Marathon Engine troubleshooting

[SamCarroll]

which screw is the gas/speed screw on the carb? i was told maybe mine is screwed all the way in. im doing a compression test when i get home. i really hope my rings arent trashed and need a rebuild.

[capthump1]

Not to hijack this thread but my friend sons brought home a freebee which has been laying dead for 3 years. The guy he got it from changed the starter and could never get it to turn again. It was hooked up wrong and fried the starter. I got a used starter from ebay and cleaned the carb and got it running. My question is the 3 cables that go to the carb? I only have 1 hooked up to the accell. pedal. 1 goes to the oil pump and then the other 1 goes toward the rear what do they do? I know 1 has to be the Gov. Do I need them? I added oil to the gas till I see if the oil pump is injecting oil. Also the engine sounds fine and runs great but feels like something is holding the cart back. The brakes are free was wondering if it could be that cable that runs toward the rear.

[SamCarroll]

i know you can see the governer cable piece below the gas tank.

[Trumposorousrex]

Hi I'm new. But my cart did the same thing last week after rebuilding the engine. I had the air fuel screw adjusted wrong. Screw it in all the way and back it off two full turns. And mine fired right up. Worth a try

[SamCarroll]

well i compression tested and i was at 13 forward 20 back lol so i ordered a rebuild kit

[Dave Box]

Ooops looks like someone stole your piston There is quite a decent video on the rebuild here

YouTube - Gasoline Golf Cart ENGINE REBUILD Part 1/3

YouTube - Gasoline Golf Cart ENGINE REBUILD Part 1/3

Interestingly enough he makes a classic mistake at the end of part 2 when he replaces the piston backwards. He corrects this at the start of video 3 but I bet he rebuilt the engine reinstalled it and then spent days working out why it didn't run. The moral of the story is make sure the port in the piston skirt faces the carburetter.

[SamCarroll]

ill make sure to watch that closely. Should i order the full top end rebuild? I know their not expensive so i might as well do the whole top end because it takes care of everything. Id imagine this is pretty easy to do.

[GoTeeMan]

Originally Posted by capthump1

Not to hijack this thread but my friend sons brought home a freebee which has been laying dead for 3 years. The guy he got it from changed the starter and could never get it to turn again. It was hooked up wrong and fried the starter. I got a used starter from ebay and cleaned the carb and got it running. My question is the 3 cables that go to the carb? I only have 1 hooked up to the accell. pedal. 1 goes to the oil pump and then the other 1 goes toward the rear what do they do? I know 1 has to be the Gov. Do I need them? I added oil to the gas till I see if the oil pump is injecting oil. Also the engine sounds fine and runs great but feels like something is holding the cart back. The brakes are free was wondering if it could be that cable that runs toward the rear.

Dump the tank and pump assembly and just go premix then you have no worries

[Dave Box]

Unless you have a reason to suspect the bottom end I would just get the top end kit which comprises of a piston, rings, wrist pin, cylinder and gaskets. You should find the kit for around $200. I actually replaced the top and bottom end as my engine had seized and then been abondonded, that came in at around $400. The main issue is not so much the cost but the labor. Replacing the top end is probably an evenings work. Doing the whole thing involves removing the drive clutch (a pain) and removing the flywheel (a royal pain). Then you have to find a shop to press the bearings onto the crank and so on.
One tip is to note the postions of the head bolts. They are different as three bolts are used as egine mount. When you come to replace the head look at the black cover the three large bolts must align with the holes in the cover.
If you get stuck give me a shout, from personal experience I know what not to do to make the job go smoothly

[GoTeeMan]

Part number on the upper end overhaul kit is 4554.

http://www.everythingcarts.com/p-394...rhaul-kit.aspx

That's where I got mine and it works great even after I flooded the cart plus they are a site sponsor, they have treated me very well on everything I have ordered from them.