Just bought 1st cart--won't start

[ldj1002]

I just bought a ez-go gas cart. Wasn't running when I bought. Owner said it just wouldn't start one time after stopping and he decided to sell it. He said engine would turn over. Now a few months later I get it and battery is dead, I am charging now. First thing I plan to do is to check got fire. I suppose to do this lay the plug on ground, turn key and push gas peddle to make it turn over. Does this have points& condenser? It is the model with starter/gen in flywheel. I notice 2 cables to throttle, why? Are there any safety switches anywhere that could keep it from starting? Any help and suggestions appreciated. When I get it to turn over and where it has fire or not I will ask more questions.
I have never worked on golf cart.

I have for years worked on motorcycles, garden tractors, and antique engines. This is different in the stopping and go part of it and I know I'll need help to keep from trying a lots of trial and error.

Just got serial# and it doesn't look like example of numbers I read about My # is 79B20 I64467

[hsdtech]

Is this a 2 or 4 stroke? What year and model?
To check fire just pull the plugs and put them where the electrodes are contacting metal and hit the gas.

[Keito]

Buy his description of the starter/gen in the flywheel and the s/n, looks to be a 1979
The 2 cables on the carb are the throttle cable and governer cable
You should check the coil and spark plug too.
My brother rebuilt a snowmobile engine because it wouldn't run right, turned out to be the new spark plug
he installed was bad.

Points and condensor are under the flywheel. If you need to replace them it's around $40
If it's got spark your next step would be to check for fuel
Pull the line going to the carb and stick it in a can and crank it over, should pump some fuel out.
If not check/replace the fuel filter or maybe time for a fuel pump rebuild
You can get a rebuild kit off EBay for $15

If you verify the fuel pump is working, clean/rebuild the carb
Rebuild kit is around $50 for that.

If all that seems to be working and still doesn't start, check compression, should be >100 psi
If it's less, time for a top end rebuild, kit's for that are on EBay as well

I have a cart given to me that had the engine bearings frozen so I'm doing all the above plus a bottom
end rebuild.

[ldj1002]

Originally Posted by Keito

Buy his description of the starter/gen in the flywheel and the s/n, looks to be a 1979
The 2 cables on the carb are the throttle cable and governer cable
You should check the coil and spark plug too.
My brother rebuilt a snowmobile engine because it wouldn't run right, turned out to be the new spark plug
he installed was bad.

Points and condensor are under the flywheel. If you need to replace them it's around $40
If it's got spark your next step would be to check for fuel
Pull the line going to the carb and stick it in a can and crank it over, should pump some fuel out.
If not check/replace the fuel filter or maybe time for a fuel pump rebuild
You can get a rebuild kit off EBay for $15

If you verify the fuel pump is working, clean/rebuild the carb
Rebuild kit is around $50 for that.

If all that seems to be working and still doesn't start, check compression, should be >100 psi
If it's less, time for a top end rebuild, kit's for that are on EBay as well

I have a cart given to me that had the engine bearings frozen so I'm doing all the above plus a bottom
end rebuild.

First thing I did was pull spark, it had a piece of trash on spark plug grounding it out. I cleaned it and it started. Only thing that worries me is that piece of trash is harder than just carbon. Hope it isn't metal.


Been driving it around. Sometime it won't start, just get a clicking sound like a solenoid. It isn't the solenoid. I jump across the solenoid terminals and hear it is coming from start/gen. I reach and turn engine a little and try again and it starts. This has happened several times. It however has started every time after rotating the engine a little. What might be the problem?

[Keito]

Dead spot in the armature?
Like back in the day when you hit the starter on your car with a hammer to get
it to turn over.
You might want to take the flywheel off and check the brushes, I don't think they are available but I've read some people have modified others to fit.

[ldj1002]

Originally Posted by Keito

Dead spot in the armature?
Like back in the day when you hit the starter on your car with a hammer to get
it to turn over.
You might want to take the flywheel off and check the brushes, I don't think they are available but I've read some people have modified others to fit.

Thanks very much for RE.
Can flywheel be removed with engine in cart? Does it take a special puller to remove flywheel? If dead spot on armature it sounds like something I'll just have to live with. I would think if brushes are bad it wouldn't work at all, not just sometime.

[cwinkslinger]

Sounds like you do have a dead spot in the starter/generator. There are brushes redily available, but likely won't do much for the dead spot. Might as well buck it up and buy a replacement starter/generator. Easy off and on, an the flywheel isn't anywhere near it.

[redcloud]

Agree with the starter/gen. Your confusing the flywheel of an auto with teeth and bendix meshing and this is not in your rig. Power to start/gen requires brushes to turn motor ( starter/gen) that inturn turns the engine over. Check voltage for solid 12 volts getting to the starter/gen. Also if the battery had gone dead once you may have a bad weak battery that does not have good voltage to start. Charge battery to full charge and check for 12 volts. Let sit all night and check voltage again to see if you are having a drop.
brushes could be bad also as poss. that at the times it will not start is on compression stroke thus weak battery or bad brushes can be the culprit. try all before springing for a new starter/gen.
This is what I would do.

[Keito]

Originally Posted by cwinkslinger

Sounds like you do have a dead spot in the starter/generator. There are brushes redily available, but likely won't do much for the dead spot. Might as well buck it up and buy a replacement starter/generator. Easy off and on, an the flywheel isn't anywhere near it.

He mentioned it is a model with the internal starter/gen.
So it should be between a 1976-1979

[Keito]

Per the S/N he posted should be a 1979