2007 MCI EZGO TXT Losing Power

[poorpeter]

Well, here we are again. Took on a 2007 TXT with a 295 Robins MCI engine. Sent the engine off for rebuild, it came back just fine, got it all hooked back up, at first it was running away on us, adjusted the governor back out and that worked. Then it was backfiring on deceleration, so we took out the set screw above the accelerator cable plate and it seemed to improve greatly. After that, however, it seemed to lose a lot of power. Before, it had too many rpms and acceleration and was getting out of control and wouldn't hold a constant speed, now it gets bogged down, is very slow to accelerate and didn't do the hill very well. We changed the plugs from bpr4es to bpr2es because we hoped they would be running hotter. The bpr4es were fouled with dry black soot when we pulled them. Not sure if that was from the butterfly being open too early and backfiring before or something else. I hesitate to blame the new engine rebuild because it seemed to be running fine out of the gate. Now we have it where we think it *should* be but the power just is not there like it should be. Also, has new CARB-011A from Red-Hawk, so not sure if there is an issue there. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks!

[nickdalzell1]

Red Hawk carbs are garbage. We do the 'carb shuffle' every time because three will be bad and the last one is fine. Sometimes they work a day then flood the engine out.

That said, Every MCI engine I've seen runs rich. some black soot is normal for them. They're a garbage version of the Robin twin cylinder--the EZGO sabotage of it before going to the Kawasaki in 2010. They tend to run rich, have 'valve creep' issues because the heads are soft aluminum, and the ignitors are expensive and can cause timing issues if anything is out of spec even the least bit. They seem to have less power than the older pre-MCIs as well, with almost no hill climbing power (we put two new ones in and they all barely go over any significant hill)

they will 'spit' when taking off too, and I've had to accept that as a 'feature not a bug'. I haven't seen the MCI that doesn't spit or pop a bit. They made them from 2003-2009 and gave up and went to the Kawasaki. That one is another stupid engine--plastic oil drain plugs, a stupid design for the dipstick going into the valve cover and breaking off inside the engine, and an almost impossible oil filter replacement without making a huge mess. To top that off they vibrate your teeth out, and make tons of racket. The one after that is even worse, some Chinesium engine without a starter generator (internal starter) that seems to just randomly quit even within its warranty period, and no support/parts to be found.

[Cartmaster]

FYI, they did not give up. The company that built them was bought out and the small engine department stopped production. The ignition parts went the same way, hence all the clone parts available.

[nickdalzell1]

Robin still exists though. They're Subaru's parts department and still make generators.

[Cartmaster]

Yes, agreed, but the plant that produced many parts for this engine was closed down as far as I know and the struggle to keep emissions down made it simpler for them to drop this engine.

You are on a roll today LOL.

[nickdalzell1]

Oh if you had any idea the work I've had this year! This year not only are people cheaper than ever, the carts they bring in are the worst. I had to tell a half dozen MCI owners that it's 'not a bug it's a feature' when their cart spits on takeoff or goes BANG! like a gunshot after they coast downhill half a mile by letting entirely off the gas pedal (which cuts ignition and loads with fuel). We have a rebuilt EZGO TXT with an MCI that won't sell since customers expect Kawasaki performance with the MCI. They test drive it with four 350lb pigs (these people are considerably overweight) and expect it to go 20 MPH uphill! Good luck!

Things are just getting worse. chargers are more and more disposable, and engines are getting cheaper. Ever seen the EX1 yet? You will....

I can't imagine the emissions output is that different on the kawasaki though. It only has one cylinder so has to turn twice as fast to get the same output as the old Robin, so either way the output breaks even. The Robin I'd gather was cleaner.

[Cartmaster]

Originally Posted by nickdalzell1

Ever seen the EX1 yet? You will....

Nope, and i doubt I ever will unless the golf courses I work at decide to go with EZGO fleets

Plus I wont be doing this much longer, my retirement pot is almost full!

