just got an 85 gas marathon

bignate524 · 06-13-2012, 02:45 PM

Just picked up an 85 marathon i found listed on craigslist...got it for a $1000 (happily the guy delivered too

) Cart looks great i think and it runs well, just a bit of backfire and delay when i press the gas pedal. i'll post some pictures very soon. happy to be part of the forums now too

PS: came with the red seat covers (in picture), windshield, new headlights/taillights.

Heliarc · 06-13-2012, 04:26 PM

Sweet cart man!You got a good deal on that one.He must have really loved it.Someone sure did anyhow.

The backfire and delay has something to do with how your throttle cable is set...probably.Look for a guy called "Brewcitymusic" and he has a post on exactly how your throttle cable should be run.

bignate524 · 06-13-2012, 04:59 PM

Thanks heliarc! I'm glad to know that I got a good deal, I just had a issue though with the cart...I was driving it and it was fine and then out of nowhere came a loud POP! and the cart is now moving extremely slow and barely has any HP...IDK what to do, HELPP! :(

BrewCityMusic · 06-13-2012, 05:00 PM

Here's the deal, you have to use both your eyes AND ears when setting the throttle cable on these older 2PG's if you want to get it right ... First, ensure your cart has a spring between the carb arm and the cable stop as shown in this picture:

Without that spring, when you let off the throotle while coasting, etc the carb will stay just a *little bit* open and dump fuel into your engine which will build up until you hit the pedal again and "light the fire" so to speak .... BANG ... so make sure you have the spring.

THEN, to set the throttle correctly, what you want is for the carb arm to not move at all until *just* after you hear the click of the throttle microswitch (if it opens at all prior to the micro engaging then you'll have fuel moving before it fires the ignition, causing jackrabbit strats, jumpy performance, backfiring, etc) ... I've found the easiest way to do it is pull the + battery cable and seat, then watch the carb arm as you depress the pedal, if it starts moving before you hear the throttle microswitch click, move the cable stop closer to the carb arm a little bit at a time until you hit the magic spot where it *clicks* and THEN starts to move the carb arm. Hook the battery back up, give it a test run, repeat as neccessary til you're running smoothly, no jerky takeoff, etc. As a rule, you *should* be able to feather the pedal and have the cart idle, running, without engaging the clutch and moving IF you're set perfectly. Good Luck !!!

BrewCityMusic · 06-13-2012, 05:07 PM

OOPS - while I was posting, you posted - and if you had one big backfire then almost no power afterwards that doesn't sound like a throttle issue at all, sounds like either a blown crank seal or ???

First and foremost, before I did ANYTHING I'd take 10 minutes to check the seals, jack up the carts rear wheels (so it doesn't take off on you) and while turning it over, have someone spray some carb cleaner or WD40 (a good steady shot) at the crankshaft right where it exits the rear of the motor (between the rear of the engine and the front of the clutch) ... Does the engine change RPM's or pop, if so your rear seal blew out when you had that backfire. If not, do the same thing only this time spray the carb cleaner / WD40 in the front of the engine (the fan opening) and same deal, if it changes rpm, pops, etc then the front seal was blown ...

Try those tests first, and if they come out OK (meaning no change at either the front or rear while spraying the carb cleaner) then we'll look at a few other tests to find out what may be causing the sudden power loss - keep us posted (no pun intended)

bignate524 · 06-13-2012, 05:07 PM

Thank you Brewcitymusic! great information and I plan on doing that the first chance I get, but i'm a little nervous now that the cart had a very loud BANG and now it will barely move, it rolls at like 1 or 2 mph right now when i am at full throttle....any troubleshooting ideas on how to fix this??

bignate524 · 06-13-2012, 05:12 PM

I guess we posted at the same time again lol sorry! I'll try those tests and hopefully it's not a huge problem....does this problem sound like it might be costly do you think? I sure hope not

BrewCityMusic · 06-13-2012, 05:24 PM

Well, let's do the tests first so noone gets freaked out, OK? Seals (if that IS the case) are about $5 each ($4.99 to be exact) and although are somewhat of a pain to replace, can generally be done with the engine in the cart by someone with general repair skills - plus there are a ton of us here to lead you through it if it comes to that ....

Might not be the seals though, so let's get the tests done first then go from there :)

bignate524 · 06-13-2012, 06:27 PM

I am planning on doing those tests...but first I am going to charge up the battery and see if it just needs more juice....probably will get a new battery soon as the one that the cart came with is a little bit outdated. Updates soon, battery is on the charger right now!

BrewCityMusic · 06-13-2012, 06:57 PM

just for fun, while you're on the charger you should do yourself a favor and (pull the cables off the battery first) pull the negative ground strap and clean up the connections at the frame (they love to corrode/rust there and it's generally BEHIND the bolt and washer so it doesn't show, but always a good idea to clean up every couple of months) and when THAT's done, do the same where that ground cable/strap attaches to the engine (same deal, often there's poop there that the eye can't detect) ...

If there's ONE thing I've learned about these things, it's that a little preventative maintainance goes a LONG way, as you get the feel for the cart and read your a** off on the forum, you'll learn plenty of little tricks that make your life a ton easier and will keep your older cart in reliable, running condition !!!

In the interim, I'm going to take a little ride myself but I'll check in from time to time tonight to get the test results !!!

