Star EV carts are trash made with cheap metal. AVOID

[Cartmaster]

Chicom, i assume is a slang word for Chinese, so two questions answered.

I am beginning to wonder why you did not just get a club car, you seem to have a liking for them ????

[ojo]

Oh man... do you have a problem, call China! I've had a Tomberlin project cart some years ago, and i remember many things you discribe. The Tomberlin was in really good shape, i only had to get it running. That carts were a Chinese / US joint venture. Pedal assembly from Ezgo, but they've used a different sensor. Speed pak from Hongkong. Same with the solenoid. Fortunately i've found out, a speed sensor from a CC DS fits the ADC motor. Saved a lot of $$. The whole electric was a pain, rear lights with 3 functions but, all in one wire. Finally i got it running and official street legal ( registered as LSV in Europe / US ). If somebody ask me, i'd recommend... run away

[hardhouseinc]

Originally Posted by Cartmaster

Chicom, i assume is a slang word for Chinese, so two questions answered.

I am beginning to wonder why you did not just get a club car, you seem to have a liking for them ????

yah wonder if he meant china dot com
I thought after initial research that they were a US company?

The Star was my first golf cart. I needed a little buggy to get around and it was available seemed good. Turned out to be a real nightmare.

I later got a project club car. Did some minor refurbishment and found out during the process that star is trash and just some rebranded parts they sell as their own at 5x retail.

Live and learn. Wish I got the clubcar first they are much better and its easy to find parts and I have a full dealer manual for mine.

at least the motors are the same. i found out you can just order club car motor parts they are almost identical 3.5hp motors with a slightly different output shaft.
the brush box and bearing is identical.

[hardhouseinc]

Originally Posted by ojo

Oh man... do you have a problem, call China! I've had a Tomberlin project cart some years ago, and i remember many things you discribe. The Tomberlin was in really good shape, i only had to get it running. That carts were a Chinese / US joint venture. Pedal assembly from Ezgo, but they've used a different sensor. Speed pak from Hongkong. Same with the solenoid. Fortunately i've found out, a speed sensor from a CC DS fits the ADC motor. Saved a lot of $$. The whole electric was a pain, rear lights with 3 functions but, all in one wire. Finally i got it running and official street legal ( registered as LSV in Europe / US ). If somebody ask me, i'd recommend... run away

yup the wiring is all weird connectors i cant find. the guy who tried to fix it up tore out some lights and lost the pigtails. guy was an idiot and painted over rust. Pedal group is a total disaster. If I could find one for parts locally I might try to fab up a club car pedal assembly and see if it would line up and work there if I bold it in. swap the cheaper better throttle sensor and honestly the whole pedal thing is better.

I can say IVE LEARNED ALOT from all of this. Yah these sketchy companies just avoid. If its not club car or 100% made in America avoid. I thought this was a US company but appears they build something with their own plugs then sell them in the US?

Once you figure out its a chop job and can buy cheaper parts for an identical CCar motor its not as bad. Its just you are stuck with a **** pedal assembly and stupid throttle sensor and a rust to the ground frame.

Axle seems decent. Motor is easy to refurbish. Pedal assembly nightmare.
Throttle sensor OMFG a $400 part that is $30 for a club car.

Ill have fun learning how bad this is, get it all wired and solid and just sell it. I can build all the metal components myself so far.

[hardhouseinc]

some pics of the wiring pigtails I just cant find that plug is something Chinese specialty not for normal car wiring. Found THB as a company but those plugs IDK where they are and yah ship from china wasting my time.

Just have to replace those blinker pigtails. Waste of time looking. I think I found the company who made them, some Chinese wiring and plug maker so makes sense the company making these to be sold in the US is out of China.

full view of the POFS frame.

[hardhouseinc]

so here are some photos to show the Star EV classic, mine is 2014 I THINK, has the same motor as a club car precedent in the 2008 era. Just a slightly different output shaft on the motor.

First are the photos from rebuilding my clubcar motor.
These are pretty resiliant Id say its the only good part on the star cart.
They will run forever if you do motor maintenance and keep the brushes from sticking and then chewing up the armeture if they start arching really bad or chip and fall apart like my club car did when they never took care of it.

It destroyed the one brush box so i had to replace the whole ring.

[hardhouseinc]

when I opened up the star motor with a different maker and model I think I was like what? They are charging what for the brushes here?
Most shops are charging like 180 for the brushes if you search a shop that sells star parts and there are only a couple.

I rebuilt the club car motor for maybe $60 total for a bearing and new brush box since one was burnt up from a broken wire that started arching and blew out the brass box.
It was quite the site to see. Just barely was able to save the motor after the parts were bouncing around and arching and chewed up the armature before I got it.

here is the star EV motor. These motors have a chronic issue of the dust getting in the brush box and creating a kind of corrosion and the brushes get lodged in and wont move then they destruct. I caught this one just in time and was able to get the brushes loose without breaking them and cleaned up the box. Swapped out the bearing in like 10 mins now that Im an expert on that changing the one on my club car twice when I got a deflective bearing the first time.

also a shot of the controller and how terribly they put it together using bolts and nuts that rust away. FFS for exposed nuts you should use brass like the nut and bolt in the motor that is brass. Will have to replace all the rusted stuff with brass. IDK how this thing kept any solid connections without burning up from bad connection due to solid rust.

The little note I found attached to the wiring harness is funny
I guess it is a china brand made thing.

[hardhouseinc]

Motor work is complete. I got all four brushes loose without breaking them.
new bearing in and feels much better
brushes cleaned up a little with emery cloth spun on the shaft.

Now working to clean up all the connections on the controller.
brushing all the solid connections and any washers swapped to brass or grade 11 with brass nuts.

Some lighting pigtails arrived I can prep the tail lights and blinkers that were missing.
Tail light bulbs are also here those wiring portions are almost complete.

Found some rust converter primer for areas with surface rust or light rust cleaned up

Need to repalce the brake cables and cant figure out WTF they were thinking on the axle and brakes I mean seriously. ANOTHER **** show issue that looks like a disaster compared to club cart.

Oh yah and the read bumper structure is in and looks great.

[hardhouseinc]

Some pigtails replaced for blinkers
found ones that fit the tail lights with a bit of adjustment

[mikec35]

Quite a project you have there, good job keeping at it. Are you going to keep it after you get it back together?