88 ezgo 2cycle engine problems

hot rod

88 ezgo 2 cycle engine will not rev up. i have changed spark plug and have taken he exhaust pipe off to check for carbon build up. so far have not found the problem. check fuel pump and gas is spurting out. when engine does rev a lot of blue smoke comes out. gas mix is 8 ounces to 2 gallon of gas. i was driving the cart and it was running good and it just started cutting out and then quit running. i have a shut off valve on the gas line coming out of the tank and if i open it the motor runs slugish but if i leave it in the off position the motor runs better but not like it was. could the carb float be stuck or is it electrical. i do not know. it starts very slowly then revs up and then starts to miss and acts like it is not getting gas. could the gas cap not be venting.

BGW

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hms11

Things to check:

Compression: Must be at least 130psi minimum.

Oil mix: 5gal fuel to 1oz oil, 128:1 ratio. at 8oz to 2gal your not doing it any favours, and probably fouling the hell out of the plug and loading the muffler full of oil.

Ignition: Needs a good spark, and sometimes it's hard to tell sometimes if the stock one is doing its job properly because it will spark when you test it but get snuffed in the cylinder. Best bet is an HEI upgrade. There are plenty of ways to do it but I used an HEI module (pretty generic) and used the coil off a 96-96 chev truck with a vortec SBC. Pull the factory ignition module off the bracket and the HEI mounts right beside the coil using the exact same bolt holes, slick bracket, clean setup.

Carb: Take it off, take it apart, good cleaning and re-assemble. Thats about the extent of rebuilding these things, there is very little in the way of servicable parts for them so don't be rough on the o-rings.

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be along shortly with better/more advice. Good Luck!

Dave Box

Just a small correction to the above post. That should read 1 gallon of fuel to 1 ounce oil.

Dave

hms11

Oooops, yup. That's what I meant, 5gal to 1oz would be light even for a robin.

pachanga90

Since you had it mixed so heavy,A new Spark-Plug is a definite.Make sure you get the correct number,as the heat-range will affect performance.I would go thru the carb,make sure the main is clear,and swap the the plug.If it still doesn't perform correctly,remove the muffler and try it,you may have loaded it up with oil which will plug it.If so,look up "Muffler-Bar-B-Q" on the site.If you run it hard you can mix 1-1/2oz. per gal. but for normal yard/neighborhood use 1oz/gal is fine.Hope this helps.

hot rod

thanks for the info. what should i do about the gas in the tank in other words how is the easy way to empty the tank i am thinking syphering the gas out. i have changed plug and barqued exhaust pipe. muffler is not conected to motor and it still is running rough. this change over in the electrical is not clear to me. how do i know if previous owner has not done the change over. i will remove the gas and put the right gas mix in and buy another plug. using npk plug is there a better plug. should i barque the muffler just to clean it out? when i put the new plug in the cart ran good for a short time then it died. i chocked it and started running again. i let it set for about a hour and it would not run but it would sputter and try to rev up but not move. please help

Dave Box

If you are running at 30:1 and replacing the plug made it run good for a while then that points to the over rich mixture fouling the plug. It is a strange phenomena that these two stroke plugs never seem to clean that well and once they are fouled it is better to replace them. Here is what I would do.

Siphon your tank. You don't need to waste that gas just measure it. If you have 1 gallon then just add a further 3 gallons of neat gas to get the ratio to 128:1 (It's really not an exact science so 90:1, 100:1 it won't hurt you. Now you lines and carburetor are still going to be full of that nasty 40:1 stuff so run the engine as best as you can with the old plug for say 10 minutes or so to clean the bowl. Now replace the plug and go for a run. Try to give it some wide open time to get the engine hot and blow through the carburetor. If this fixes it you are good to go, if not we can look deeper.

My personal take on the HEI ignition mod is that it is not worth the time and money if you are just trying to improve performance, it is after all just a 247 cc two stroke(albeit you have the high output version of the 2PG), where it is useful is if your EXGO ignitor is dead and you don't want to blow $150 on a new part. If you have a spark then you should concentrate on your fuel issues first.

Dave

hot rod

dave i have syphoned all the gas out. changed the filter and barqued the exhaust pipe and muffler. put a new spark plug in. and mix new gas 128 to 1. i still do not know what is going on with the fuel. when the tank is full the fuel is running out the exhaust side of the engine. also i checked the fuel pump and gas is spurting out but not steady. also when you give it full throttle it looks like it stops but when you let off the throttle a little it starts again. i do not think the problem is electrical i think it is fuel related. also i examined the gas cap and it is cracked and the vent cap is missing. all the problems just popped up cart has been running great no problems thanks for your help any info will help hot rod

Dave Box

Here is my hypothesis (based on my real life experience), you can take it or leave it and you won't hurt my feelings.

The fuel pump works on the engine crankcase pressure variations, hence the spurting action. To do this there is a plastic diaphragm which separates the fuel side from the crankcase. You have developed a small crack in your diaphragm which when the engine is at rest (and there is sufficient head of gasoline) allows fuel to siphon out of the pump, down the pressure tube and into the crankcase. When this fuel gets to a certain level it reaches the horizontal cylinder and then oozes past the piston rings and out of the exhaust port. The extra fuel sloshing around does not stop the engine running and even assists in cold starting but it is running very rich which prevents top speed.

The solution, should you choose to accept it, is a new fuel pump at ~$33. Of course I could be wrong but that is the risk you run. Good luck

Dave

hot rod

dave i have put a on and off valve coming out the tank. will this help the syphoning of fuel from the tank or will it effect the engine running? other question should i replace the fuel line going from the tank to the pump and carb to get rid of all the oil build up. also when i start the cart it sputters and then starts running okay it does this every time no matter cold or hot. is this normal for this engine? the cart in is good shape new clutches rebuild last year on engine has all the extras i need all new belts and rebuild on the carb all this in the last year. previous owner said wiring was upgraded 6 months before i pruchased it. i hate to sell but might need to up grade to newer model. need a cart that is reliable. would an electric cart serve me better? hot rod