Golf Cart Wizard
Cartaholic - V.I.P.
Ok, to avoid confusion I will start a new thread for electric Club Car Precedent model golf carts. Dates may not be exact as Club Car loves to change things halfway through the year and go back and forth with different parts. If you have any addition info or questions feel free to post below. Personally the Club Car Precedent is typically the golf cart I recommend people to buy. Other models may be better suited depending on your application, as every make and model has it's strengths and weaknesses. But for the average person in my area (which is coastal so an aluminum frame is a big deal) I think the Precedent/Tempo/Onward is a good choice due to being a well proven design without any major flaws in my opinion. OEM parts are available for very reasonable prices, and labor is very straightforward so these golf carts have a very low cost of ownership. The bodies are easily replaceable if damaged or you want a different color, and there is great aftermarket support for parts and accessories. As far a flaws MCOR failure on these is a common occurrence, as is worn front control arm bushings and hubs. There are plenty of unsealed wiring connectors used in the wire harnesses which can corrode to the point of failure. Also while the frame is mostly aluminum/composite there still is some steel. Areas of concern for rust include where the front roof struts mount to the body, front subframe/suspension, and the pedal group (hard to see but if parking brake doesn't latch right or pedal doesn't return it's probably rusty and needs replaced). Otherwise no real problems unique to this model.
2004: First year for the Club Car Precedent. This was a radical departure from anything previously seen in the golf cart industry, featuring engineering that would make Sandy Munro proud likely thanks to the help of parent Ingersoll Rand. While the DS used an all aluminum I beam frame design, the Precedent had a hybrid "Alumicore" chassis. It uses two boxed aluminum channels with a thicker section formed in along the top which made the frame thick enough to thread hardware directly into, reducing assembly time and complexity. There is an aluminum I beam crossmember bolted in the center which holds the brake cables, and the rear crossmember is plastic and functions as the rear bumper (with steel end supports behind rear wheels) and bagwell support. The front has a steel subframe for the suspension and steering, and a steel tower structure supporting the dash and roof struts. The front underbody functions as a structural member and is a glass-fill injection molded polymer, so much stronger than you think. This forms the dash trays, the floor, the pedal compartment and the wire tracks (a huge improvement from other models which just tie wrap the harness to the frame). At the back there are plastic underbody supports on either side that double as splash shields. The battery bucket is molded plastic, so it is impervious to battery acid and has integrated drains to keep the acid from corroding the frame. The early models had the bucket with 4 x 12 volt batteries and the electronics mounted between the batteries. This made it a breeze to work on, however you cannot convert it to 6 x 8 volt, and if the batteries were severely overfilled acid can pool around the controller so check that if buying one. Originally had the "iQ" Curtis 1510A-5251 controller, Albright SW80p solenoid, OBC charging, and a preinstalled "bucket harness" for lights. Also had the narrow offset Graziano transaxle (which can limit motor options), and what I've seen had the AMD EJ4-4001 Sepex motor, but very early ones may have used the GE gray case as well. At some point this would be replaced by the nearly identical EJ8-4001A. I think in 2007 the wider offset axle was introduced. The axle rides on tapered mono leaf springs which use the early formed steel shackles with narrow top bushing that slides into the frame rail. The same mechanical drum brakes from the DS were retained and are still used today. I find many braking problems on these are caused by lack of lubrication and the auto adjusters getting stuck. The pedals are integrated into a common mounting plate. There was an early design pedal group with more flat looking pedals. Also the MCOR mounts directly to the accelerator pedal so you have to either replace with the old style MCOR or replace the entire pedal group. Front suspension looked familiar using a faux dual control arm setup where a transverse leaf spring doubles as the lower control arm. These still use kingpin style spindles with greasable bushings, don't forget to grease them at least every few months. The upper control arms now only have a single inner bushing sleeve, and all the bushings are basically a wear item. Plan on changing them at some point, when depends on driving conditions. The front hubs now used non serviceable bearings. Check these as if they seize it will wear a groove in the spindle and then you have to replace that too. There is also an early style hub with square inset studs, later models would have pressed in round end studs. The steering consists of a rack and pinion with non serviceable outer tie rod ends. Both tie rods are standard (right hand) thread and are not tapered. On to the body, it has the "360 degree bumper" which actually works pretty well. The rear underbody portion is glass fill rather than plastic so it is pretty strong, but if you do manage to break it will be expensive, so check for any missing chunks or damage if buying one. The rocker panels were flush with the rear underbody, and had gold "Ingersoll Rand" badging. The seats used plastic backing for cushion and backrest, and early ones were prone to separation. You can tell the plastic bottom seat apart because the armrests are thicker. The steering wheel was the same one from the DS, and the dash looks slightly different because of the original "Style A" front underbody. These have a short dash over the steering column and a divider between the driver and center glove box. You can remove the divider and get a deeper center glove box. The body panels are now "Surlyn" with the color molded into the plastic and are designed for easy replacement. I don't recommend painting these panels. The material provides poor adhesion and is more flexible than the paint can tolerate so will eventually start chipping and look awful. At my cost brand new bodies from club car are cheaper than painting so it's not even worth it. While club car would later offer painted bodies those are a different material and use a special type of paint that a body shop won't have. These finally got the "Monsoon Canopy" with plastic rear struts acting as drain tubes to keep water away from occupants.
