Sluggish starter 89 Ezgo Marathon

Granger ezgo · 02-20-2017, 06:30 PM

Have an 89 gas marathon with original starter on it with new battery and cables, seems sluggish/delayed when pedal is pressed. Battery is fully charged, could my starter possibly be tired? Thanks

cart around · 02-21-2017, 09:35 AM

First thing I would do is load test the battery.

Hold your meter leads on the battery.

What is your at rest voltage?

Then step on the pedal, and see what the voltage drops to. A drop to 9.6 volts, or less is a failed load test.

After that, I would check, and clean all of the big connections. Pay special attention to the cable end at the positive side of the battery. See if it has corrosion crawling up under the insulation.

Last thing would be check the starter brushes. See if they are close to the wear indicators.

EDIT: I know some of that stuff is new, but others read these threads for their own troubleshooting too.

Granger ezgo · 02-21-2017, 04:51 PM

Meter reads 15.2 volts at rest and drops to 12.4 when pedal is pressed.

Not sure about wear indicators but I'm sure some research will shed some light on them.

Thanks

cart around · 02-21-2017, 06:27 PM

Rubber plugs in the starter are hiding the brushes. Pop them out. There are grooves cut in the brushes to indicate wear.

Granger ezgo · 02-21-2017, 07:45 PM

Thanks cart around! I appreciate you taking time to help a fellow cart enthusiast, I notice you do that quite often. I'll give it a shot and thanks again!

cart around · 02-21-2017, 08:45 PM

One other thing. 15.2 volts seems really high for a battery. Was it fresh off the charger when checked?

Maybe the meter is off. That's still just about a 3 volt drop under load.

I would suggest getting the attention of JohnnyB over in the ezgo electric section. See what advice he offers about your battery voltage.

Granger ezgo · 02-22-2017, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cart around

One other thing. 15.2 volts seems really high for a battery.

My readings were incorrect due to a faulty meter

Battery at rest 12.9, under load 10.2 and while running 14.7

cart around · 02-22-2017, 07:18 PM

That sounds more like it.

It also indicates that the generator is charging.

Looks like brushes, or a bad connection. The lugs inside of the FnR switch could use a good cleaning too.

02-20-2017, 06:30 PM	#1
Granger ezgo Getting Wild Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Indiana Posts: 93	Sluggish starter 89 Ezgo Marathon Have an 89 gas marathon with original starter on it with new battery and cables, seems sluggish/delayed when pedal is pressed. Battery is fully charged, could my starter possibly be tired? Thanks

02-21-2017, 09:35 AM	#2
cart around Test before replacing Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Ohio side of the Pennsylvania border. Posts: 3,495	Re: Sluggish starter 89 Ezgo Marathon First thing I would do is load test the battery. Hold your meter leads on the battery. What is your at rest voltage? Then step on the pedal, and see what the voltage drops to. A drop to 9.6 volts, or less is a failed load test. After that, I would check, and clean all of the big connections. Pay special attention to the cable end at the positive side of the battery. See if it has corrosion crawling up under the insulation. Last thing would be check the starter brushes. See if they are close to the wear indicators. EDIT: I know some of that stuff is new, but others read these threads for their own troubleshooting too.

02-21-2017, 04:51 PM	#3
Granger ezgo Getting Wild Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Indiana Posts: 93	Re: Sluggish starter 89 Ezgo Marathon Meter reads 15.2 volts at rest and drops to 12.4 when pedal is pressed. Not sure about wear indicators but I'm sure some research will shed some light on them. Thanks

02-21-2017, 06:27 PM	#4
cart around Test before replacing Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Ohio side of the Pennsylvania border. Posts: 3,495	Re: Sluggish starter 89 Ezgo Marathon Rubber plugs in the starter are hiding the brushes. Pop them out. There are grooves cut in the brushes to indicate wear.

02-21-2017, 07:45 PM	#5
Granger ezgo Getting Wild Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Indiana Posts: 93	Re: Sluggish starter 89 Ezgo Marathon Thanks cart around! I appreciate you taking time to help a fellow cart enthusiast, I notice you do that quite often. I'll give it a shot and thanks again!

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02-21-2017, 08:45 PM	#6
cart around Test before replacing Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Ohio side of the Pennsylvania border. Posts: 3,495	Re: Sluggish starter 89 Ezgo Marathon One other thing. 15.2 volts seems really high for a battery. Was it fresh off the charger when checked? Maybe the meter is off. That's still just about a 3 volt drop under load. I would suggest getting the attention of JohnnyB over in the ezgo electric section. See what advice he offers about your battery voltage.

02-22-2017, 07:18 PM	#8
cart around Test before replacing Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Ohio side of the Pennsylvania border. Posts: 3,495	Re: Sluggish starter 89 Ezgo Marathon That sounds more like it. It also indicates that the generator is charging. Looks like brushes, or a bad connection. The lugs inside of the FnR switch could use a good cleaning too.

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