Hub Splines Not Stripped

bucky7680

New Member
I had a chance to look at my 1999 EZGO this weekend. When I rotated one of the hubs the other one did not rotate, neither did either shaft. I can only conclude that the hubs are fine and hub the splines aren't stripped.
I have had this cart for a little under 3 years now and I had not checked the transmission gear oil. There is no obvious sign of a leak but the fluid level was way down. I had to add over a quart of oil. After I added the oil and tried to rotate the left hub the right hub rotated in the opposite direction but when I put any resistance to the opposite hub it stooped rotating. The clutch pulley did not turn when the hubs were turning. I waited a couple of hours and had the same results except the clutch pulley began to rotate. When I manually rotated the clutch pulley there was no resistance felt and the hubs did not rotate. When I hooked up the belt and started the engine the right hub would rotate about 1/2 revolution and then stop. No movement was observed in reverse. I am assuming that damage was caused to the transmission due to low gear oil. Are there some kind of clutch plates in the rear diff that were damaged? There is no grinding sounds coming from the transmission.
Any ideas on what to do next? Do I need to take the trans apart and are any special tool needed? I am a fair shade tree mechanic. Or, is this something a cart mechanic needs to do? Any recommendations on where to get the parts from? Thanks.
 

Bob-o

Member
Everything your describing still does not rule out the possibility of a striped hub.

The foolproof test: Remove each hub. Insert finger from axle side. Feel for ledge near the other side. If you feel a ledge on either one, then the splines have striped.

It is unlikely that either the ring gear or input gears went south. To test for that (after physically checking hubs):

- Get a contaminant free container
- Drain differential fluid from rear end
- Get a magnet and run it through the oil... anything stick to the magnet?

Sorry, I have got to run or I'll be late for work. It is also possible that you overfilled the rear end. There is a fill plug, and a check plug on these cars. Did you fill it up to the yellow plug?

I'll be back this evening to help further. Sorry my explanations were short and not very descriptive... I'm in a rush.

Have a good one,
Bob
 

bucky7680

New Member
Thanks Bob, I'll pull the hubs and check them. Will a regular gear puller work or is there something specific I need? Yeh, I may have put too much gear oil in. It's not all the way to the yellow plug but I did not know there was another plug to check. :wallbash: Where can I get an owners and a shop manual for this thing so I won't be in the dark about it's operation and maintenance.
 

Bob-o

Member
Not really ;) . They don't always have the diameter needed to pull an "angrily" stuck hub. I only invented the word angrily because I don't think cursing is allowed.

Trick one... bang on the top, bottom, and sides with a hammer while you pull with your hand. This one works most of the time... unless someone didn't use anti-seize.

Trick two: Take a rim from an old golf car tire. Put it on the hub backwards. Install two lug nuts, and use a hub puller from a car.

I had one stuck so bad once, that I broke the old rim (I say old... it was used... not rusted out :rotflmao: ).

You can get a service manual for your car from any authorized dealer. Be warned though, they are expensive for a paperback.

Bob
 

gornoman

Well-Known Member
The spun hubs usually come right off because there are no splines to bind up. The good hubs can be a pain to remove sometimes. And don't forget to use anti-seize compound when reassembling.
 

Fairlane

New Member
After seeing the gears in these I would be surprised if anything is wrong inside. I agree with the hub notion. Also your over full if it had any oil at all when you added the quart.

Glen
 

bucky7680

New Member
Thanks for the info guys. I'll be out of town until next week I will try to pull the hubs next week. I'll let you know what I find.
 

bucky7680

New Member
Finaly took the cart to a cart shop. They had it fixed the next day. It turned out to be some kind of shift pin the came out of alignment. 1 Hr of shop time. Thanks again for all your help
 
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