89 Club Car Carryall misfiring at higher RPM’s

[Maineiac]

Thanks CP, it definitely makes sense. There are legitimate limitations to what I can do with an 8.5 hp 30 year old engine. I think I’ll probably learn to live with those limits for now and either plan for a re-power or trade for a newer more capable unit as time and funds allow. I still have plenty to do to bring this one up to acceptable standards. Lights, a seat, etc, etc, etc. thanks for the shared wisdom though.

[CP241]

Originally Posted by Maineiac

thanks for the shared wisdom though.

That's what we're all here for

I don't claim to know a lot, but try to help when I can.

[meimk]

Originally Posted by Maineiac

Is that loosen the governor arm not applicable to a KF-82?

The governor on a KF-82 is a different set up than on the FE290's. The mechanical governor works the carb linkage by way of a metal rod (a little thicker than an old wire coat hanger) that runs along the passenger side of the engine. Originally there was a metal boxed cover over it, but most of those are gone by now. The adjustment is a 5/16" (8mm) hex set screw that's usually lined up by the adjustment bracket for the starter / generator. Lengthen it (move the rod toward the front of the cart) to slow it down & shorten it (rod toward the rear) to speed it up. Tiny movements can make a big difference, s it can take some patience to dial it in just where you want it. Some will use the shortcut of setting it long (slow) and bending the rod slightly to dial it up a little faster. That's fine as long as the rod doesn't get in the way of anything else.

[Maineiac]

Ok Meimk, so in my quest to understand function, as an experiment I loosened the bolt on the governor arm to the point where it no longer moved the rod while operating, and then took it for a test drive. The spark still cut out at approx the same point just the same. It appears the rev limiter built into the coil is independent of the governor? Would you agree or am i missing something?

[meimk]

Yes, they are totally separate. Governor is mechanical. It’s inside the rear end and based on rotational speed of the gear set it acts on that rod, which in turn acts on that mechanical linkage to the carburetor throttle plate. The RPM limiter is electric and cuts out the spark when it exceeds the set engine RPMs. That’s why it’s been suggested that by adjusting the mechanical governor to run just under where the electronic limiter kicks in you’ll have about the same speed capacity, but without the jerking & sputtering of the spark interruptions.

[Maineiac]

So, basically use the governor as a throttle stop. I’m catching on. Thanks Boyos.

[CP241]

The governor controls the throttle plate in the carb to regulate vehicle speed.

The rev limiter just prevents the motor from revving too high

If the throttle plate sticks, governor is set incorrectly, or something else happens that would make the motor stick wide open, over rev and blow up the RPM limiter is just a fail safe to protect the engine.