Noises from left rear axle/brake

[Peter W]

I've had a visit today from the EZGO mechanic employed by the dealership where I bought the buggy. He investigated the dry squeak from the rear end of the buggy and found no play or roughness in the axle bearings and no signs of chafing of the brake drums against the backplates so he put it down to the brake shoes, which still had plenty of life left in them but were glazed, and a bit of dust in the drums. He roughened the brake linings with abrasive paper and gave everything a thorough clean-out.

He put the clutch noise down to the driven clutch not closing fully as the belt loosened when the drive clutch slowed and stopped. He lubricated the driven clutch shaft.

The engine has a Team clutch with the correct 618630 belt in very good condition.

After he left, everything seemed to be working fine but I shall not be convinced that it's cured until I've driven it around the golf course a few times.

[Cartmaster]

Actually, brake dust in the drum can be pretty noisy and can also give a grinding noise when braking! I am not sure if lubricating the clutch is a good idea as the lubricant can attract dust and clog up the shaft! ideally if the clutch has a tight spot, it should be dismantled and thoroughly cleaned and then reassembled dry, but some people use a silicon lubricant that seems to work and not attract the dust.

Fingers crossed you have a resolve.

Thanks for letting us know how you got on.

[Peter W]

Originally Posted by Cartmaster

I am not sure if lubricating the clutch is a good idea as the lubricant can attract dust and clog up the shaft! ideally if the clutch has a tight spot, it should be dismantled and thoroughly cleaned and then reassembled dry, but some people use a silicon lubricant that seems to work and not attract the dust.

He used WD40!

[Cartmaster]

Just see how it goes, Luck be with you .

[Peter W]

I think I might spray some brake cleaner over the exposed parts of the driven clutch shaft to vaporise any residual WD40 so that dust won't be attracted. It works well to keep my car's tow ball grease free and dry.

[Peter W]

I played 9 holes of golf riding in the buggy yesterday. The dry squeak has completely disappeared, so I think that was down to dust in the brake drums. There's just a hint of the clutch belt noise as the buggy draws to a halt once the buggy is well and truly warmed up. I raised the seat and tugged the belt around a bit and concluded that it's just the sound of the warm loosened belt against the clutch sheaves, so I'm not worried. A couple of people have told me that the drive belts on the Kawasaki engines with the Team clutch can be a bit noisy. As the 618630 belts are very expensive in the UK, I think I'll live with the noise for as long as the present belt is still pulling the buggy along okay. I like the look of the Gboost Kevlar heavy duty belts but no one seems to import them into the UK and the freight and import duty costs to get one sent from the USA make importing one myself way too expensive.