2009: This was the new and improved Precedent "i2". These introduced the current "Style B" underbody and dash. The dash cubbies now slope to the front and the dash is higher above the steering column, this area is where the USB goes on newer models, and no divider now. Rocker panels now overlap the rear underbody and have "Ingersoll Rand" molded into the plastic itself. The big change is under the seat, with a new battery bucket which can accommodate 6 x 8 volt batteries. The electronics are now mounted to a removable metal plate sitting behind the compartment, with an integrated solenoid bracket allowing the slot mount SU60P solenoid to be fitted. Testing is more difficult but it is the better design IMO. The new style pedal group was introduced, and club car tried using a new "throttle position sensor" which turned out to be problematic and would go back to the MCOR. This also marked the beginning of the "Excel" model which used a different wire harness and gray 1515-5201 controller. The main functional difference was increased regen capability as well as additional parameters and integrated display capabilty for golf course fleets. They would also ditch the integrated bucket harness, but it doesn't matter much as most light kits include this. These used plastic "underbody liners" on the bumper ends instead of steel.
2011: A new wooden seat bottom with thicker foam and thinner armrests was introduced, as was the new 3 spoke steering wheel. The formed aluminum controller mounting plate would become a casting, I believe magnesium, and had an integrated rain shield over the controller. The steel bumper brackets would return as well. At some point later on the rear bumper would become a single molding going the entire width of the golf cart without separate ends. The rear leaf spring shackle mounts would also switch to a more familiar double plate style with a new aluminum shackle mount installed in the frame. And the now ubiquitous MCOR 4 would be added.
2014: Another big update this year. Club Car finally ditched the OBC and transformer style charger in favor of the IC650 "ERIC" high frequency charger. These chargers are easily programmable so should be set to the appropriate algorithm for your batteries when replacing. Interesting note club car has their own algorithms not listed on the Delta Q website. For example T-875 Tempos now use #188 vs. #3 recommended by Delta Q for the same batteries. The charge port is slightly different on these models due to wiring. The positive now has a sealed fuse holder and attaches to the solenoid post, the negative goes to B- on the controller and there is a blue wire with a bullet connector for the interlock. The interlock and negative pins are shorted together in the charger, which pulls down the run signal coming through a 10k ohm resistor disabling the golf cart. These also added an LED charge light in the dash and it is now run by the controller. The controller is now the white 1515-5206, pretty much the same as the gray one but has charging data logging now and expanded functionality for golf courses. If you have one of these acting up make sure all those course parameters are turned off in the handheld as they can cause the golf cart to act up or not run at all. The wiring harness is also different. If you can pony up the cash I would recommend this model or newer. However there would be no more major changes until the Tempo so year doesn't matter. People get caught up in whether the frame is a 2014 or a 2020 but in reality the condition of the golf cart is the only thing that actually matters.
I will make a separate post for Tempo/Onward later.
2004: First year for the Club Car Precedent. This was a radical departure from anything previously seen in the golf cart industry, featuring engineering that would make Sandy Munro proud likely thanks to the help of parent Ingersoll Rand. While the DS used an all aluminum I beam frame design, the Precedent had a hybrid "Alumicore" chassis. It uses two boxed aluminum channels with a thicker section formed in along the top which made the frame thick enough to thread hardware directly into, reducing assembly time and complexity. There is an aluminum I beam crossmember bolted in the center which holds the brake cables, and the rear crossmember is plastic and functions as the rear bumper (with steel end supports behind rear wheels) and bagwell support. The front has a steel subframe for the suspension and steering, and a steel tower structure supporting the dash and roof struts. The front underbody functions as a structural member and is a glass-fill injection molded polymer, so much stronger than you think. This forms the dash trays, the floor, the pedal compartment and the wire tracks (a huge improvement from other models which just tie wrap the harness to the frame). At the back there are plastic underbody supports on either side that double as splash shields. The battery bucket is molded plastic, so it is impervious to battery acid and has integrated drains to keep the acid from corroding the frame. The early models had the bucket with 4 x 12 volt batteries and the electronics mounted between the batteries. This made it a breeze to work on, however you cannot convert it to 6 x 8 volt, and if the batteries were severely overfilled acid can pool around the controller so check that if buying one. Originally had the "iQ" Curtis 1510A-5251 controller, Albright SW80p solenoid, OBC charging, and a preinstalled "bucket harness" for lights. Also had the narrow offset Graziano transaxle (which can limit motor options), and what I've seen had the AMD EJ4-4001 Sepex motor, but very early ones may have used the GE gray case as well. At some point this would be replaced by the nearly identical EJ8-4001A. I think in 2007 the wider offset axle was introduced. The axle rides on tapered mono leaf springs which use the early formed steel shackles with narrow top bushing that slides into the frame rail. The same mechanical drum brakes from the DS were retained and are still used today. I find many braking problems on these are caused by lack of lubrication and the auto adjusters getting stuck. The pedals are integrated into a common mounting