yes,the steering pump is still not connected at the relay so it doesn't drain power while i'm testing things and makes it easier to track other noises.
the thing is that, it always hums whether it runs correctly or not so had no way of knowing if it was correct behavior seeing it's my first foray into the electric forklift world.
i'll test the accel unit for proper operation now that i have a service manual and report back.you mentioned a trick to adjusting this a while back?
you are correct in that checking main drive motors is a pain.had to remove the tilt cylinder and steering pump assembly to get to motor shrouds
did check the 4 steering cam microswitches a while back and all operated normally(closing and opening as cam pushes or releases them).
stay tuned.