06-13-2012, 04:26 PM	#2
Heliarc Warthog cart Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 502	Re: just got an 85 gas marathon Sweet cart man!You got a good deal on that one.He must have really loved it.Someone sure did anyhow. The backfire and delay has something to do with how your throttle cable is set...probably.Look for a guy called "Brewcitymusic" and he has a post on exactly how your throttle cable should be run.
Heliarc Warthog cart Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 502

06-13-2012, 04:59 PM	#3
bignate524 Getting Wild Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Chicago IL (South Burbs) Posts: 83	Re: just got an 85 gas marathon Thanks heliarc! I'm glad to know that I got a good deal, I just had a issue though with the cart...I was driving it and it was fine and then out of nowhere came a loud POP! and the cart is now moving extremely slow and barely has any HP...IDK what to do, HELPP! :(

06-13-2012, 05:00 PM	#4
BrewCityMusic Hammer Down !!!! Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Lake Geneva, WI Posts: 2,681	Re: just got an 85 gas marathon Here's the deal, you have to use both your eyes AND ears when setting the throttle cable on these older 2PG's if you want to get it right ... First, ensure your cart has a spring between the carb arm and the cable stop as shown in this picture: Without that spring, when you let off the throotle while coasting, etc the carb will stay just a little bit open and dump fuel into your engine which will build up until you hit the pedal again and "light the fire" so to speak .... BANG ... so make sure you have the spring. THEN, to set the throttle correctly, what you want is for the carb arm to not move at all until just after you hear the click of the throttle microswitch (if it opens at all prior to the micro engaging then you'll have fuel moving before it fires the ignition, causing jackrabbit strats, jumpy performance, backfiring, etc) ... I've found the easiest way to do it is pull the + battery cable and seat, then watch the carb arm as you depress the pedal, if it starts moving before you hear the throttle microswitch click, move the cable stop closer to the carb arm a little bit at a time until you hit the magic spot where it clicks and THEN starts to move the carb arm. Hook the battery back up, give it a test run, repeat as neccessary til you're running smoothly, no jerky takeoff, etc. As a rule, you should be able to feather the pedal and have the cart idle, running, without engaging the clutch and moving IF you're set perfectly. Good Luck !!!

06-13-2012, 05:07 PM	#5
BrewCityMusic Hammer Down !!!! Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Lake Geneva, WI Posts: 2,681	Re: just got an 85 gas marathon OOPS - while I was posting, you posted - and if you had one big backfire then almost no power afterwards that doesn't sound like a throttle issue at all, sounds like either a blown crank seal or ??? First and foremost, before I did ANYTHING I'd take 10 minutes to check the seals, jack up the carts rear wheels (so it doesn't take off on you) and while turning it over, have someone spray some carb cleaner or WD40 (a good steady shot) at the crankshaft right where it exits the rear of the motor (between the rear of the engine and the front of the clutch) ... Does the engine change RPM's or pop, if so your rear seal blew out when you had that backfire. If not, do the same thing only this time spray the carb cleaner / WD40 in the front of the engine (the fan opening) and same deal, if it changes rpm, pops, etc then the front seal was blown ... Try those tests first, and if they come out OK (meaning no change at either the front or rear while spraying the carb cleaner) then we'll look at a few other tests to find out what may be causing the sudden power loss - keep us posted (no pun intended)

06-13-2012, 05:07 PM	#6
bignate524 Getting Wild Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Chicago IL (South Burbs) Posts: 83	Re: just got an 85 gas marathon Thank you Brewcitymusic! great information and I plan on doing that the first chance I get, but i'm a little nervous now that the cart had a very loud BANG and now it will barely move, it rolls at like 1 or 2 mph right now when i am at full throttle....any troubleshooting ideas on how to fix this??

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06-13-2012, 05:12 PM	#7
bignate524 Getting Wild Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Chicago IL (South Burbs) Posts: 83	Re: just got an 85 gas marathon I guess we posted at the same time again lol sorry! I'll try those tests and hopefully it's not a huge problem....does this problem sound like it might be costly do you think? I sure hope not

06-13-2012, 05:24 PM	#8
BrewCityMusic Hammer Down !!!! Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Lake Geneva, WI Posts: 2,681	Re: just got an 85 gas marathon Well, let's do the tests first so noone gets freaked out, OK? Seals (if that IS the case) are about $5 each ($4.99 to be exact) and although are somewhat of a pain to replace, can generally be done with the engine in the cart by someone with general repair skills - plus there are a ton of us here to lead you through it if it comes to that .... Might not be the seals though, so let's get the tests done first then go from there :)

06-13-2012, 06:27 PM	#9
bignate524 Getting Wild Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Chicago IL (South Burbs) Posts: 83	Re: just got an 85 gas marathon I am planning on doing those tests...but first I am going to charge up the battery and see if it just needs more juice....probably will get a new battery soon as the one that the cart came with is a little bit outdated. Updates soon, battery is on the charger right now!

06-13-2012, 06:57 PM	#10
BrewCityMusic Hammer Down !!!! Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Lake Geneva, WI Posts: 2,681	Re: just got an 85 gas marathon just for fun, while you're on the charger you should do yourself a favor and (pull the cables off the battery first) pull the negative ground strap and clean up the connections at the frame (they love to corrode/rust there and it's generally BEHIND the bolt and washer so it doesn't show, but always a good idea to clean up every couple of months) and when THAT's done, do the same where that ground cable/strap attaches to the engine (same deal, often there's poop there that the eye can't detect) ... If there's ONE thing I've learned about these things, it's that a little preventative maintainance goes a LONG way, as you get the feel for the cart and read your a** off on the forum, you'll learn plenty of little tricks that make your life a ton easier and will keep your older cart in reliable, running condition !!! In the interim, I'm going to take a little ride myself but I'll check in from time to time tonight to get the test results !!!