Club car precedent loud muffler

[general01]

My mom recently got a nice club car percedent and the muffler is loud.

I am unsure which one to get(the cart is a 09 with the fe350)

[Monterey]

I'd be curious about this too. I have a 2008 with the same motor and my wife thinks it's too loud to ride in (she's used to the electric ones). I'm going to be checking out the exhaust gasket first.

[general01]

Let me know what you find out.

I have a 94ds and it was quieter then this cart when I had the stock engine in it(big blocked it)
This is my mom's cart and I have heard other precident carts that wasn't as loud as this one is.
I haven't checked for leaks yet but will check the gasket to make sure it's not bad.

I would hate to drop the cash on a new muffler if it's not going to help though.
Ps I know how your wife feels on the noise

[Clemsoncartguy]

Unless it's a muffler seam cracked . I bet there is a gasket leak where it connects to the head or at some other gasket kn the pipe if they exist.

[Peter W]

I own a 2011 Precedent with the FE350 engine that has always been serviced and maintained by an official Club Car franchised dealership. This week I was playing in a golf match at a golf club 40 miles away where I hired a 2003 Club Car DS with an FE290 engine for my round from the pro shop. I was quite surprised at how much quieter that hired buggy was compared with my much newer and much less used model. On a previous occasion I had hired an EZGO TXT with the Robin engine and that was even quieter still. I'm pretty sure that there is no problem with the exhaust muffler or gasket on my own buggy and, to all intents and purposes, it runs fine, using not much gas and no oil; it just sounds noisier and somehow harsher than these other buggies. I don't know if the FE350 engine is generally noisier than the FE290 or if the plastic seat base and thinner foam padding on my Precedent compared with the wooden seat base and thicker foam padding on the DS provide less good sound insulation above the engine bay. Whatever, next time my buggy is due for a service, I'm going to use the guy who maintains the hire buggies at the course I played this week to see if he can get my buggy running as sweet and quiet as the one that I hired.

[general01]

Originally Posted by Clemsoncartguy

Unless it's a muffler seam cracked . I bet there is a gasket leak where it connects to the head or at some other gasket kn the pipe if they exist.

Will check before its runner again

I have test driven other precident carts that was not as noisy(one was a close to how my ds was before I big blocked it and that was quiet even when in service mode with the seat up) so it has to be the muffler or its gasket

[lockman1]

Clemson? buddy? One last warning...
Do not GUESS at a possible scenario! If you don't REALLY know?... then don't post!
(You've been warned a few of times!)

Here's what I DO know!
The FE350 engines/mufflers are noticeably MUCH louder then the FE290 engines/mufflers!

The difference in loudness between Precedents is because they started out with FE290's in 2004,
until about 2008 when CC decided to make the FE350's stock in all Precedents!

I, personally don't mind how loud my FE350 is,
However... when I was cruising through my old campground at 3:00 in the morning to get back to my site?
I did my BEST to run my rpm's as low, and quiet as possible to keep security from b*tching at me!

.02

[Peter W]

Thanks for your information about the difference in noise levels between the FE290 and FE350 engines, LOCKMAN1. That puts my mind at rest. Did I read somewhere that there is a difference in how the valve clearance on the two engine variants is regulated (hydraulically on one or other of them?) or did I dream that up? I would say that the louder noise on my FE350 is like an old-fashioned valve clearance tappet clicking noise, like you used to get on automobile engines in the days when you had to adjust the valve clearances manually every 12000 miles or so, before computerised engine management systems started to regulate them constantly automatically. The Club Car service manual shows the same valve clearance gap (0.005 inches, if I recall correctly) for both engine variants, I believe.

[lockman1]

No Peter... your not dreaming!

The FE290 has adjustable rocker arms, and the valve lash should be set at .005", (0.127mm)
The FE350 has hydraulic lifters, and there is no adjustment for them!

I understand what you mean about the excess "mechanical" engine noise,
Mine is the same way, as are all FE350's!
Here's a video I shot when my cart was but a year old, just before I installed a LOUDER header and muffler!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vTbh...wOGrXzdfR1R2vg

You can hear the mechanical's of the engine over the top of the stock exhaust!
I've learned to live with it... the FE350 is a strong, reliable engine,
and I personally prefer it over the FE290! (even with the extra "loudness")

There's only one other alternative... get a different brand cart!

[Peter W]

Thanks again, LOCKMAN1. Yes, the noise on your YouTube clip is pretty much what I'm hearing on my buggy. I'm pleased with the way my buggy does the job and, like you, I'll live with the noisier engine. I wonder if the noise factor might have been part of the reason for Club Car switching from Kawasaki to Subaru engines on its latest models?