Clean your carb!

[mrlmd]

I hadn't used my cart much since Hurricane Michael (October 10) until a few weeks ago after I had to charge up the battery to get it started and running. A few days ago I took it out for a ride and it was really hard to start and ran like crap and really slow. So, i checked inside the fuel tank and the filters and they looked clean, and then I decided to remove and inspect the innards of the carb.
The bowl was clean, no dirt, but the fuel inside had globs of a whitish gelatinous substance floating in the gas, probably deteriorated gas, possibly mixed with a tiny amount of moisture in the air? I cleaned all the jets and passages in the carb put it back together, and redid my ziptie mod on the spring in the rear, but I use a paper clip instead of a ziptie to tighten up the linkage. My cart now starts instantly and runs like a bandit, probably 25-30% faster than before the storm, with my Tiny Tac reading a max of about 3500 rpm which should keep me in the safe zone. I bet I hit at least 20mph now and will check it with my hanheld GPS and my cell phone to see. Removing and cleaning this carb is real simple and easy to do and if your cart runs like crap, do it. I was surprised by this jelly-like stuff in the bowl as I usually add Berryman's B12 Chemtool to my gas periodically, but I guess this happened because the cart sat for a couple of months. Anyway, very happy right now, especially for an almost 20 year old FE290 Club Car.

[WVHarley]

It sounds like part of your problem may have been cause by the ethenol in the gas. I have saw that stuff build up so bad in fuel lines and carbs that the engine would not even run. I run Rec 90 fuel and have never had an issue. REC-90 is an ethanol-free, 90 octane unleaded gasoline blend designed for use in recreational/marine engines which can be damaged by the ethanol found in other gasoline blends. At the very least run a premium grade of gas with a high octane level.

[Rooster59]

Ditto what WVHarley recommends. Find a nearby place who sells ethanol free, probably premium, gas. It isn't much more cost for things like chainsaws, mowers, weedeaters, and golf carts that don't use a large amount of fuel.

[mrlmd]

If you are using "Premium" and high octane as synonymous, high octane is only different from regular gas (87 octane) in that it has more additives which inhibit pre-detonation, or pinging, and is only needed for high compression engines. There is no benefit to running higher octane gas in a low compression engine like the FE290. Higher octane gas is not "better" than regular, and actually has less power (BTU/liter) and will give worse fuel economy if used in a car net requiring it.
But if you mean"premium" as from a high tier producer, then I agree with you.
And ethanol-free, whatever the grade, is best, to avoid this problem of long-term storage being exposed to excessive moisture.

[Rooster59]

Seldom is ethanol free gas available unless it is higher octane. Limited choices.

[Fairtax4me]

Try your local farm co-op or if you live near the coast or a major lake try a marina gas station. Might pay a little more for it, but you're better off in the long run with the ethanol free.
If you're only buying 4-5 gallons at a time that extra $3-4 in price difference isn't all that noticeable.

I get it delivered in bulk from Southern States Petroleum. But we have alot of equipment and vehicles that need it.
Most of our stuff gets used at different times of the year and the ethanol gas would eat fuel pumps and ruin injectors on the vehicles that sit most of the winter.

[WVHarley]

Yes, "premium" as from a top tier producer. However REC 90 is your best bet. It is also a good idea to start your cart every couple weeks in the off season. One of the worst thing for any engine is for it to set for an extended time.

[mrlmd]

I actually have a local gas station that sells ethanol-free gas because we are right on the coast and there are a lot of boaters around here, so there is a high demand for it. I buy it for my boats and lawnmower and for the cart but I haven't used this thing in a while because of cleaning up and repairing the damage and mess from Hurricane Michael in October. I only posted this thread to advise everyone about what you can find in your carbs when it sits unused for a while and then either refuses to start or runs like crap.
I also add Berryman's B12 Chemtool to my gas (1 oz/gal) which keeps it from deteriorating into varnish during prolonged periods of non-use and keeps the carb clean, but the jelling clumps I found in the bowl I'm sure where due in part to moisture.

[WVHarley]

I think we are all one the same page.

[DocS]

Our local walmart sells regular-no ethanol gas.

It's at a premium price, but it's all I use in my small engines.

Blessings,
DocS