Cushman governor not consistent.

[Gary Land]

Hello everyone, this is my first time to ever post, first forum ever joined and first time ever owning a Cushman! It's a 1995 Cushman Turf Truckster Runabout w/327 Daihatsu engine. 4 wheels with a non dump flat bed and no pto. From what I have learned in my 1 week of ownership is that this runabout seems to be odd in that most all turf trucksters had dump beds and pto's. This one never had them. It's original, 3,400 hours, non molested and has been sitting for about 2-3 years. What I've done so far is new battery, repaired wiring to correct charging system problem, replaced both headlights and ordered new switch, freed up seized emergency brake cable/pads, installed new plywood and seats, replaced several vacuum/fuel lines, new alternator water pump belt, new tires ready to install, currently diagnosing non working brakes, the master cylinder had moisture and lots of rust sediment in it. I've cleaned that out and have fresh fluid ready to start bleeding fluid lines and start finding what all is bad with the brake system. The fuel tank is plastic. It has stale gas with some sea-foam added. The engine idles rough and I'm not going to try any adjustments or corrections until all of the old fuel is gone. My main concern and problem I need help with is this speed/rpm governor. I cannot find any information about it. Even the manual I downloaded from exstremdist.com doesn't give any info unless I overlooked it. It never seems to act the same way twice! The pump ( not sure what it's called) turned by the fan belt never seems to give the same amount of resistance to the linkage. Sometimes it is so stiff that when the accelerator petal is pushed all the linkage jams and the rpm's will not rise at all. Also the carburetor shaft running through the base, is much stiffer than any carburetor throttle plate I have ever seen. The linkage was clean to begin with but I cleaned and lubed it from the outside but the problem seems to be internal. Any help in educating me on how this governor system works and what may be binding the carburetor linkage would be greatly appreciated.

[Gary Land]

Today I spent about an hour spraying penetrant on both ends of the throttle shaft on inside and outside of the carb. I worked the throttle continuously until enough penetrant had worked its way in and now the throttle is much much easier to rotate. It is now surging when depressing the throttle pedal to the floor. Still waiting for the bad fuel to run out before making any adjustments or changes to the engine or carb. Still would like any information and understanding of how this governor works.

[CharleyL]

Welcome Gary,

Most of my experience is with a Truckster a few years older than yours. It's a 1987 model, but the governors in these were never designed to accurately control the max speed, just to limit it to the max rated operating speed and protect the motor from over reving and destroying itself. It should work better after the penetrating oil works in and you get the rest of the engine tuned up and with new gas.

Why not remove the fuel line and drain the old gas? Then fill it with fresh.

The brake system in these use DOT 3 brake fluid and the master cylinder is vented to the atmosphere, usually through a hole in the cap. With atmospheric changes in temperature and humidity, over time, moisture gets drawn into the master cylinder where it readily mixes with the alcohol in the brake fluid. When enough moisture gets in, it begins rusting the inside of the master cylinder, the steel brake lines, and the wheel cylinders. I searched for a newer sealed version of my master cylinder, but failed to find anything that could be used without major modification, so I just replaced with same and have been completely replacing the DOT 3 brake fluid every few years.

If you need wheel cylinders, mine may be the same part as yours. They seem to still be available. WWW.Directparts.com and www.denniscarpentercushman.com are the best parts sources that I used, but 1970's Ford F-150 trucks used the same. The only difference is an external casting bump that needs to be ground off for it to fit a Cushman. The rebuilding kits for the Ford cylinders also fit the Cushman cylinders, but if there is much pitting in the old cylinders, you will be better off buying new, since the price difference plus honing charge was almost the same for me. I think I paid $23 + shipping for a real Cushman cylinder about 5 years ago.

Be careful when removing the rear brake drums. There is a cheap tool available, just a piece of hex stock, with one end drilled and threaded to fit the end of the axle. This is to protect the axle. You remove the axle nut, thread this tool on until the axle bottoms out in the tool. Then you beat on the end of the tool with a BIG Hammer. The right rear has a plastic gear in it and linkage to the speedometer, so be careful not to damage it (prying with screwdrivers and levers to get the drum off will do this damage).

My Truckster sat on the edge of a pine forest for 13 years before I bought it. Trees were growing up through the floorboard holes and spiders had built layers of webs in the cab. Most of my brake system needed replacing.

Search for my previous posts for more information, parts sources for auto parts that might fit your turf truckster, etc. but I check-in here most every day and will help if I can.

Being a 1995 Truckster, yours was likely one of the last that were made. About then Cushman closed their doors and the last I knew the location is now a grassy field. In their last 10 years or so they were owned by several companies. OMC, the Outboard Engine Company, and then Jacobsen Lawn Equipment owned them. The Jacobsen website has some of the manuals still available for some Cushman models. Parts, other than drive train and steering, are mostly unobtainable now, unless you can find a donor vehicle.

Charley