Rebuilding/upgrading a 98 txt - where to start!

[Sir Nuke]

Originally Posted by ycis

yep, the tray is toast...im going to strip it completely down and fix/replace just about everything. Im guessing i can locate a replacement tray somewhere vs having to fab something up? just from the parts I see sofar im surprised its still even holding the weight of the batteries (perhaps its an extra special strong rust bond)...so refurbishing that tray might be a lost cause unless its super expensive!

YEP....the tray is only bolted in....and is fairly cheap. seeing as how you do have some corrosion for various reasons (leaked battery acid). once you get the body off and strip off all the old batteries, and want to remove the old battery try, you will find to LARGE Torx bolts at the front mount of the tray, you may need an impact driver to get them out if they are rusted in place, OR you may end up using a grinder and cut the head off and have to drill them out. I have had to do that twice....its not a real big deal, just a PITA. Just take you time when doing anything and don't get in a hurry and you will be fine.

[TexTurbo]

Ysis,

Going back to your "stranded bondo" question.... don't use it..

The body is NOT fiberglass.... its injection molded plastic with a "Teflon" type product blended in to make it come out of the mold easier....
that is what make it important to use the right products to repair and especially paint.... but that is a whole different subject.. read up on that before you get into body working.. I followed the generally recommended process and it has worked great !! Both on my cart and the quite a few I have done since getting " infected"....

The battery box.... definitely get a new one.... you cant build one for the price, and the new ones fit perfectly... I will say I have had to grind out the bolts on the ones I have done!!

[ycis]

good call on the body being plastic, i honestly thought it was glass (probably would have discovered otherwise once i started sanding, but its good to know now!)

[ycis]

soooo moving right along! picked a great week to work in the garage with temps hitting 100+ in Florida at the start of summer...first world problems!

so as expected, this tray is literally held together by hopes and dreams an liberal tears...certainly very little metal! I was afraid of actually cracking the battery cases while trying to pry them out, all of the calcification had hardened into cement completely locking the batteries into the trays!

and yea, definitely cutting those front torx bolts out...there is literally nothing left of the top of the bolts

[ycis]

so, as I begin more disassembly and cleaning, I wanted to ask about upgrades/replacement items!

a few of the pics below show the controller and throttle/regulator, as well as the rear leaf springs.

the controller looks brand new (guess it helps its in a sealed box), but im not sure if its stock or a replacement sometime between 98 and now? the cables running to it appear to be much larger than the ones going to the throttle controller and batteries for sure!

if its good to go, ive no desire to replace or modify it, but im not sure?


onto the throttle controller, this of course looks original to the cart and is covered in corrosion and dirt/oil/whatever...i hosed it down with some electrical cleaner and ill get at it with a brush after a night of soaking to see how it comes out...but compared to the controller it looks rather...juryrigged? is this factory? I know someone mentioned replacing the mechanical fwd/reverse lever with a switch? i see that would replace the mechanical part of this in the front, does it require an entire new assembly here? worth the hassle to just replace the whole thing with a modern/newer equivalent?


and last pic is of the rear springs. this cart came with a rear seat, and ive read it "should" have heavy duty springs in the back which appear to be a 3 leaf pack?

i plan on lifting the cart, but only a few inches to clear 23s or so...its an onroad cart only (or course/yard) so i dont need huge suspension travel or clearance, id planned on just doing the spacer 3/4" lift available on most sites unless someone tells me why I need to spend a fortune on the suspension or spindle lifts?

as always, appreciate the feedback!

