1988 Marathon 2 cycle issues

[Morgan44]

Go ahead and warm it up a bit. 125-130 is ideal. IMO anything lower than that by more than a couple pounds is unacceptable. Drivable, I think as low as 100ish.

[93yellowclubcar]

Bought a compression tester earlier today and just checked the compression - it consistently tested at 118-120 psi. The engine was warm but not all the way hot. I don't think that's too bad considering its age, looks like I'll go ahead and spend my friend's money on some parts.

[93yellowclubcar]

Pulled the rear end out today and removed the driven clutch. Power washed the gunk off it and drained the fluid. What are the specs for weight and amount of fluid for the Dana rear end in these? I've seen some suggestions of SAE 30 motor oil, but I'd prefer to use actual gear oil.

I wish I had a manual for this cart so I wouldn't have to ask so many questions, but I can't seem to locate one...

Edit: Nevermind on weight, found a thread where I see EZGO themselves recommend SAE 30. Still would like to know amount though.

Thanks!

[Dave Box]

Engine oil in a gearbox has been my hobby horse and you have to wonder why EZGO would recommend such a thing. My hypothesis is that is is simply the cheapest thing they can do and shaving a few bucks off the bottom line is a few bucks of extra profit. It is also very convenient that they only have to keep one oil in stock when dealing with four strokes.

In reality it probably does not matter that much and you could run your differential on mayo if you had to, but if you are going to replace the oil I would say use a gear oil not an engine oil. In case you didn't already know 30 weight engine oil has the same viscosity as 70 - 80 weight gear oil.

If you have already drained the oil you just need to fill it through the rubber plug until it won't take anymore and you are done. Here is a nice write up

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/ezgo-...a-rearend.html

Dave

[93yellowclubcar]

Thanks for the write up! Can't believe I missed that, I just browsed through the tech section earlier!

I was kind of amazed that they recommended engine oil as well, but since I don't have any gear oil at the moment and I have several quarts of SAE 30, I think I'm gonna run it on that. Might have to change it sooner, but that's easy enough to do anyhow.

Just an aside: I noticed this plug when I was fooling with it since it's out of the cart.

IMG_20140414_194026_301.jpg

I was kind of assuming that plug up near where the clutch bolts on was the fill plug, and I'd pour it in through there til it ran out the rubber plug hole.

[93yellowclubcar]

Not much progress to report, waiting on parts. The driven clutch is supposed to be here tomorrow, but that doesn't do me any good since the belt isn't going to show up until next week with the rest of the stuff i ordered.

I ran the engine a little today and noticed I still get the no acceleration problem, even with no belt attached. The fuel pump is new, so I took the carburetor apart and did a thorough teardown and clean with spray carb cleaner, and followed that up with compressed air in every port and small hole I could find. There was some gunk on the main jet, so I think that could've been one issue. I also took apart the intake and removed the reed valves and their ancient paper seals, and cleaned that area up. Used some permatex ultra RTV to make new seals and reinstalled all that, so hopefully if I had an air leak there that will fix the problem.

carb.jpg

This is the Mikuni carb that's on the cart. I'm assuming it's the correct one, although I don't know if it's a BV18 or BV24, there are no markings. I set the float just a hair higher than the 3/8" that the manual I was able to find said, it's now at 5/16".

I have one question about the carburetor, what is the hole circled in yellow? when I blew out the ports in the carburetor, air came out of it. Am I missing something that goes there? the hole isn't threaded and it doesn't appear anything has ever gone in it, is it just a vent?

I'll know tomorrow when I get the carburetor put back on and I test fire the engine whether or not my efforts have been in vain. If this doesn't fix the non-acceleration issue, I'll be at a loss for ideas unless the new fuel pump is bad. I might just take a video of its output tomorrow and let you all see if you think it's adequate.

[93yellowclubcar]

SUCCESS!!!

Though the cart still doesn't move under its own power because the belt isn't here yet, I've fixed the acceleration! The regasketing of the reeds, combined with the thorough carb cleaning and a new fuel filter got the old girl accelerating without the aid of the choke.

I've also got the new clutch which came in today on the rear end, and put the rear end back in the cart and filled it with new fluid. All that's left to do is put the new belt on when it gets here, and put the new air filter on.

IMG_20140418_144151_263.jpg

Only one question this time: can someone please school me on what the arm I'm pointing to is, and if there should be something attached to it? I think I've seen a cable attached on other carts, but this one doesn't have one.

[Morgan44]

That's the governor assembly. Cable goes from that to the carb. You won't hurt a thing not hooked up.

[93yellowclubcar]

Originally Posted by Morgan44

That's the governor assembly. Cable goes from that to the carb. You won't hurt a thing not hooked up.

I did some further digging and reading after posting, and I guess there's actually a plastic dust cover that goes over the driven clutch, and some kind of button on the end of it that contacts the governor arm to make it work. Then, as you said the cable goes to the carburetor and connects somehow. To make this one work I'd need a cable, the right end fittings, and the dust cover thing.

Do a lot of you 2 stroke guys run without the governor? I don't worry about me tearing it up, but it belongs to a friend. What do you do to keep an eye on RPMs, install a tach?

I hate to sound so ignorant, but I'm truly a first timer on gas carts of any type, and I'm learning on a system that has its share of oddities I know my way around cars and tractors, but these are different enough to make me unsure of my usual methods. Dave and Morgan and others, thank you guys for being patient with me and helping me along as I ask a ton of newbie questions, your efforts are truly appreciated!

[Morgan44]

No governor is not a problem. I do have a tach, but I'm not really stock anymore. Honestly with a stock set up, running properly, I don't think it is possible to over rev. As long as it's a sensible adult driving, the excess speed without the governor is pretty safe.