I recently bought a ford think for 3500 dollars. I put new batteries in it and it runs well but needs new tires, I wanted to go with a better looking tire and I thought I would ask for help. Also the speed o meter doesn’t work and the turn signal doesn’t work. Everything else is good from what I can tell. Thank you
Hey Rod…
Congratulations! I purchased one about a year ago, hadta replace the tires and hen the batteries about 6 months later.
I found the tires on Ebay and had them shipped to my door… then had them mounted and BALANCED at a local shop. I replaced them with the same size that was on there, 215/50x12. Ran about $200 a set of 4.
But there are a PLETHORA of tires that will work both larger and smaller… and probably up to a 15" rim for tons of bling. Just search for “golf cart tires” and then stand back. You’ll need to know all your measurements and then check them 3 times if you wanna go custom. You don’t want any expensive lessons.
Batteries… I purchased 6 Marine deep cycle from Napa for about $900 bucks. They are maintenance free and that is a BASIC requirement. I’ve had them less than a year, drive the cart a mile or two daily, but have no long term results to share.
One DEALER here orders DEKA batteries by the pallet and says they are the best. I found one in my old tractor but had never heard of them before.
Maybe we can keep in touch as I find we are sorta ORPHANS in this world of carting… and share our experiences.
My speedo seems to need to be "warmed-up’ to work but now works all the time. I fear an intermittent connection but have not found the true cause.
My turn signals have always worked but not the headlights! The SHORT story is I hadta disassemble the entire “tree” and then REWIRE the headlights to a portion of the switch so they would work.
I dunno if they ever worked but I could not find how they could have with the stalk that was in this cart.
I can’t say where your problem is and cannot recommend anything more than a thorough and intense look at the trouble looking at voltages, wiring, fuses and bulbs… and insuring continuity.
I bought a set of rims and tires from Golf Car King. They look great and bolted right on. The bolt pattern is 4x4 the same as a golf cart.
I can email you the shop manual if you want.
The turn signal flasher is mounted to the multifunction switch. I had to replace mine. If the turn signals light up but don’t flash when the turn signal switch is pushed then chances are you just need a new flasher unit.
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For your speedo you will have to see if the speed sensor on the back of the motor is sending a signal. You need to check for AC voltage on the green wire when the cart is moving and the ignition switch is on. Get a small paper clip or sewing needle and insert it into the connector where the green wire goes in at the motor. Hook one end of your meter to the green wire and the other end to battery negative not to the chassis. Just pushing it back and forth is enough speed. If you don’t have a signal then you need to check for power and ground to the sensor. You should have 12-13 volts give or take. If you have power and ground but no signal it’s time for a new speed sensor.
They really look great! I have a shop working on it now. Quite a bit was wrong with it when I bought it. Probably over paid (3500). Needs a new charger, new batteries, turn signals and speed ometer broken, new tires, new brakes and missing the trunk cover. Thanks for your reply.
Thank you so much! I am completely new to this and the trouble shooting information has been extremely helpful. There is a company near my house called moto electric vehicles. They sell new ones for 8-14k. They are taking a look at it.
I paid 2k for mine. Had to repaint it ($400) as the clearcoat was peeling off, replaced both DC to DC converters, ($250) upgraded to a D&D motor ($650) , needed batteries so I opted to go with lithium which meant replacing the charger ($2150) and a few other things. I have over 6k in it now.
I think you will love it once you get it running right. They drive much better than the Gem’s in my eyes.
Can you travel 25 mikes between charges? I may want to do some of the same upgrades.
It was between the Ford think and a 1999 Gem. Proce and condition was the same. I like both but it did seem the think would be easier to maneuver
Yes I can easily go 25 miles. Much more if I’m not holding it wide open all the time. The Chevy Spark lithium batteries fit almost perfectly where the stock four center batteries go. You just have to fabricate something for them to sit on (I used a piece of plywood) and I cut a 2x4 to fill the small gap behind the batteries. Also you need to remove the front middle seat support which isn’t needed anyways in my eyes. I charge mine up to 96 volts without any issues.
The brakes are much better on the Think. Many people upgrade to disc brakes on the Gem’s as the stock brakes are terrible. The suspension is also better on the Think in my opinion.
I got a call from the company working on it and they said the repair cost was up to 3000 dollars are they haven’t started on the back. New charger, new tires, replaced bearings, and struts. I bought new batteries before I took it to them. They have had it a month.
ouch that seems pricey
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THINK VS GEM.
Think was a 1 year deal. (1972) There aren’t many around. GEM has been in production since 1996. Think electronic modules are problematic, scarce and expensive. If you aren’t capable of maintaining it yourself they can turn into a money pit. You can buy a refurbished 2 passenger GEM with new batteries for $2500 to $3500. Parts and information are readily available.
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New wheel bearings are $20 each, shocks/spring assemblies are $220 for a pair (they don’t have struts) and they are probably not even needed, a brand new charger 922-7254 is $250 from ebay. It is an updated charger so you need to either hard wire it or buy the connectors for another $100 give or take. The Think handles, brakes and drives much better than the GEM in my opinion. Yes they where only built in 2002 and there is not many people that can offer advice. Both the GEM and Think will be expensive if you hire shops to fix them. The only module they have a problem with that the GEM doesn’t is the instrument cluster and it can be fixed and updated from a guy in California who has only had a few of his ones fail for around $500.
Thank you. May need to get some clarification from them. They may have done ball joints. I bought a bunch of parts and gave them a big box when I took it because they were hesitant to work on it because they said parts were hard to come by. I didn’t have too much trouble finding them but I still need to cover for the trunk but they are on the expensive side.
I’ve seen them on ebay from time to time so just keep checking and be patient and you will find one.
I got the final bill and it was 5400 and they used the parts that I provided for the most part. I will learn to get a written estimate next time. Speedometer still doesn’t work and needs new shocks because it squeaks as we drive down the road, I now have over 9000 dollars in it which is ridiculous but my 8 year old daughter loves it.
I thought in Florida it was the law that they had to give you an estimate before performing any work. Pretty sure that is the way it is for cars so I can’t imagine a LSV is any different. I think I would be tempted to send a email to the attorney generals office and see what they have to say about it.
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David, I am installing the same type 14" wheels on my Think as well. Can you please tell me the offset you used?