2001 CC Pioneer FE350D Clockwise Rebuild

[Aggiesdm]

Here is a video of the noise and location


https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CQ9tdBfAJd4

[CP241]

Can you post a video of the noise?

Off hand I could take a guess and say head gasket/head bolt
Torque?

[CP241]

Just saw your video. You will always feel a little air coming out of that location, it’s coming from the fan and blowing through the tins.

Definitely an odd noise. Check the exhaust bolts and make sure it’s not leaking through that gasket or the carb gasket. Can spray a little carb cleaner around the carb and see if the engine changes RPM and maybe changes the noise too. If so it’s definitely leaking around the carb to suck air/carb cleaner in and will usually change the rpm

[Aggiesdm]

Originally Posted by CP241

Just saw your video. You will always feel a little air coming out of that location, it’s coming from the fan and blowing through the tins.

Definitely an odd noise. Check the exhaust bolts and make sure it’s not leaking through that gasket or the carb gasket. Can spray a little carb cleaner around the carb and see if the engine changes RPM and maybe changes the noise too. If so it’s definitely leaking around the carb to suck air/carb cleaner in and will usually change the rpm

Thanks so much...I was wondering about the fan causing that air and suspected that might be the issue.

I'll definitely try the starter fluid, but I'm leaning towards the head bolts being loose or something due to the loss of compression. When I installed the head, I used a brand new head gasket and torqued to spec, but who knows...I've made a mistake or two in the past :)

I'm kicking myself for not taking pics of the guts of the engine while I reassembled. I just keep wondering about the timing, but again...would it even run if the timing was off by 1 tooth?

[CP241]

I’ve never put one off a tooth to try so I can’t answer factually…. But I would think that IF it ran, it wouldn’t run well at all. But truthfully the timing marks are pretty hard to screw up

[Aggiesdm]

Success on the squeak! I’m not sure what it was, but I retorqued all the head bolts and cleaned all of the gasket surfaces really well on the carburetor assembly. Bolted it all back up and it cranked up with no squeaks.

But….that stupid clutch still won’t disengage at idle. It’s an aftermarket clutch and I’m wondering if I could Frankenstein parts from it onto my OEM clutch? All I really need is the idle bearing and the pivot shafts that the weights rotate on. Club Car says those are all either back ordered or part of a full kit that I don’t need. Thoughts?

[Aggiesdm]

Originally Posted by CP241

I’ve never put one off a tooth to try so I can’t answer factually…. But I would think that IF it ran, it wouldn’t run well at all. But truthfully the timing marks are pretty hard to screw up

Gotcha. Thoughts on the clutch?

[CP241]

The only thing you should have to maybe swap over from your own clutch is the spring. The spring on key start carts is stiffer than the ones on pedal start carts to hold the clutch open longer and allow the cart to idle.

[Aggiesdm]

Originally Posted by CP241

The only thing you should have to maybe swap over from your own clutch is the spring. The spring on key start carts is stiffer than the ones on pedal start carts to hold the clutch open longer and allow the cart to idle.

You’re a golf cart genius! I swapped the spring and whallah!!! It’s running great , the clutch is disengaging at idle and no more squeak either.

The spring that came in the aftermarket clutch was so small and weak, probably 3” and the OEM spring is like 5-6” and much stiffer.

Thank you CP241 for all of your help and the others on this forum as well. I think I’m done With this cart for a while and will just enjoy it until I get a hair to do some mods!

[CP241]

Glad you got it going

FYI even the OEM clutch spring is considerable smaller and weaker in pedal start vs key start. Pedal start carts don’t idle so they engage pretty much instantaneously when the engine begins to fire for a smoother takeoff.