1990 EZ-GO Marathon 244cc Robin 3PG

[ShortBusDriver]

This will be my first cart. I picked it up for seven bills yesterday. No idea if it was a good deal. Judging by other online prices, I believe it may have been a fair deal. Maybe some of you can help me out with that determination.
Either way, it's mine now and I'm going to enjoy the project more than anything else.
It's in fair condition. Parts are going to be tough and I'll probably end up replacing the engine in the long run. It runs fine for now but could use some TLC.
First order of business: find an intake hose. It's dusted.
Then a good cleaning and a tune up.
Who knows how long that intake hose has been split and what's been sucked into the engine.





I'm glad you all were here. I'm bound to have questions as I go.
Expendable cash and allotted time will determine the finished date.
Might be a slow process.

[invalidsession]

Nice little cart. Funny how even though the body style is virtually identical to mine yours looks much more modern in the off white body colour. Mine wears green bodywork with gold accent stripes.
Re the air intake btw, I doubt any muck has been sucked in providing the air filter is still in place, the intake pipe just looks to be pulling cooler air in from the front rather than from the engine bay.

Chris.

[ShortBusDriver]

Originally Posted by invalidsession

Re the air intake btw, I doubt any muck has been sucked in providing the air filter is still in place, the intake pipe just looks to be pulling cooler air in from the front rather than from the engine bay.

That's the thing. The hose I'm talking about is after the air filter and before the engine. It's a wonder it didn't cease up long ago. Looks like it's been that way for awhile.

[azboo]

Cute cart...very clean.

Funny how I can look at these pictures and tell where ya' live. The land of gravel and beige houses...

[BoostedOne]

For 700 bucks I think you did real well.. Looks like its in really good shape, just a few little things to take care of.

I have seen ALOT worse with higher asking prices.

[sccowboy]

I would clean her up real good and check your compression. That way you have a baseline reading to go off of. If no maintenance has been done then I would consider doing away with the oiler system and start premixing your fuel at around 100:1. The auto oiler will fail without warning and kill your 3PG quick. Inspect your belts you want approx 3/8" of deflection on the Gen belt and your drive belt should measure around 1 1/16" in width. Check and clean all your grounds. Check the metal base around the bottom of the engine for cracks as well as the cradle and supports for the muffler. The 3PG shakes excessively and they are prone to cracks in those areas. If you see any cracks then take it to a good welder and get them repaired. They will drive you crazy making all sorts of rattling (ask me how I know...LOL). Check anything you might think of that could be a wear item. Keep an eye on the crank seals......they will also drive you crazy by causing all sorts of performance problems if they leak. Looks like you made out really well with the price you paid.

[ShortBusDriver]

Originally Posted by azboo

Cute cart...very clean.

Funny how I can look at these pictures and tell where ya' live. The land of gravel and beige houses...

Yeah, the land of golf courses and monsoons, Southern Arizona.
Like you, I too was born and raised in California and now live in this God forsaken desert. I've lived all over Cali in my younger years (Richmond, El Dorado, Shingle Springs,San Pablo, Sacramento, Fresno, San Diego). Might go back the San Dog one day...who knows.

Well, I just spent my first hour with the cart and my fear is that the oil and dirt might be what's holding this thing together. I started hittin' the largest dirt clod with a can of WD40 and a brush and found a carberator.
The single spark plug wasn't even close to hand tight...free spinning.

The biggest shock was the air filter is bristine. Apparently it's been completely bi-passed by that split hose forever.

It's a wonder this thing operated at all. When I'm finished gussing it all up, it won't know how to act. It better thank me for years to come.

sccowboy, great advice! I've printed your post to use as a checklist.

[sccowboy]

cool purple power cleaner works wonders. b-52 is another serious degreaser if you can find it. purple power from wally world 2.5 gals for 10 bucks. let us know how she cleans up. my list is just what I would start with. remember whatever you check and catch now will have a serious impact on how much life you get out of her.

[ShortBusDriver]

sccowboy,
Apparently, I have an small oil leak under the oil tank. You can actually see where it has wet the hose that I need to replace.

I'm going to take your advice and and mix the fuel myself. I saw a thread on how much to mix to the amount of use but I can't find one on how to take the oil system out of the loop. Can you link me to some instruction. I'm sure it's here. I'm just not finding it.

I'll probably hold off a little while to do it though. I plan to make this street legal and registering it to drive around town. It's legal to do so here but I'm not sure if Arizona is going to make me smog it yet. Taking out the oil system would probably cause it to fail if they do.

[sccowboy]

On my 89 I simply cut and plugged the line at the carb and removed the control rod from the carb to the pivot arm. I suppose you could remove the tank and associated lines and just leave the little pump mounted. I did not do all that. I know nothing about that smog stuff or if it would pass.