and the bolts on the lower rear spring shackles. You'll need a jack or wood blocks to hold the engine cradle up, swing the springs down out of the way, and the axle should be able to lower down and roll out from under the cart. I might have forgot something there, it's been a while since I took one of the old ones apart.
The transmission case unbolts with 4 bolts around the outer perimeter of the bellhousing on top of the axle, then it slides right off.
You don't have to actually open that, just remove it from the axle housing and set it out of the way.
Once that's off you can remove the axle tubes. The brakes and axle stay on/in the tube.
Then once it's down to the center chunk you can open it up on a bench to get to the gears inside. Sounds like alot more work than it really is.

Oh yeah, disconnect the battery first.