Greetings,
Just bought a stalled Rascal Mobility Scooter 260le. I am an older dude looking for pros who can give me advice as I start this project. I have had an Invacare L3 for about ten months and runs like a champ but looking for something bigger around the outside. I acquired a Rascal 260LE with an electrical problem in addition to the speed and direction lever is missing a return spring or something. Someone before me tried to fix the unknown problems and gave up. Put everything back, screwed everything back together and removed the batteries for storage. I have a nearly new set of batteries in great shape but haven't hooked them up yet. I have been told it has sat in a spare bedroom for at least five years. We did push it out of a bedroom. Looks brand new, not a scratch. Thanks George..

Progress report: I have stripped off the seat, covers, baskets, and laid the wires, plugs, etc bare.
(A) I have noted the above speed/direction handlebar paddle is screw loose and seems to be missing maybe a small return spring, or rubber band. Everything in the compartment appears to be clean and intact. Can't see anything missing or damaged. Following the wire combo down the rod, under the deck and into the battery/control box compartment seems to be like new and no damage.

The control box is a black metal 5x5x2 not unlike what you would use as a junction box in home construction. It has a mother board on the bottom. The breaker was unscrewed from the box and lay in the box. The fuse holder was unscrewed from the box and coiled inside. Everything seems to be clean and OK except a pushed into the box wall 6 prongs with all wires running down to the various parts on the board is missing on the outside plug. Can't seem to find where it connects to at this point.

Well that’s it so far.

Thanks George

 

UPDATE ONE:

A. The issue appears to have been a missing micro-spring and loose attaching screw. That has been replaced and everything seems to mechanically work fine. No signs of prior removal, tampering, etc. Question? The owner’s literature indicates that this speed/direction paddle device will “Dead Man Switch” the starting process to keep the scooter from lurching forward when the start key is turned. So I need to be in the center of the dialing left (backward) and right (forward) for the control element to sense neutral when I tighten the attaching screw. Can this be done without power? Or, can I pull one or all of the three wires in order to cancel the “Dead Man Signal? I need to eliminate this as a possible start problem although I do not think it is my main one.

 

UPDATE TWO

B. The six prong plug on the side of the control box that I mentioned appears to be where a technician can plug in to the circuit board. All six wires go down and enter the board at various places. I can’t find any other use for this open plug on the scooter. I suppose some prior owner removed the insert and didn’t replace it. The owner manual references several times that the circuit board is programmable. Any suggestions?

 

Update Three..

Howdy,
The circuit board was so far beyond my skill level that a couple of pros grabbed it and rebuilt it back to OEM. It tests out great on the bench. Now for a related problem. Would appreciate any help available out there.
When I took the Rascal scooter apart, in addition to the obvious controller issues, the direction paddle in the dash was missing the spring and the screw that holds it to the potentiometer was loose. Some previous owner was messing with it. I have replaced the spring and the screw will tighten. Reading over the owners manual highlights the controller triggering the circuit breaker if the potentiometer is not in the center neutral position when the ignition is turned on. ( I wonder if continued start and stop playing with this could have caused the circuit board meltdown??)
I have watched a couple of U-tube potentiometer tests but can't find one that tells me how to test a direction control device and lock it to neutral. Does the center swipe piece have a non-conductive section in the center which would be neutral or does the controller recognize a greater vs. lessor power to tell forward from reverse and if so what on the meter determines neutral? Anyway, any advise would be appreciated.(The description on the device is CM4 6371 5K 20 0032 Claro Mexico) Thanks George

 

Does the center swipe piece have a non-conductive section in the center which would be neutral or does the controller recognize a greater vs. lessor power to tell forward from reverse

Unless the potentiometer is a custom-built one (expensive) it is unlikely to have a central non-conductive section in the resistance track. The controller therefore could respond to predetermined voltages (or, less likely, resistance). A small range either side of half-way would be regarded as neutral; anything outside that range would be forward or reverse.

Can this be done without power?

If you disconnect the pot from the control board then a DMM set to the Ohms range could easily determine the central position.
Caveat: It's possible the centre of the resistance track is not neutral, if the control is biassed to give a greater speed range in forward than reverse.

 

Update Four
Status of Direction potentiometer..

Per your suggestion I used the DMM to bring the readings at close to 250 left and 250 right..The closest I could get was 240 on one and 258 on the other for a total outside reading of 498..The total width of this neutral area appears to be about the width of ten human hairs side by side then it jumps to 498 depending on which way I turn the shaft. The other side then registers maybe 1..

For what seems like all day I tried to get the screw to hold the shaft after I zeroed it as close as I could to 250/250..Hooking up the paddle, spring and what not seemed to accomplish nothing and then I would be back at 498.

With some frustration I took the whole thing apart and discovered an invisible hairline crack where the screw cylinder passes thru the plastic paddle on its way to lock the pot shaft in place. With a little flexing this was enough to cancel any tightness of the screw against the pot shaft and what do you know, a neutral position could not be maintained. The dash would be screwed back together and mounted on the steering arm and the operator would expect a hardy burst of power but he would unknowingly be back to square one. Nothing would happen.

Ouch, without catching that hairline crack this could have been a very frustrating experience for someone. Could this be the Achilles Heel we have been looking for to cause the meltdown and tearing apart of the control box.

Ok, I super glued the paddle and in the am will put a little plastic fusion to the crack and then reattempt to lock in neutral.

Any words of wisdom? Thanks George

 

Just keep a log of what you do, don't try too many changes at once. Maybe you might be able to persuade a local plastic welder, if the plastic is compatible, to weld it up the paddle for you (payday might be the best day to try ).
You seem to be doing a good job, passing on certain aspects when you realise it's above your capabilities.

 

Well done in spotting that crack. But for the resistance reading to jump as it does suggests there may be a break in the resistance track too . At least we now know it's a 500 Ohm pot, so looking for a replacement of that value and the right physical dimensions might be worth a go (Farnell, RS, Mouser, Digikey ....?). I notice replacement pots are available from Rascal, but at heady prices (£26?!!). There seem to be two flavours; blue and silver. Which is yours?