[nickdalzell1]

The EX1 is on all the 2020+ RXVs and TXTs (mostly Valor TXTs). The starter is internal, so no starter generator; the engine is a teensy little 160cc, smaller than even the old Robins, anemic as heck, and fuel injected. Even better, EZGO refuses to give any info out so talking about it to them is like asking for a parts manual for a Bad Boy Buggy.

I no longer work on Bad Boy anything. I don't care if it's a mower or a golf cart. I don't trust the company and you can't get support for them and the costs are far too expensive. People around here win them in hunting contests, assuming they got a great deal.

The EX1 engine has a nasty habit of just up and stopping and not restarting. the Check Engine (oil) light on the dash will flash a few times but you can't find out what it means since no info online about it. Flaying with the pedal you might get another 100 yards of runtime before it stops again. I've even tried yanking the oil level wire off assuming it's a low oil shutdown after verifying it's got oil, nope. Doesn't fix it.

[poorpeter]

Originally Posted by nickdalzell1

Red Hawk carbs are garbage. We do the 'carb shuffle' every time because three will be bad and the last one is fine. Sometimes they work a day then flood the engine out.

That said, Every MCI engine I've seen runs rich. some black soot is normal for them. They're a garbage version of the Robin twin cylinder--the EZGO sabotage of it before going to the Kawasaki in 2010. They tend to run rich, have 'valve creep' issues because the heads are soft aluminum, and the ignitors are expensive and can cause timing issues if anything is out of spec even the least bit. They seem to have less power than the older pre-MCIs as well, with almost no hill climbing power (we put two new ones in and they all barely go over any significant hill)

they will 'spit' when taking off too, and I've had to accept that as a 'feature not a bug'. I haven't seen the MCI that doesn't spit or pop a bit. They made them from 2003-2009 and gave up and went to the Kawasaki. That one is another stupid engine--plastic oil drain plugs, a stupid design for the dipstick going into the valve cover and breaking off inside the engine, and an almost impossible oil filter replacement without making a huge mess. To top that off they vibrate your teeth out, and make tons of racket. The one after that is even worse, some Chinesium engine without a starter generator (internal starter) that seems to just randomly quit even within its warranty period, and no support/parts to be found.

That's pretty crazy. Looks like we need to go back to the backfiring but with power scenario we had earlier. What a roller coaster...think I'll take a pass on any future MCI jobs.

[poorpeter]

Originally Posted by nickdalzell1

Red Hawk carbs are garbage. We do the 'carb shuffle' every time because three will be bad and the last one is fine. Sometimes they work a day then flood the engine out.

That said, Every MCI engine I've seen runs rich. some black soot is normal for them. They're a garbage version of the Robin twin cylinder--the EZGO sabotage of it before going to the Kawasaki in 2010. They tend to run rich, have 'valve creep' issues because the heads are soft aluminum, and the ignitors are expensive and can cause timing issues if anything is out of spec even the least bit. They seem to have less power than the older pre-MCIs as well, with almost no hill climbing power (we put two new ones in and they all barely go over any significant hill)

they will 'spit' when taking off too, and I've had to accept that as a 'feature not a bug'. I haven't seen the MCI that doesn't spit or pop a bit. They made them from 2003-2009 and gave up and went to the Kawasaki. That one is another stupid engine--plastic oil drain plugs, a stupid design for the dipstick going into the valve cover and breaking off inside the engine, and an almost impossible oil filter replacement without making a huge mess. To top that off they vibrate your teeth out, and make tons of racket. The one after that is even worse, some Chinesium engine without a starter generator (internal starter) that seems to just randomly quit even within its warranty period, and no support/parts to be found.

OK. So we threw our third carburetor on this thing and ran around without the air filter connected. Cart is running great just like we had it before. Everything is hunky-dory. Throw the air filter back on and it slowly starts to bog down again. Loses most of the power on the low end but still has it on the high end. Pulled the plugs and they are fouled again. Before we put the air filter back on, we pulled the plugs and they were just fine. What the heck. Doesn't look like anything is clogged up or anything...Why is it affecting the running so dang much?