after reading a lot of posts for some time, I’ve decided to sign in today. I’m from Germany and active member of the BGW golf cart forum for nearly 6 yrs now. After finishing a second Ezgo RXV, my new project is a 2006 Gem e2, originally, with hard doors and back trunk. Got it pretty cheap but, no keys, no papers and it wasn’t used for 10 yrs! With a key switch from eBay and a 24s lithium battery direct from China I could answer my biggest question, does it work? And yes, electrical it’s alive. Not any fault code shown! Drove the Gem a few feet in my driveway, my first impression was, there are some mechanical issues for sure. Rusty front/rear end, dead master brake cylinder, faulty steering rack and so on. My main concern are to get the right parts needed. Master cylinder+ brake pads I’ve received from a golf cart shop in CA. More difficult to locate the rotors, steering rack I.e.
According to the display, the GEM has 13k kilometers on it. 5kw GE motor, most likely 12.44 gears, DeltaQ charger, T4 controller and Sure Power reducer.
My first question here would be, if someone probably has a few good parts for a 06 model? I’ve a shipping address in Florida, so that’s no problem. Won’t forget to say, that I’m appreciating the unbelievable knowledge of some guys on this forum.
I’m really glad, you didn’t say " burn it down ", but hey, it’s fortunately a 06 Gem:) Not sure with the steering rack, left turn works, but when turning to the right, at some point, the wheels doesn’t move equally. Recently I saw a complete ( used ) steering on eBay , next day it was gone, damn…
I’m planning to take the whole front end apart, for rustoration of the subframe, motor service etc. So i can take exact measurements of the rotors ( there are many cheap, similar looking parts on the market, but nobody says, it fits a Gem:(
I only smoke fine aged vintage gems from 2004 and earlier.
Are the rotors and drums damaged to the point where they can not be turned on a lathe by an auto shop?
Rotors and calipers along with the pistons for the rear drums have always been kind of hard to find.
I one time heard the brake rotors may be Renault or maybe it was that Renault would fit. This is unverified though.
I belive the master cylinder may be common to the Chrysler PT Cruiser.
Worst case, i have heard that some years & Acura (honda) parts will bolt up. But they are not compatable with the existing gem parts , you have to change rotor, caliper and pads. There was information on what part numbers and years fit posted on here in a thread by someone who converted all 4 wheels on an e4 to accura discs. I think it was Acura anyway. He bought from RockAuto iirc, so easy to source.
Due to the near square wheelbase on an e2, it can spin itself around if the brakes grab too well.
On the steering rack, if you look up from underneath you should see what looks like two recessed large hex head bolt heads. If one or both are loose, it can jam the rack & pinion. I’m sure there is a special tool for them, but you can use a rotary cut off wheel to put a light groove in them and tighten with a large screwdriver.
A replacement master cylinder is available, I’ve it already installed. The OEM part had a pressure switch attached, the replacement not. No big problem, I think.
The rotors and the steering rack are salvageable by chance. I’ve to get them out. It’s mainly surface rust on the rotors and there is a repair kit available for the rack ( boots, tie rods and grease ). I saw a picture on here of the two bolts as you described.
Btw: Rock auto is the place, where I get all necessary parts for my classic Chevy truck c-1500:)
Icky. Do they salt the roads over there in the winter or is that all just from moisture?
The old pressure switch wasn’t salvageable to move over? I think you may be able to just screw a plug in there and jumper the wires to trick the controller, but I don’t have a 72V gem to check on anymore.
Shoot me a PM with your email address and I’ll send you the service manual (or the closest year I have anyway) if you don’t have it already.
I think, I already have the right manual ( E-Series Service Manual ), so thank you for the offer!
Regarding the condition of the GEM, my guess is, it was stored somewhere on wet ground and 10 years are a long time. The corrosion is mainly underneath, not inside. Some dirt under the dash, but no corrosion there. Fortunately the main frame is aluminum…
