89 Ezgo runs,but no power

[kyerik]

I think that the ether should have helped it run better it if it was bad crank seals.

Is there any chance that your grand kids put oil or diesel or something else in the gas tank? Too much oil in the gas would foul the spark plug.

Is it smoking really bad when it does run?

If it was mine, I would keep lowering the float and see what eventually happens- either it will run better and better or it will stop getting any fuel in the carb and will not even start.

[Basser]

Erik, I was doing all the refueling so I don't think they put anything in the tank. I drained the tank later and replaced all the fuel. Is that ether test sure fire?, or is there another way to test for bad seals, but you're right it would be too lean with those leaks. I'll get into the carb again and put more on the float. The float is made out encapsulated stirofoam and it floats real high.

Did you see my post on the other 89 I have, regarding the rear end pinion gear?, If so what do you think?, Thanks a lot for your help, Bud

[kyerik]

I blew out a crank seal once, and the engine would only sputter a little when the choke was completely out.

I have read that there is a "smoke test" for crank seals- I'm not sure how it would be done- I would guess you just blow smoke into the reed valve opening and make sure none appears from the seals. There is also a test I saw on youtube where you plug the carb opening and the exhaust pipe opening on the jug and then use a special fitting and gauge installed on one of those plugs to apply a couple of psi of air pressure to the crankcase and watch the gauge to see if it holds pressure nicely.

[Basser]

Would the reeds make it act like this? When I went into the reeds the composite block was charred on one side and I slicked it with emory. I could see some light through it and I made it better, you could still see a wee bit of light, but with the slightest touch close it out. Wouldn't the piston pressure close it?, The problem here is you can not buy a new reed unit for this model (3pg) and I can't find a used unit.

Question, would a malfunctioning reed act like this, running rich and fouling plugs and not able to corrected this by adjusting the float and or doing everything possible to clean and adjust the carburetor. Remember now it will run like normal just before it runs out of fuel and also when you remove the fuel supply from the carb and run it through and out of the bowl.

Does anyboby out the know how they act with defective reeds?

[kyerik]

I would guess that a bad reed valve seal would be similar to a bad crank seal- running too lean. When one of my crank seals was blown out by a backfire, the engine would only sputter a bit on full choke. It wouldn't even try to fire without choking it.

Did you try to continually lower the float level one step at a time?

[Basser]

I kept lowering it until it wouldn't start and hardly run. There are two things to adjust on the float, the tongue and back stop lever that you need to adjust in unison,but I took and adjusted it about 10 times, about wore the nuts out on the carburetor. I am like you, defective reeds should make it suck in too much air. I guess my next move is to replace the carburetor. You can't buy those reed valve units anywhere! Now if they got too hot and lost their tension, then it would most likely suck in too much air and would run lean?

[kyerik]

Was it still running rich/flooding right up until the last little adjustment that made it run poorly?

Since you said that it runs great right before it runs out of gas, it seems like it would be running good when you get the float level adjusted really low.

Is your low speed mix adjustment screw still present (or did it fall out)?

[Basser]

It would run, but as I leaned it out with the float it kept running weaker and harder to start. I kept fooling with the air adjustment and I had it from 1 1/2 to 4 turns out. Erik, I have practically worn the nuts out on the carb. They are metrics and I don't have a 10mm open end and I am using a worn out 3/8Th's. Brew City thinks it's the carb too! It appears the reed and internals of the motor wouldn't act like this does.

What keeps coming back at me is the fact it was running fine when the kids got it hot and it quit. I was able to get it going again barely creeping by replacing the plug which had been completely fouled out. Now, what did that have to do with the carburetor? I was raised on a farm and we had to work on all of our stuff when it went down, but since then I am far from being very knowable about these 2 Cy's.

I appreciate all for keeping their thinking caps on this thing, and I'll just keep trying. I am retired and my time isn't worth very much, other than eating a hole in fishin, golfin, and most of all rakin those abominable leaves.

Thanks for your continued support, Bud

[kyerik]

I agree that it really doesn't make any sense that running it hard/getting hot would cause the mixture to get richer.

You mentioned in your very first post that it doesn't run any better without the air cleaner hooked up- so that rules out a plugged air filter.

Maybe it is time to think about putting a new carb on it.

Here's a long shot- I have read about a condition in 2 stroke dirt bikes where they can get so severely flooded that there is quite a bit of raw liquid gas pooled in the crankcase- and so they have to remove the spark plug and lay the bike on its side for a few minutes to let the fuel seep by the rings and drain out. I don't expect you to turn your cart over, but maybe you could just leave the spark pug out for a few days- if it was severely flooded (gas standing in the bottom of the engine) much of it might evaporate over the course of a few days.

[Basser]

You know Erik that's makes some sense!, that thing could have just for some unknown reason got real flooded, heavens know what or how they driving it. It could have malfunctioned somehow and we just kept filling it up. I'll go over there and pull the plug out and let it set for a day or two. I can't see how you could flush out the crank case. How about pulling the gas line and plug and cranking it?

PS: You know I've heard of stockcar boy's pulling the plugs out and torching the cylinders out with a torch and flamming them out??