"Late 80's" Gas Marathon

[Dave Box]

Mark
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A short history of the PG engine, enjoy.

-In 1976 the so-called '2pg'--a 244cc, Fuji Heavy Industries/Robin Engine--with an internal starter generator (st/gen), became standard. Repair parts are still available except for the crankshaft assembly, the voltage regulator/starter relay and the internal st/gen stator & field.

-In 1980, an external, Hitachi brand starter generator was introduced and the engine was modified. The crank bearings, drive clutch, point set & condenser, voltage regulator and the engine frame all changed.

-1981 ushered in an electronic ignition system, which did away with the golf carts point set & condenser altogether, and the point activator lobe on the crankshaft soon went away too. Except for the addition of an oil injection system, this engine went virually unchanged until 1989 when the 3pg golf cart engine replaced it. Although the two engines are similar, many parts are very different.

-1983 was the oddball year for the 2pg engine. The muffler was placed behind the engine and it layed down instead of standing up. The '83 golf cart had a different engine frame, muffler & exhaust stack. It only lasted one year though...lots of problems.

In '84 the E-Z-GO golf cart went back to the old exhaust system & stand-up muffler on the driver side of the car.

1988 was the last full year of the 2pg engine. A larger golf cart carburetor and another change to the muffler & exhaust system were implemented trying to get more power for the car. The st/gen bracket also went through several changes as the incresed power caused the original bracket to break apart.

In mid-year 1989, (early '89 models had the 2pg engine) E-Z-GO changed to the '3pg' engine, leaving the old 2pg to history. The '3pg' engine has the spark plug turned upward, and the whole engine is rotated such that both clutches face the driver side of the golf cart. This rotation allowed for the differential to be changed from a hypoid gearing to a more efficient helical gear design, a change that persists to this day. The lay-down style golf cart muffler for the '3pg' engine is in front of, and slightly above the engine. The piston is about the only part that works in either engine. The crankshaft & clutches, the exhaust system, the carburetor, air intake & control cables all changed.

Dave

[Night]

Very nicely done. Even I could follow along. Maybe a Mod could move this to the must read section. So all of us green novices would know the basics.

Thank You
Mark

[1lane66]

Ok guys now you have me wondering what year mine really is. Look at my photos in my album there is one of it before i started the work on it and then the ones after. Mine did not come with the handles next to the seat on either side. I was told by the guy i bought it from it is orig. And no changes. And by the way i'm still fighting the problem with the driven clutch and the belt but after watching the video posted of the slipping clutch i think mine is shot and the weights are never engaging enough to hold the sheaves together under power.

[1lane66]

Ok guys now you have me wonder what year mine really is. Take a look at my album there is one before i started work on it and a few after. Mine did not have the handles mounted next to the seat. The guy a got it from said it was all orig. And not changed. Look and see if anyone can verify year. The plate on the front inner cowl says 1988. Thanks mygyst usmc

[Night]

I'm not seeing any album?

Mark

[1lane66]

Originally Posted by Night

I'm not seeing any album?

Mark

DID YOU GO TO MY PROFILE. THERE SHOULD BE TWO OF THEM THERE

[BrewCityMusic]

Thats definitely a pre-88 cart, sir (unless the entire front clip was swapped with an earlier one - highly unlikely) - and Ckid, if your cart has the same front end as the one he has pictured, then yours is a pre-88 also (or again, one with a transplanted face) - it's fairly easy for people to get confused as EZGO had a couple of different number layouts on the plates and occasionally what looks like a year indication (the last 2 numbers) actually is just part of the serial number, etc - I've seen them without ANY year indicators on them, in fact.

Why not post a few pics of the engine compartment layout (muffler and engine orientation, etc) and we'll see if that can help us nail down some more accurate info for you guys - especially confirming if it's an 88 which was a "one-year-only" cart and has several distinct, non-crossing indicators that a decent engine bay photo or two would help us nail down

[1lane66]

Ok here is the engine bay hope this helps. ALSO HERE IS THE DRIVEN CLUTCH I FREED UP. IT SLIDES IN AND OUT FREELY BUT CART ONLY MOVES AT A WALK. NEW BELT, 1 3/16 WIDE 45 LONG, ANY IDEAS.I TOOK THE BELT OFF AND RAN THE ENGINE UP , THE SHEAVES CLOSE UP AND RELEASE. DID THIS SEVERAL TIMES FWD & RVS. PUT THE BELT BACK ON AND STILL MOVES AT JUST A WALK. I HAVE TO HELP IT GET STARTED THAN IT CRAWLS ALONG.

[rokcrlr]

Originally Posted by cincinnati_kid

Maybe mine is missing it but I have an 89 with the 3pg and no plastic cowl

Then yours should be flat on the front and not pointed like the picture. It will look like something is missing

[cincinnati_kid]

Here is a pic of the cart the day I bought it. I have the 3pg engine I have a couple of bad pictures of other things you can kind of see the engine compartment. Maybe someone replaced the front end. Come to think of it when I took the front end off some of the bolts were missing and others were loose so who knows. I will post a better picture tomorrow of the engine compartment and the data tag.