[Sir Nuke]

Originally Posted by ycis

so, as I begin more disassembly and cleaning, I wanted to ask about upgrades/replacement items!

a few of the pics below show the controller and throttle/regulator, as well as the rear leaf springs.

the controller looks brand new (guess it helps its in a sealed box), but im not sure if its stock or a replacement sometime between 98 and now? the cables running to it appear to be much larger than the ones going to the throttle controller and batteries for sure!

if its good to go, ive no desire to replace or modify it, but im not sure?


onto the throttle controller, this of course looks original to the cart and is covered in corrosion and dirt/oil/whatever...i hosed it down with some electrical cleaner and ill get at it with a brush after a night of soaking to see how it comes out...but compared to the controller it looks rather...juryrigged? is this factory? I know someone mentioned replacing the mechanical fwd/reverse lever with a switch? i see that would replace the mechanical part of this in the front, does it require an entire new assembly here? worth the hassle to just replace the whole thing with a modern/newer equivalent?


and last pic is of the rear springs. this cart came with a rear seat, and ive read it "should" have heavy duty springs in the back which appear to be a 3 leaf pack?

i plan on lifting the cart, but only a few inches to clear 23s or so...its an onroad cart only (or course/yard) so i dont need huge suspension travel or clearance, id planned on just doing the spacer 3/4" lift available on most sites unless someone tells me why I need to spend a fortune on the suspension or spindle lifts?

as always, appreciate the feedback!

before you start buying parts, you need to decide what you really want to do with that cart. you said its going to be a neighborhood cruiser, but also you are going to lift it for 23" tires. with that all in mind, AND its obvious looking the pictures you have a SERIES cart. as far as the LOFT goes, for 23" tires, you will need a 4" lift minimum. either kind will work for you. you need to decide how fast you want your cart to be able to go.....seeing as how you have a SERIES cart, you have a few options, either get a SPEED motor to replace the stock one, upgrade to a 48v system (that will get you an additional 33% more torque/speed over stock, and is highly recommended) OR DO BOTH! another option would be to change out the gears in the rear end. The cables....considering the age of your cart, I would highly recommend to replace ALL of the cables, with a matching set. The Controller, you ARE going to need a new one. don't know what you really need, but you would want/need either a 400 or 500 amp controller (preferably an Alltrax SR48400 or SR48500) with a SD 400 amp solenoid. AND to top it all off, you will need either a HD F&R Switch or a Reversing Contactor set. (for your use, the HD F&R Switch would do just fine). Looking at your rear springs, it appears that they have flattened out....it happens with age. you may want to replace them with HD rear springs if you plan on carrying adult passengers in the back on a regular basis.

well you have a lot to think about.....and a number of choices to make.

[noxin]

I agree with Sir Nuke on deciding what you want to do before you need to start replacing parts. I can say that everything there looks original -- just like my 2000 Series TXT.

Mine is also an onroad neighborhood cruiser with no lift, though in a fairly hilly area. The path I've taken (so far):

1. New 2G battery/controller/motor cables
2. Upgraded FNR switch
3. Alltrax SR48500 and HD solenoid

Next is decision on whether to invest in a new motor (or rebuilt), or go to 48v first and change the motor later.

Good luck!

[ycis]

speed isnt really an issue for now TBH...i have a newborn and an old dog (and an old mother) who will be the most likely passengers. plus we have a 25mph limit in the hood (Gated community). so if im going to spend a good chunk of change...itll be in reliability areas vs speed.

i dont NEED to go to 23s etc..but something taller/bigger than the stock 18s seemed like a no brainer and i seem to see sets of 20s to 23s with taller rims all over craigslist etc.

since im deconstructing the cart and rebuilding...seems easy enough to start with the tray and a small lift kit (appears even the basic block lift kits come in 3 and 4" varieties...as well as a new set of hd rear springs.

will the stock motor work fine on a 48v setup? i already have to replace the batteries, so unless there is a staggering cost increase in replacing all these items with 48v stuff vs 36v stuff...im ok with that. (ie i already have to buy new cables/controller/solenoid/batteries).

will the factory charger charge the 8v batteries without issue? or do i have to add a new one of those to the list? lol.

thanks...you guys are great!

[EzgoNewbie305]

Add that to your list. Voltage change needs the appropriate voltage charger.

[ycis]

yea I figured as much, but fingers were crossed just in case =)