how do i determine TDC on EZ GO TXT 98

[pizzamaker]

Originally Posted by tman58

My 1998 ezgo gas TXT only runs good for short period.....It seems I have to adjust the valves about every 3 to 5 hours of runtime now.... to make the thing run good.... any ideas? Am I not adjusting correctly? After 3 to 5 hours it will not start until I adjust valves again.

Is it important which valve you adjust first, second, third or fourth? Or is it important that you only adjust one at a time..... I think I have actually loosened all valves at once and then adjusted to .004 with cam lobe pointing down. But I have noticed it is getting difficult to adjust enough to have a gap. That is I have had the set screw come all the way out trying to get a gap of .004.

now that i read this again i'm not sure if i'm understanding you?
you need to adjust one valve at a time and you need the lobe pointing down on each valve your setting!! set one valve and rotate the engine until the next lobe is down to set the next valve! left to right or right to left it does not matter. is this how you did it?

[tonyton]

Originally Posted by pizzamaker

now that i read this again i'm not sure if i'm understanding you?
you need to adjust one valve at a time and you need the lobe pointing down on each valve your setting!! set one valve and rotate the engine until the next lobe is down to set the next valve! left to right or right to left it does not matter. is this how you did it?

Sounds like he's adjustimng them all with the same piston at TDC? Yes?

[tman58]

I have been adjusting the pistons in a random order. From standing on passenger side of cart looking towards back of cart/engine...If left is piston 1 and right is piston 4.... for example I may have adjusted piston 3, then 2, then 4 then 1. I can try adjusting in 1,2,3,4 order if that matters?

I do the following steps when adjusting the valves each time:
1. I loosen the nut on the set screw of the piston I am about to adjust and back the set screw out just a little. Question: I sometimes loosen all the nuts at once (all 4 pistons) and then proceeded to adjust one piston at a time....could that mess up something possibly?
2. I then rotate the lobe down opposite the rocker arm. Question: does it matter which way I rotate to get the lobe down?
3. Then I tweak/adjust the set screw trying to get the .004 gap just right (to where there is a slight tug/drag). What I hve noticed sometimes is that I cannot get a piston gapped correctly because even though lobe is down and set screw is backed all the way out, the cam is tight against the shaft.
4. Then I hold the set screw in place with flat head screwdriver and tighten down on nut with box wrench for that particular piston.
5. Then I repeat steps 1 thru 4 for next 3 pistons. But like I said before I have not been working the pistons in any particular order.

I really think I may be doing something wrong sometimes because every now and then (guess I get lucky) after I adjust the valves, the cart runs like a top, very smooth and fast... but it only seems to last a couple of weeks (3 to 5 hours) then it is hard to start again.... and I repeat the entire process.

Thanks again for all your help.... you guys aare great!

[tonyton]

I think there may be some confusion in the terminolgy or definitions. Leading to other questions. Where's Pizza??

[pizzamaker]

thats the way to do it, it does not matter where the pistons are when doing it this way.
just wanted to make sure, so like i said the valves will need to be serviced

[pizzamaker]

if the valves get bad enough there will no adjustment left and the adjustment screw will stick out of the rocker arm alot farther on the two in the middle than the outside two.

[tonyton]

Thanks PM. I'm sleepy. The brains not working as "bad" as normal