2004 Gas DS tops out at 10mph

[Dw1973]

I bought a 2004 Club Car DS gas not long ago and it recently has developed problems. It has a top speed of 10mph on the GPS. When accelerating I noticed a rattling sound from the engine compartment. When pressing the gas pedal all the way down when driving it does not go any faster then 3/4 the way down. I jacked up the rear and pressed the gas and noticed the sound again but could not pinpoint it. I removed the belt and the sound appeared to lessen almost going away. When I pressed the gas pedal all the way down the engine slowed and began to miss. It would recover quickly when I backed off full throttle. No smoke or oil leaks on this machine. I put the belt back on and the noise seems to go away but the cart would only top out at 10mph. What should I focus on for repairs? I replaced the air filter, oil recently. I have never checked the rear end fluid. Thanks to all who offer some good advice. Dave

[shoelessjoe]

Ok, lots going on in that post.


Obviously 10mph is less than what it should be doing and couple that with the rattle and you likely have an issue. The things that would cause a drop in speed are engine performance, clutch performance and brake drag (assuming cart is stock).

Sounds like your engine ran fine when the belt was pulled (I'll get to the missing below) so that leads me to think it was the clutches that are the culprit. You said that when you removed the belt the sound lessened or went away which points me to the driven (secondary clutch) being the source of the noise since with the belt off it would not have been spinning any more. Even with the belt off the drive (primary) clutch would have been spinning and opening/closing so if it was the cause of the noise I would expect it to still be there even with the belt off.

To check the operation of your clutches put the belt on and either jack the rear end back up or put the cart in maintenance mode. The clutches should shift smoothly and work together. If something is binding or not working properly you should be able to tell. Check out youtube for vids of properly operating CVT clutches if you don't have experience with them. I know there are probably tons of snowmobile vids on there and they principles are the same as on carts.

As for the missing and slowing of the engine with the belt off I would guess that is your govenor and rev limiter kicking in since the belt-less engine is able to quickly rev up when not under load.

Take a look at the clutches and report back with what you find.

[boatair]

I bet it's a bad belt. Check it out close and make sure it is the same width all the way around and has not been burned up.

[clubcarjeff]

Yello? Please check the oil in the rear end before going any further. Add a quality gear oil until it starts to drain from the fill plug.