Maintaining your 2012 Club Car XRT 1550 is crucial for its longevity and performance, and understanding the specifics of its parts, especially for maintenance, is essential. One area that often comes up in discussions among owners is the rear differential. This article delves into a specific concern raised about the differential in the 2012 Club Car XRT 1550 models, focusing on preventive maintenance and design changes.
Initial inquiries suggested that there might not be any specific preventive maintenance measures to avoid potential issues with the differential. However, simple and cost-effective procedures like changing the rear differential and transmission oil are always beneficial. It’s generally recommended to perform these changes more frequently than the standard intervals – for instance, at 100 hours instead of 300 hours, especially when also servicing the front differential.
The core issue discussed revolves around the lack of clarity regarding potential failure causes in the differential. Without knowing the exact reasons for failures, it’s challenging to implement targeted preventive actions. Furthermore, gauging the commonality of such problems is difficult, as only Club Car possesses data on replacement part sales and failure rates. However, the fact that a design modification was implemented for the 2012 models suggests that there was a recognized need for improvement.
The 2012 rework of the differential housing appears to involve inverting the existing housing and relocating the drain hole to the new bottom. Despite this change, the specified fluid volume remained at 20 oz. Initially, there might have been ambiguity in the owner’s manual, potentially leading users to fill the differential fluid up to the fill hole, which could be incorrect.
Later versions of the manual clarified this point, explicitly instructing users to “Fill by volume” and not to fill until the fluid reaches the fill hole. The specified volume remained consistently at 20 oz. This clarification likely aimed to address potential overfilling or incorrect fluid levels due to the housing design change.
One hypothesis considered was whether the original housing design, with the fill hole in its initial position, could have made it impossible to add the full 20 oz of fluid, potentially leading to lubrication issues and failures. However, practical investigation by draining and measuring the existing fluid revealed that the original fill level, up to the fill plug, actually contained approximately 22 fluid ounces (650 ml), slightly more than the specified 20 oz. This test somewhat refuted the hypothesis that underfilling was the primary issue due to fill hole placement.
In conclusion, while the exact cause of differential concerns in earlier models and the specifics of the 2012 design change remain somewhat unclear without official data from Club Car, focusing on regular and correctly performed maintenance is paramount. For 2012 Club Car Xrt 1550 Parts related to the differential, ensuring the correct fluid volume (20 oz) as per the manual’s “Fill by volume” instruction is crucial. Regular oil changes for both the differential and transmission, performed diligently, are likely the most effective preventive measures an owner can take. For specific part numbers or further in-depth technical advice, consulting official Club Car resources or certified mechanics specializing in Club Car XRT 1550 models is always recommended.