plate. There was an early design pedal group with more flat looking pedals. Also the MCOR mounts directly to the accelerator pedal so you have to either replace with the old style MCOR or replace the entire pedal group. Front suspension looked familiar using a faux dual control arm setup where a transverse leaf spring doubles as the lower control arm. These still use kingpin style spindles with greasable bushings, don't forget to grease them at least every few months. The upper control arms now only have a single inner bushing sleeve, and all the bushings are basically a wear item. Plan on changing them at some point, when depends on driving conditions. The front hubs now used non serviceable bearings. Check these as if they seize it will wear a groove in the spindle and then you have to replace that too. There is also an early style hub with square inset studs, later models would have pressed in round end studs. The steering consists of a rack and pinion with non serviceable outer tie rod ends. Both tie rods are standard (right hand) thread and are not tapered. On to the body, it has the "360 degree bumper" which actually works pretty well. The rear underbody portion is glass fill rather than plastic so it is pretty strong, but if you do manage to break it will be expensive, so check for any missing chunks or damage if buying one. The rocker panels were flush with the rear underbody, and had gold "Ingersoll Rand" badging. The seats used plastic backing for cushion and backrest, and early ones were prone to separation. You can tell the plastic bottom seat apart because the armrests are thicker. The steering wheel was the same one from the DS, and the dash looks slightly different because of the original "Style A" front underbody. These have a short dash over the steering column and a divider between the driver and center glove box. You can remove the divider and get a deeper center glove box. The body panels are now "Surlyn" with the color molded into the plastic and are designed for easy replacement. I don't recommend painting these panels. The material provides poor adhesion and is more flexible than the paint can tolerate so will eventually start chipping and look awful. At my cost brand new bodies from club car are cheaper than painting so it's not even worth it. While club car would later offer painted bodies those are a different material and use a special type of paint that a body shop won't have. These finally got the "Monsoon Canopy" with plastic rear struts acting as drain tubes to keep water away from occupants.
2009: This was the new and improved Precedent "i2". These introduced the current "Style B" underbody and dash. The dash cubbies now slope to the front and the dash is higher above the steering column, this area is where the USB goes on newer models, and no divider now. Rocker panels now overlap the rear underbody and have "Ingersoll Rand" molded into the plastic itself. The big change is under the seat, with a new battery bucket which can accommodate 6 x 8 volt batteries. The electronics are now mounted to a removable metal plate sitting behind the compartment, with an integrated solenoid bracket allowing the slot mount SU60P solenoid to be fitted. Testing is more difficult but it is the better design IMO. The new style pedal group was introduced, and club car tried using a new "throttle position sensor" which turned out to be problematic and would go back to the MCOR. This also marked the beginning of the "Excel" model which used a different wire harness and gray 1515-5201 controller. The main functional difference was increased regen capability as well as additional parameters and integrated display capabilty for golf course fleets. They would also ditch the integrated bucket harness, but it doesn't matter much as most light kits include this. These used plastic "underbody liners" on the bumper ends instead of steel.
2011: A new wooden seat bottom with thicker foam and thinner armrests was introduced, as was the new 3 spoke steering wheel. The formed aluminum controller mounting plate would become a casting, I believe magnesium, and had an integrated rain shield over the controller. The steel bumper brackets would return as well. At some point later on the rear bumper would become a single molding going the entire width of the golf cart without separate ends. The rear leaf spring shackle mounts would also switch to a more familiar double plate style with a new aluminum shackle mount installed in the frame. And the now ubiquitous MCOR 4 would be added.
2014: Another big update this year. Club Car finally ditched the OBC and transformer style charger in favor of the IC650 "ERIC" high frequency charger. These chargers are easily programmable so should be set to the appropriate algorithm for your batteries when replacing. Interesting note club car has their own algorithms not listed on the Delta Q website. For example T-875 Tempos now use #188 vs. #3 recommended by Delta Q for the same batteries. The charge port is slightly different on these models due to wiring. The positive now has a sealed fuse holder and attaches to the solenoid post, the negative goes to B- on the controller and there is a blue wire with a bullet connector for the interlock. The interlock and negative pins are shorted together in the charger, which pulls down the run signal coming through a 10k ohm resistor disabling the golf cart. These also added an LED charge light in the dash and it is now run by the controller. The controller is now the white 1515-5206, pretty much the same as the gray one but has charging data logging now and expanded functionality for golf courses. If you have one of these acting up make sure all those course parameters are turned off in the handheld as they can cause the golf cart to act up or not run at all. The wiring harness is also different. If you can pony up the cash I would recommend this model or newer. However there would be no more major changes until the Tempo so year doesn't matter. People get caught up in whether the frame is a 2014 or a 2020 but in reality the condition of the golf cart is the only thing that actually matters.
I will make a separate post for Tempo/Onward later.
