Ignition trouble shooting?

[MCFooter]

I have been having trouble with my 1998 EzGo Work Horse revving from idle to Wide Open Throttle. It almost always hesitates and often will back fire through the carb. and has no power.

I have gone through the fuel system a couple times and have started looking at the Ignition system.

I had the opportunity to swap a couple parts with another better running cart and found my cart to run better with the others (Good) Ignition coil and plug wires but the other doesn’t run poorly with my mine (Suspect).

The primaries ohm out the same.
The secondaries are
Mine (Suspect) at 16.2 Ohms (200k setting)
Other (Good) at 17.2 Ohms (200k setting)

The spec. sheet I found (which I don’t have with me) had a value range lower than either of the two above.

I was really hoping the trouble would follow the parts but there appears to be a piece of the puzzle missing. Does anyone have any suggestions to what it might be?
I swapped plugs also but didn’t swap the igniter yet….

Thanks,
Mike

[COURTESYCART]

check your throttle cables for binding. These cables are bad about rusting internally or getting pinched . Check all your cables.

It sounds to me you have a cable issues than an engine issue.

[MCFooter]

The cables seem to be good. They could be out of adjustment but they move freely...

Thanks...

[chardonite]

I would look to the carb for the problem.The back fire is probably a lean condition.I would clean the carb and see what happens.I think your barking up the wrong tree with the coil since the other cart runs fine with your parts.I would also check valve adjustment it is very critical and they always seem to go out of adjustment.........

[MCFooter]

Originally Posted by chardonite

I would look to the carb for the problem.The back fire is probably a lean condition.I would clean the carb and see what happens.I think your barking up the wrong tree with the coil since the other cart runs fine with your parts.I would also check valve adjustment it is very critical and they always seem to go out of adjustment.........

I have been on the fuel system trail for awhile and have adjusted the valves and have good compression. The only thing I'm not sure of is the Air / Fuel mixture screw on the back. After cleaning I have tried adjusting it multiple times and don't see much change and have little idea of where it should be.
Is there a known nominal position to set it at?

Thanks,
Mike

[shadowman]

i would throw in a compression test also..................................

[MCFooter]

I was able to leave the good Coil on for a couple weeks and it ran well. When I swapped the coils back the problem came back though.

Anyone have any experience with aftermarket coils v/s OEM coils?
Is there a better substitute?

[BrewCityMusic]

It's a bit like comparing apples and oranges as I only have a story regarding my '88 2-Stroker, but for what it's worth my coil ohm'd out quite a bit higher than spec and I was having similar running troubles so I bought a high-output coil off Ebay and did the HEI conversion (which works for both 2 and 4 stroke EZGO's) and not only did it solve the running issues, but it resulted in a noticeable increase in power over the original config when it was running just fine - the coils are all over Ebay (singles and duals) for under $25, and the HEI conversion will take about 45min and will run you right around $20-25, so for far less than half the cost of a factory coil, it might not be a bad idea, both price and performance-wise

[MCFooter]

Thanks Brew...

Is there any other information out there besides this thread http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/gas-e...ark-issue.html on the conversion. I haven't seen a sticky (not saying it's not here)

Mine (maybe all) seem to be a bit light on spark

Mike

[BrewCityMusic]

LMAO, I was looking for that thread in order to get you the wiring for your 4-stroke, you beat me to it!

The HEI has been around for quite awhile with the 2-strokes, but that's the first time I've seen it used for 4's (although to be honest, having a 2-stroke means I generally don't get too far into 4-stroke territory!)

I guess it's up to you if you want to gamble $20 on an HEI and $20 on a coil - a new stock coil is gonna run you pretty close to 3X that amount alone, so if the problem lies with either your coil OR ignitor (another distinct possibility) this kills both birds at a not-so-painful price (plus, as I said, the spark put out by the HEI/HO coil is far stronger than anything I've seen stock)

Let us know what you decide and how it progresses!