89 EZ GO Marathon will not start

jackedgolf

So we purchased this cart (1989 Marathon GX444 2 cycle Gas) last Tuesday and at the time of purchase was told it ran great and had a new battery. Got it home after having the seller run it and the next day tried to start it up to no avail. After checking all lines, etc. we figured the battery wasn't holding a charge and purchased a new one. Cart worked well afterwards. Took it out this weekend and while we were out and about the cart died. We tried jumping it and were able to get the engine to start however as soon as we took the jumpers off, it died again. After allowing the battery to re-charge over night, we went out to start the cart again and nothing happened. No clicking, no attempt to turn over, etc.

We've been going through all the forum threads we can find all weekend and have checked all the wiring, replaced the solenoid, micro switches, starter/generator, voltage regulator, etc. and still can not figure out what the heck is wrong with the thing. We did surmise that there were some wiring issues and after correcting that, the cart did start up briefly but died just as quick. Now the cart starts but doesn't fire up to turn over. At this point we are thinking it may be the ignition coil, but aren't 100% sure and don't want to shell out any more $ if it's something simple.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

BGW

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redcloud

I would say the generator/starter has bad brushes or another problem with charging. Test the battery after a good charge for 12 volts. then leave cart over night with out running it, check voltage again for 12 volts to see if you have a drain. If no drain, you probably have a geny not charging so you soon run out of voltage to run the cart. Have seen a battery have a short also when draw is taken so you may want to check voltage drop when you hit the peddle to run starter. You should see some drop to like 11 volts or a bit less but if it drops to below that, check cells for a bad one ( if you can).
Jack up back of cart and start cart with voltage tester on battery to see if you are getting an increase in voltage above 12 volts. If not, probably start/gen is in need of rebuild. Be sure to check all wires first to make sure the charging wires are working and no bad connections.
You can rebuild the starter/generators so check that out if need.

jackedgolf

We tested the battery this morning and it's running at just under 12 v (11.93) so I am assuming the battery is good. Is there a way to directly test the starter/generator?

I took video of what the cart is doing & sounds like when you turn it on but since I'm a new member, I can't link it. It basically turns on and the pulley's/belts turn but there doesn't seem to be enough/any fire or spark to start the engine.

redcloud

Will do some thinking for a bit on this.

redcloud

The battery should be ok as I have re- read your first post on new battery.
Thought was the gen not charging but you should get something after charging via another source. no click or anything gives me a thought of wiring issues or switch issues.
I would do a complete check of all voltage lines from battery to switch to reg and all lines making sure you are getting 12 volts through out with key on. You may find a step that the voltage stops.
Very important that battery is grounded to engine and the frame. Ground wire should split from battery to frame and engine. Clean those connections.
Make sure voltage is getting from battery posts to wiring past the connections. I had one that looked fine but found the connector on the battery was not letting voltage leave the connector to the wire.

I am not eliminating the starter/gen totally however.

A29Adriver

You have the ability to check the generator output, since you already checked the battery which showed 11.93 volts. If you can get the engine to start put the shift lever in neutral (I can do it with my 97 TXT, I don't know if you can get yours to do it or not) or jack it up safely so you can get the engine to run faster or jury rig your voltage tester so you can drive it and see the meter. When you are moving faster than about 5MPH your voltage should show about 13.5 and can go up to about 14.3 as you go faster. If your battery voltage is around 12 and then the generator output is 13.5 or better, start looking for other reasons that it won't run. I have taken a solenoid apart and found enough dirt to prevent the contacts from working or found a wire where the crimp was not making a good connection. Since you say it runs well for short periods, I would suggest that it is some type of bad connection rather than the pulsar or the coil, a coil could go bad if it got too hot after running for a longer time than it sounds-like you are able to accomplish, coils normally are not good at one moment and then bad and then good. Take the sparkplugs out and clean them as well as you can, ground them to the head and look for spark. INTAKE (is gas getting into engine via the carb. COMPRESSION (is the compression above 90 or so). POWER (is a spark occurring). Exhaust (is the backpressure from the muffler more than the engine creates, loosen the muffler to check).

jackedgolf

Thanks everyone for the replies. We did a bunch of investigating over a couple of days and although we are not sure what made the difference, it started running. We ended up changing over to the HEI ignition so new ignition coil and control module, ran through all the wires, etc.

We are however having a different problem now. Although the cart runs, it bogs down on speed and seems to barely crawl (I'd be lucky if it's doing 5 mph) plus when you turn the cart off it's running really hot. My husband is doing the muffler bbq tonight and we are hoping that it helps but if anyone has other possible ideas as to what could be causing the problem, I'm open. :)

1989Marathon

Here's a few things to check...
Are the shrouds installed on the motor? Does the motor rev up good, but just no speed, or is the motor rpm bogging down too. Jack up the rear end and make sure the brakes aren't dragging. Also, if the oil injection has been disabled, are you running pre-mix gas? With the cart up on jack stands, watch the clutches as you increase motor rpm. The primary clutch(on the motor) should start out fully open with the belt at the bottom. As you raise rpm, the primary clutch should close and the belt will rise to the top. The secondary clutch works just the opposite.