1987 EZ-GO Cart no power

fnotaro

First of all, I have very little experience in repairing small engines. I am an electrician and general foreman. I'm trying to help a co-worker of mine, Bob, repair a golf car.

We have a EZ-GO gas cart with engine model EC25-2PG. One day the engine wouldn't turn over. Bob found the cylinder full of gas and assumed it was the float sticking on the carb. Bob removed the spark plug and gas came pouring out. He cleaned the spark plug, changed the fuel filter, cleaned the carb, put everything back together and the cart ran fine.

The next day the engine would not turn over and the cylinder was full of gas again. Bob replaced the carb (new) and the fuel pump (new). The cylinder no longer fills up with gas, but the cart has very little power.

Bob next look at the ignition system, and didn't find anything wrong. At this point, I got involved and noticed that there was no spark at all. At the ignition coil, there is 11.8v while cranking. I assumed that was good. With an ohm meter, I tested the ignition coil and pulsar coil. Both are fine. I then looked at the spark plug wire and noticed it was bad. I repaired it and viola, we now have good spark. I also suspected that the Ignitor Unit might be bad. There isn't a way to test it, but we had a used one in the shop. Bob changed it, but there was no difference. I assume both ignition coils are good.

I asked Bob this morning to drain the gas and make up a new gas mixture hoping that it was mixed incorrectly, but that is just a shot in the dark.

I suspect the problem is with the new carb. The cart's rear wheels are on jack stands. Even with no weight on the wheels, you can tell the cart has little power. If you pull on the choke, the engine slows down even more. Could it be as simple as a car adjustment?

The reed valves are probably original, but they are not available anymore. (Before yesterday I hadn't even heard of reed valves).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

BGW

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cart around

I believe that the fuel pump was the original problem.

That much gas in the cylinder probably put it in the exhaust too. I now suspect a clogged exhaust. It could be in the muffler, or it could be where the pipe connects to the cylinder.

I'm picturing oily, black sludge.


The second post of this thread has a manual you can use. It includes values for all electrical components. http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/gas-e...ml#post1215343

fnotaro

Do you think the fuel pump was pumping too much fuel (originally)?

cart around

No, I think the lower diaphragm was ripped, and fuel was getting sucked directly into the crankcase.


http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/gas-e...fuel-pump.html

Fuel in the cylinder itself would lead you to believe that it was coming through the intake from a sunk float. The piston would have to be in the right position to get on top of it, but since he changed both possibilities, we will never really know. He could open up the old pump if he still has it.

We have three possibilities for lower power now.
Clogged exhaust.
Bad crankshaft seals (Not really leaning there yet)
Low compression
Low compression could be worn rings, or stuck rings. That thing was running really rich. I could see the rings getting clogged with carbon. A good healthy dose of Seafoam could clear that up.

Work through each one, and see what you find.

fnotaro

The ignition problem has been cleared up. The cart now runs again with little power. We replaced the gas, same problem. I noticed that there wasn't much fuel in the filter. Bob replaced the fuel lines, we took off the gas cap and stepped on the gas. Same problem. I suspected the fuel pump, but the fuel pump is new.

We filled up a small tank with fuel and connected it to the carb. I held it directly over the carb as Bob stepped on the gas and the engine ran at full speed. The engine is not getting enough fuel.

We took off the pump and cranked the engine. I could feel air being pushed from the engine, but I cannot feel any suction. I suspect the reed valves. EZ-GO doesn't carry them anymore, but I found some aftermarket RV and ordered them this morning.

Do you think I am on the right track?

cart around

I think that if the reed valves were bad, it wouldn't run at all, and it would be blowing fuel out the intake. Reed valves are check valves. They let air into the engine, but not out. Just like a diode.


The fuel filter does not fill with gas. It will always look half full.

Have you looked at the exhaust, or checked the compression yet?

fnotaro

The fuel filter is practically empty. You can see fuel dripping from the top. We disconnected the muffler and took off the exhaust pipe to look for obstruction, but it was surprisingly clean.

Since the engine has power when we connect an auxiliary tank and hold it over the carb, I suspect the engine is not getting enough fuel. The fuel pump was just replaced. The compression is 125 psi.

cart around

Ok. Compression is good.
Exhaust is good.

The fuel pump should put out heavy spurts of several inches. Stick the line from the carb into a container to see how it does.

There is a black plastic block between the pump, and engine. There should be a gasket. The pump has a rubber "O" ring where it sits against the plastic block. That should all be airtight.

Let's see how much fuel the pump is actually moving.
If the pump seems weak, and you are satisfied that there is nothing wrong with the new pump, that leads us to bad crankshaft seals.

my1423

Can you drive it with a fuel supply held high?
Does it have the power it is supposed to or is it still sluggy?

A static run on blocks could appear fine but not actually have any real power.

I bet your carb butterfly is not opening up all the way. Check your linkages and make sure the carb is actually opening all the way at full throttle. And or not going past full throttle and closing back down. A worn butterfly can also allow this. Or the governor not hooked up right.


Since the carb was removed twice if the linkage is not the issue I would remove it and double check all the gaskets and settings.

cart around

I'm under the impression that this is a brand new carb, and pump.

We went from too much fuel to not enough.

That could mean one of the replaced parts is bad, something wasn't sealed properly on installation, or there were two different problems to begin with.

That's why I say check the new pump for proper output.
If it's weak, take it apart, and look for crap in it.
Make sure the gasket, and "o" ring that I mentioned are both there.

Eliminate one possibility at a time, and then go from there.