2007 Drive

[Champyman]

Had an issue with the electric cart a few weeks back. My daughter and I set out for the trails on the old ski slope we live on. First trail, almost to the turn around area...dies...nothing. We get it turned around, put it in tow and coast back down the hill to the main road so we can tow it back up the mountain to the house. Didn't have time to look at it so it sat for two days. Tried to move it with no success. Power to everything but no movement. I gave the motor a little tap with a screw driver and it came to life but only for a second. Did this several times until a puff of smoke came out of the motor put it up on stands to see things better and it ran fine. Took it out for a ride and the motor sputtered like crazy. Asked a few people if it was worth taking the motor apart for possible repair but didn't get a lot of response.
Well I finally took it apart and found that 3 of the brushes were not sliding in the holders as they should. Cleaned everything up with air, freed up the brushes and gave the can a "custom" look. Never took pictures of the motor apart to show the stuck brushes. Runs like new again ordered a new set of brushes to put in later this week.
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[Sevin]

I'm about to take on a similar job with my '11 Drive. How hard is the job? Seems like getting the motor in and out will be a pain due to space.

[Champyman]

No problem. I have a 6 inch lift and 23's so I was able to just drop it out the bottom. Maybe a 20 min job to remove it. Put it in service/tow mode, tape the 4 cables for safety. Remove the 3 motor screws and pull out: very heavy!! watch your fingers!!


Up and in with a grin

[cgtech]

Now the motor looks like a d&d motor...lol

[Champyman]

That's what I was kinda going for lol. As soon as I saw the can of paint, I thought...D&D


Up and in with a grin

[cgtech]

Oh No! The dreaded "white tag" axle. It has one weak gear inside that will eventually fail. 8( . Is it noisey? The upgraded axles have a blue or green tag.

[Champyman]

What!? No issues...yet :/


Up and in with a grin

[Champyman]

Finally got a chance to really test it out. It's like having a new cart! Plenty if torque once again and soo smooth. [IMG][/IMG]
This is the base if the mountain. You can see the opening to one of the trails in the left just to the right of the white birch trees and the other on the right in between the two birch.

[cgtech]

I use an old dog leash as a "choker" like a noose around the motor so it is easier to manage.

[thetoddjohnson]

Originally Posted by Champyman

Well I finally took it apart and found that 3 of the brushes were not sliding in the holders as they should.

I have a 2007 Drive that also had brushes that weren't sliding properly. I figured I'd just mention this in case anybody else is experiencing the behavior that I was observing. It was only mildly annoying, so I just lived with it, but when the cart was under heavy load (like climbing a hill with multiple passengers) it would occasionally jerk. The best way to describe it would be the feeling you'd get if you were pedaling a bicycle up a hill and the chain would skip a link.

Finally after 4 years of tolerating it (I bought the cart in 2009) I got curious and pulled the motor. One of the brushes wasn't sliding. I cleaned it up and (a) the problem is gone, and (b) the motor has more torque, and (c) the cart is about 2 mph faster.

So if you have a drive that is acting weird, it might be worth yanking the motor and taking a peek.

TJ