98 club car purchase

[rammunition361]

I may be purchasing a 98 club car this week, has lift but still has leaf under the front. Has 287cc kaw engine. What should i look for when i go look at this cart? i have two ezgos but never owned a club car. Is that a good year for them or was there a dramatic change near 98? School me fellas. thanks in advance

[chevydmax6]

97 is when the changed for ccw to cw rotation on the motor and rear end so if u are or need the repower with a new motor it will be running backwards

[rammunition361]

the engine or transaxle? don't some companies offer different rotation on small engines?

[lockman1]

A 98 is a nice cart! and there were no major changes at that time!
(changes were... 91 to 92, 96 to 97, 2000 to 2001, 2004 to 2005, and 2012 to present)

The original engine (FE290) and transaxle on a 98 are clockwise rotation, (Club car is the only cart manufacturer to change rotations)
and to elaborate on what chevymax said...
IF... you were to change the engine to a larger or "aftermarket" engine,
most aftermarket engines have a counter clockwise rotation,
So your F/R shifter would have to be in reverse, in order to go forward!

The thing I would look at, is the lift!
it sounds like a Z lift, IF... it's a factory Z lift, and looks like this... it's a good lift!:

Lynx Lift and supention 005.jpg

If it doesn't look like that, and it looks "home made"... walk away!

.02

[pleighdammet]

Originally Posted by lockman1

IF... you were to change the engine to a larger or "aftermarket" engine,
most aftermarket engines have a counter clockwise rotation,
So your F/R shifter would have to be in reverse, in order to go forward!

The thing I would look at, is the lift!
it sounds like a Z lift, IF... it's a factory Z lift, and looks like this... it's a good lift!:

Attachment 115606

If it doesn't look like that, and it looks "home made"... walk away!

.02

1 thing to add, IF youre thinking about this cart for a big block or clone swap it must be run in reverse, reverse gear is lower ratio than forward. it would require a rear gear change to be effective. its not a problem except for the $300 for the gear.

lots of DS's out there. tried and true design. great carts. cant go wrong if its in good order like lockman said

[chevydmax6]

Thanks lockman for clearing that up for him

[rammunition361]

thanks guys. I am gonna big block a golf cart in the near future, just haven't figured out which one so I want to look at all my options, what does the gear change do for your forward gear which will then be your reverse?

[lockman1]

If you want to do a big block conversion, a 1997+ DS isn't a prime candidate! (any pre-96 DS would be better)
97+ conversions have been done many times, by many people but,
if it's top speed your looking for, it's been suggested to also add at least 8:1 high speed gears when doing a BB!

If it's a "boat-load" of torque your looking for, a BB alone will be just fine!
(you just have to get used to having the shifter in reverse when going forward)

The forward gear ratio on a 97+ DS unitized transaxle is 11.8:1 (or 12:1), reduced speed reverse is 17.1:1 (17:1)

[rammunition361]

if I can get the running cart for $1500 I could get by with the factory motor for a summer I think. Only problem is I wont have much room in the garage lol

[rammunition361]

im assuming if I purchase a club car the engine will sit with the shaft facing the passenger side? my engine turns counter clockwise is this correct? 91 model club car