Where to start with a new to me 88 Marathon

[mattisit]

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/album...?dl=1363555317
Here is the project car. I hope the link works. Please advise if you see anything majorly wrong that I am overlooking. Thanks again for all your help.

[mattisit]

My fault on the previous post. I finally figured out how to post the attachment the correct way. I think the carb was easier than posting a pic.

[BrewCityMusic]

That cart almost looks familiar, LOL ... MY first cart was an 88 that i dragged home from behind a buddies grandpas barn:



After several months of trial and error (mostly error), several flesh wounds of varying severity, enough beer to likely pan out into severe liver damage one day, she was finally done:



The best part of the 88's is that it's a one-year "High Output" engine (11hp as versus the standard Marathons which were just under 9hp) - once You're running right and get it on some bigger tires You've got a cart that will do 24mph+ with 2 people STOCK plus if you decide to do some simple mods like a shorter belt, etc it will pull hills far better than the 4-stroke Marathons ... Yep - You gotta nice toy there, now hide your wallet FAST, hahahahahaha

[mattisit]

Thanks for the Hope off getting this pile into a pretty fun vehicle. I hope to get it good enough that I can use it at our campsite and also use it to take my 7 and 4 year old kids into the woods with me for Hunting purposes. I hunt pretty far back in the woods and there is an old road to follow with a couple pretty steep hills. I didn't know if I could use the cart for this or not. Sounds like I can, maybe? I sell epoxy and urethane coatings for a living so I should be able to make it look pretty sharp on the cheap. My wife and I agreed that this year my focus is to get it running well enough for camping season and then next winter I can do the body overhaul. Your ride looks awesome Brew City. Once again thanks for the motivation to push through the lack of experience. I will lean on you and others on this forum for some ridiculous questions as this is my first project car. Thanks for your patience with a newbie.

[BrewCityMusic]

I live at an old Ski Resort so hills are pretty much everywhere around here (including some that are just point-blank too steep to even attempt up OR down in a cart) and it's amazing how well my 88 handles them ... Swapping out to a shorter drive belt makes a HUGE difference in takeoff power as well as hill-climbing ability (it allows the carts clutches to stay in higher gearing longer so the powerband it utilized more efficiently) and as far as running, these 2PG engines are pretty straightforward and reliable (bordering on bulletproof, actually) - keep us posted on the progress and we'll throw any help we can your way, that's what the forum is here for !!!!

[mattisit]

Here's the latest. I replaced or installed two new fuel filters, Spark Plug, new gas at a 128:1 ratio and cleaned the carb. I tried to start the cart and the belt tries to spin but will turn about a 1/16th of a turn and then stops. Sounds like something may be rusted or gummed up. Also, I don't think the wiring is correct on this because it seems like it wants to spin regardless of the gas pedal being pushed down or not. Just curious if anyone can give some input on what to try next? Thanks,

[BrewCityMusic]

if it has sat outside for any length of time, try checking and/or replacing the microswitch for the gas pedal - it's located at the bottom of the "firewall" on the drivers side at the very bottom (if it is stuck it will keep the starter engaged) .. Also, pull ALL the grounds (battery, engine, frame, etc) and clean them well with a wire wheel or brush, etc - that's a common spot for Marathons to lose juice (which again, somewhat fits in with your symptoms)

Going back to the microswitch, the easiest way to test it is to pull one wire and see if that stops the engine from wanting to spin, if so it's stuck.

[mattisit]

Thanks,Brew City. I also pulled out of the trouble shooting portion of the manual, the list of what to do. I am going to go through that list and also the wiring diagram and try to clean all of the connections. May take a while but seems like it will definitely be worth it. If it is the starter brushes are they hard to find?

[SYP]

what is the measurement on the shorter drive belt?

[mattisit]

I did the troubleshooting for "Testing the Starting circuit" in the 85 manual. I got to #9 where you check the starting Solenoid. When I volt meter the terminal M and terminal B I get a reading of 1.7 volts instead of the 12 volts I am supposed to get. When I depress the gas and brake pedals it has no effect on the Solenoid voltage. I notice that some rare occassions I can get the starter to start turning a little bit but that is all I am getting out of the starter. I assume that the solenoid is bad? Please give me some input. Brew City, I checked the micro switch and it is making an audible click when I press the gas pedal but the solenoid doesn't click. I also wire wheeled the ground strap connections. I hope it is only a bad solenoid. Which one should I get for the 88 marathon. Mine currently has the copper posts. The ones I saw online for mine don't have the copper posts. Does that matter?