97 Club Car DS Engine Question

[Scott H.]

First let me say that I have NEVER dealt with a Gas Engined Golf Cart before.

With that said, I recently aquired this 1997 DS Club Car:

The only thing I was told when I picked it up was that the engine was bad.

Through my research on this great board, I've found out that it has a clock wise rotation Kawasaki FE290 engine.

Before I try and start this thing, other than checking the gas and oil, is there anything else I should check / look for?

I don't want to be in the middle of trying to start this thing and have to duck flying parts.

If the engine is bad, how hard / expensive is it to rebuild or is it better just to find a replacement?

I'm not worried about going 90 MPH or doing wheel stands, just getting from point A to point B.

Thanks,
-Scott H.

[rose88]

If your oil level is good I would then check compression just to see where you are? Other than that as long as it turns over with no abnormal sounds you should be fine. If the engine is bad you will know it.

[shadowman]

also put it in maintence mode so it dosn,t take off on you.........you need compression, fuel and spark for it to run..........................

[invalidsession]

Did the seller tell you what was wrong with the engine Scott ? It looks like the cart just came through a NASA re-entry programme. Hope you got her for a good price

Chris.

[Scott H.]

Thanks for the replies. I was figuring on going through it like I would a car engine that has been sitting, but wasn't sure if there was anything special to look for.

Originally Posted by invalidsession

Did the seller tell you what was wrong with the engine Scott ? It looks like the cart just came through a NASA re-entry programme. Hope you got her for a good price.

The only thing I was told was that the engine was bad, that's all. I honestly know nothing about it other than that.

Yea, the cart was sitting outside for a while. One of the things I plan on doing this weekend is clean it up.

As far as the price goes, all I have invested in it is the cost of the gas to go pick it up. It couldn't get any better than that in my book!

Thanks again,
-Scott H.

[invalidsession]

Originally Posted by Scott H.

Thanks for the replies. I was figuring on going through it like I would a car engine that has been sitting, but wasn't sure if there was anything special to look for.



The only thing I was told was that the engine was bad, that's all. I honestly know nothing about it other than that.

Yea, the cart was sitting outside for a while. One of the things I plan on doing this weekend is clean it up.

As far as the price goes, all I have invested in it is the cost of the gas to go pick it up. It couldn't get any better than that in my book!

Thanks again,
-Scott H.

Well the price was sure right Scott I've seen a fair few carts where the owner stated that "engine was bad" and most of them had only minor issues such as noisy clutches, bad coils etc. These engines are pretty strong so hopefully yours will require nothing major to get running.
Keep us informed as to your progress, we all enjoy seeing these things restored to normal.
Good luck mate and welcome to BGW !

Chris.