Guide ring or bearing?

[PuttPutt]

Hello to all. Trying to trouble shoot a friends cart, CC Ser# A9607 487269
Getting a soft growl from the rear end on acceleration, noise goes away on deceleration. After searching and reading It has to be the guide ring or input shaft bearing. Is there a way to tell for sure. The sound is like rolling r on the tip of your tongue or like cards thumping the spokes on a bike when we were kids except muffled soft.

Can the guide ring fail resulting in a no go situation if he uses the cart? He has been living with the sound for a while, it is starting to bother him. He knows it is not normal.

How hard is it to change the bearing?

[theboss20]

Do you have a way to get the cart up on jack-stands? If you do...jack it up make sure it's solid on the jack-stands and put some wood in front of the front tires just for extra safety...I use chocks. Then if you have a mechanics stethoscope engage the motor and listen until you find the real source of the noise. (If you don't have a stethoscope you can use a short piece of a broom stick or something similar) don't forget to listen to the end of the motor as this may be the source of the issue...it was on my cart. You can buy a mechanics stethoscope on Amazon or from Harbour Freight...it makes a huge difference when trying to pinpoint this type of problem.

[PuttPutt]

I will have the cart at my house Monday evening and do as you suggest early Tuesday morning. Thanks for your help, I'll post what I find.

[PuttPutt]

Finally got this cart in the air and listened to it with a stethoscope type tool.
Noise seems to be loudest at the end of the motor away from the differential.
Noise stays pretty much the same weather right wheel or left wheel is turning.