13HP Kawasaki rant

nickdalzell1

Another day, another 'thumper' 2011+ TXT comes into service. Be warned, this is a rant.

We work a pretty old school area where most carts we get in are not from golfers, but farmers, rural types, people using them to help with mobility issues, etc. So, many are over 10-20 years old, some even 2-strokes. For the longest time I've become quite fond of how easy service and repair is on the Robin twin-cylinder 295 engine, how smooth, quiet, and reliable it is.

But it seems just this year (well, if you don't include our RXV gas cars, which gained massive popularity around these parts starting two years ago) the TXT has an upgrade (well, downgrade if you're a mechanic)

It's an entirely new engine, and yes, I've posted about it before, but then I was wondering why EZ got rid of the Robin. Supposedly for Federal Emissions regs? (never even knew EPA had requirements for S.O.R.Es, as stated on many an emissions label I've read, but I digress) And it SUCKS!!!!

It's noisy, it's vibratey, and it makes it nigh impossible for service unless you're either a feline (or can do yoga) or have tiny hands. Or a good catch pan or frame-lift. We got only tiny floor jacks.

I call it the 'thumper', both for the rhythm it makes when it runs, referencing the same rhythm that the Bambi character did when his foot thumped, and after some old motorcycle I saw long ago that had that stamped on the large single cylinder engine it had.

The TXT is even worse than the RXV to service, as they moved the drain pan on the rear, so it almost always allows oil to get on the frame under it where it will then drip used oil for hours after service (with no means to get a rag in there to wipe it all up!) and the oil filter is oh so conveniently located where any oil it drains out will always get into the fan shroud, so when you start it up after adding oil to fill the filter up, it will spray oil EVERYWHERE and make a massive puddle on the floor. I hate these darned things! For a while it was maybe once a year one of these newer TXTs would show up, but now entire fleets have started rolling in.

I despise them so much. We have had customers who's relatives had a twin version and know they want a new TXT but are put off by the noisy vibration and now we're stuck with ones we can't sell.

Worse is when they almost always burn through starter brushes because the TEAM clutches freeze up closed and even take the belts with them (two rentals have already done this and now our renters are refusing to work with us)


I don't even want to dream of the inevitable rebuilds when that should come. I've even talked to the boss about the possibility of swapping the rear and engine to the twin Robin to 'improve' the design. She seems to like the idea, but not the idea of tons of rear ends and unused Kawasakis sitting taking up space as a result. She also said there's no way to get new fleets of slightly older cars that have the twins (certainly there's some dealer who has some!) so we're stuck with them.


This latest one of course got oil everywhere and made the puddle. Yesterday one ate the starter brushes, and I'm hating these more than the electric RXVs (we're still getting the ones with the handle brakes and tiny solenoids but as I said, we don't get a lot of new cars until a decade or so later--Curtis versions are still pretty rare around here.)


Thanks for letting me vent.

BGW

__________________
This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members.
Register your free account today and become a member on Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum

4mula1fan

I sure like mine, but I don't work on them for a living. I've never heard of anyone having to work on the engine itself. My dealer has nothing but good things to say about the Kawasaki...

cgtech

I think the engine change actually happened in '08. But either way, be ready for more, haven't heard of a new engine in sight. I don't like the kawi motor too much either. The Robin had it's problems, but it sure was a lot smoother.

nickdalzell1

Make that three rentals. Another burned through a drive clutch just this last Friday, and it was about time to clock out!

I haven't even noticed a real power increase, either. An increase in noise dB, sure! but it seems the engine has to run even higher RPMs than the Robin did to get to 14MPH stock speed. Maybe because it's one cylinder vs. two?

Oh yes, they're a royal nightmare to service. Starter Generator is held on with bolts that are quite tight to reach, one behind the rod/cover for said rod which goes from carb to governor. the other is easy to lose as it will undoubtedly drop into the abyss that is the frame if you're not careful.

When they come in from the fleets who sell them to us, they have the wrong starter belt on them, so to remove it you have to cut it completely off, because the starter generator is already as loose as it's going to get.

The sound and ride is akin to a lawnmower too. RXV has the same engine, but it's not AS much of a pain to service because at least the frame is a bit open where the oil filter is, and the drain plug is easily accessible with a proper drain area around it, similar to a Club Car engine. On TXT, the plug is on the rear, over an area where most of the oil will spill onto the rear frame, with what appears to be a track for the oil specifically to go, but will be 'leaking' for hours unless a pressure washer is used. The front of them has no open areas at all except a tiny one where the brake cable is being routed, so when you remove oil filter, it will drain into the fan shroud AND into the front part of the frame, which 'leaks' for even longer than the rear. It would appear EZ designed this system to be used on a frame lift similar to automobiles, since that would be easier to avoid on such a system vs one floor jack from one end, where gravity would always take the oil everywhere you never want it to go.


There are two main problems and they're common. Starter brushes (either it's a seriously weak version of the Advanced Starter Generator or the engine has super high compression.) go like pairs of worn out socks. TEAM clutches are notoriously failure prone on this and RXV as well as the gas YDRAs, where even Yamaha doesn't supply replacements for them, but a conversion to use G22 drive/driven clutches on the YDRA.
Never mind the cost, around $600 each. Hard to reason with a customer about that!


We've had them complain about the vibration and noise, mainly from those who's relative is lucky enough to have a Robin version they're comparing this one to, only to be let down.


I am also pretty miffed at EZ for the PowerWise QE fiasco, which they apparently don't plan on fixing by making the PowerWise II as a proper apology, but instead made an even larger version of the QE that fails just as often.


Starting to have far more sympathy for Yamaha than I used to (back when I dealt with G1's) just because they appear to be innovating with their EFI and QuietDrive system which is indeed extremely smooth.

trig123

I would have to agree with nickdalzell1. These Ka waw sockies were not yet done when they removed them from the oven :)
I am so glad I am retired and not working on these things everyday.
I did snag me an EZGO with the very quite Robbins today. As a matter of fact it is really quite because it won't run :)

nickdalzell1

We had another drive clutch fail on our own lot of sale carts.

We have a good farm kid here now who can rebuild just about anything so we tasked him to see what was really inside the drive clutches, the Team versions that is.

There's no spring no grease fitting, and inside? PLASTIC roller 'balls'. PLASTIC. Doesn't take long to figure out what happens, they wear fast and catch just the wrong way and lock the thing tight.

Water intrusion is a big problem too. the shaft has no way to lubricate and it can rust pretty quickly.

FYI the only reason i've seen the Robins to stop running (unless it ran out of oil and locked up) is some person turned the car up beyond where it should be to go 20MPH+ and burned the rings out of the pistons. I bet you can turn it over easily by hand.

I do wish i could teach people that these are GOLF carts, not GO Karts. If you want to race or go super fast, DON'T buy a GOLF cart. They're designed to go slow and stop and go.

4mula1fan

I've had mine for 8 years with not 1 problem. Haters gon hate.

nickdalzell1

The new engines aren't 'junk' as in they blow up by simply looking at them the wrong way (no, that's reserved for Bad Boy Buggies)

They're just a pain in the arse to service or change parts on.

Spicyunicorn

Lol are you stuck in the 70's? What hasn't changed that has become hard to service/work on cars trucks farm equipment lawn mowers semis snowmobiles.......

ncorry

Is this the same 13 HP Kawasaki that is in the current Cushman Hauler/ EZGO Workhorse? I think it is a Kawasaki FJ400D.