88 Marathon Not Running

[Familys88ezgo]

I’m a new to the golf cart/ buggy world. I recently acquired my grandparents old golf cart, that had been sitting in my sisters barn for the past 4-5 years. I am not a mechanic by any means, but can do some minor things, so please be patient with my ignorance.

I purchased a new battery and installed it. Then put in a new spark plug, changed the fuel filter, and drained the old tank and blew out the fuel lines and blew out the carburetor. When I push the gas it does nothing, but if I push the gas easy it turns over and the big clutch spins, but the cart goes nowhere. It does this if it’s in forward or reverse. Any help would be greatly appreciated, I really want to get this cart going so my kids can drive it like I use to do.

[cart around]

I'm short on time, so here is a manual to get you started.

Plan on buying some carb cleaner. Blowing them out does nothing.
Remove the fuel line from the carb, and crank it over. You should see a healthy spurt of gas in pulses.

Easing into the pedal does nothing. The switch is either open, or closed there is no in between. Plan on cleaning electrical connections.

[Familys88ezgo]

Thank you for the manual Cart Around.

I took the carb off and cleaned it per the manual. Bowl was full of gas and fuel pump was working properly too.

As for it not doing anything when I mash the gas pedal, I charged the battery last night and swapped out the battery cables. It fires whenever I push the gas now. However it still doesn’t run. The drive clutch seems to be spinning but it’s not turning the belt. A neighbor of mine (that deals with electric carts) says that could be part of the problem but we need to get the motor firing better first. We are going to rewire everything else this weekend with a heavier wire. Also the bolt on top of the starter seems to be getting really hot after trying to get it going. The bolt and wire on top even smokes sometimes.

I’m kind of at a loss now, and don’t know what my next step is. Hope the rewire will help. I will post my results, but if anyone has other suggestions, I am all ears!

Thanks

[cart around]

It's time to check for spark and compression. Any idea why it was parked?
One more thing. The clutch spins because it's directly connected to the crankshaft and starter belt.

[Familys88ezgo]

I put a new spark plug on, and gapped it at .028 per the manual.

My sister took the cart to her farm after my grandparents passed away. They used it around there for a while and my niece learned to drive on it. She was rough on it, and my brother in law got a workhorse during that time. Now the cart has been parked for 4-5 years. The carts special to me because I remember when my grandpa bought it new and I remember driving it around his property and on the golf course with him. It ran good when it was parked but she tore the front cowl off and it had a flat tire.

Forgive my ignorance, but I’m not a mechanic so how would I go about checking the compression?
I think for checking the spark, I take the wire out of the ignition coil and see if it sparks in there, and then take the plug out and see if it sparks while connected to the wire? Is that correct?

Again thank you for all your help!

[cart around]

The quickest way for you to check spark is remove the spark plug, then plug it back into the wire. Hold the threaded part of the plug against the engine on a bare spot no paint. Then crank the engine over. You should see spark.

You can buy a cheap compression tester from Harbor Freight. A better option for you is to go to a parts store like Advance or Auto Zone. They will lend you one.
Screw it into the spark plug hole. Press the gas pedal, and hold it to the floor. 120 psi is brand new. You are hoping for 90-100.

When you cleaned the carburetor, did you remove the center stem to clean it? Did you clean the cross drilled holes in the bolt that holds the bowl on? If not, go back and do it again.

[Familys88ezgo]

I checked the spark and it’s good.

I took the bowl off the carb. I did not remove the part I think you are calling “the stem” #8 in the manual, but I did spray all that down with carb cleaner. I sprayed the bolt down good and cleaned the grime away from all the holes with an old toothbrush, the sprayed it again.

I will run to Auto parts store to see if I can borrow a compression tester. I will post the results later.

Thanks again!

[Familys88ezgo]

51D7127D-04CF-4ECF-8C6A-3AB06FCFBE27.jpeg compression is real good. Almost 120

[Familys88ezgo]

It’s running! I took the carb apart, and #7 seat had a small piece of trash blocking the opening. It runs great, but you have to keep the choke partly out. It must not be getting good fuel.

[cart around]

Don't forget that's a 2 stroke. It needs oil in the gas. If the oil injection unit has been removed, hand mix 128:1. That's one gallon of gas per ounce of oil. You should throw some seafoam in there too. It will clean out all of the crap.

Pulling the choke reduces the amount of air. We may just be getting into that carburetor one more time for cleaning. Maybe after running a bit, it will straighten itself out.

It's also possible that crap is breaking off from the pump, and getting stuck in the carb. Read this in case you might be interested in cleaning the pump too.

https://www.buggiesgonewild.com/showthread.php?t=98839