EZ GO Not Moving But Motor Spins

[scottyb]

Good job. I gotta say you sound a lot happier to find this problem than I was

[cart around]

It's time for me to drag up this thread, thank scottyb, and tell my story.

I bought an early nineties Marathon. All I knew about it was that it didn't run. The seller had a lot of stories that made no sense, so I just ignored him. My plan was to upgrade all of the electronics thinking they were fried. I did notice that it pushed way too easy while loading it. I got it home to a quiet basement and started playing around. That's when I noticed that I could hear the motor spinning. I started thinking holy crap, it's got a stripped hub. Sure enough it did have a stripped hub, but it still didn't move. It was jacked up. The wheels would start to turn, but I could easily stop them. I could still hear that spinning. I pulled the axles, checked the splines, and ran a borescope up the axle tubes. Nothing. Everything looked great. I could still hear the motor spinning.

I pulled the motor. It was stuck to the input shaft so tight that the commutator came out of the motor. I'm thinking how could it possibly be slipping there? I put it back together. I then pulled the cover off the rearend and had the wife step on the pedal. I could see that the input shaft wasn't turning, but could still hear the motor.

I convinced myself that the splined coupling had to be slipping on the commutator shaft.
I slept on it and figured it was time to do some welding. I researched a little to see how common that was when I ran across this thread.

The whole time I'm thinking you have got to be kidding me. Something that simple. I knew it needed batteries, but didn't think it would cause it to act up like that.
Here we are today with a new set of batteries, the wheels scream right along, and I know more about the electric rear end than I will ever need to know. It was a true learning experience. Thanks to scottyb and everyone else in this thread.

[Mooncarter]

I'm late to this party, but check BOTH sides. I could have sworn the spinning hub was on one side of my TXT when it was the other side.

[SteveO90290]

1984 EZGO electric here.

Newish batteries (2022) Cart doesn't move, but I hear the motor spin. There was a bang and some grinding after shifting from reverse to forward.

Is there a keyway that I may have snapped? Where would I look for info on the input shaft or hubs.

This cart has had a HARD life. It has been a movie studio workhorse for its whole life. I have put a lot into it over the past few years and don't want to give up on it

I am pretty mechanically inclined, but never got into differentials before.

TIA
SteveO

[Doubles Shooter]

Pull a wheel and check the hubs. Start at the cheap easy fixes first.

[SteveO90290]

Thanks for the suggestion Shooter.

Just checked, sadly the hub nuts are not spinning.

[SteveO90290]

Well it ended up being a broken axle shaft on the passenger side. Glad the Spyder gears were not messed up.

Sadly nobody seems to stock the 20.75" drive shaft, so I am having the metal shop at work modify a longer one to fit. If anyone has an old ezgo 20.75" long axle with hanging around, I'll buy it just incase the welded one doesn't last.