Looking at 91 CC

[HighJacked]

Hi! I'm looking at a 91 Club Car with the flathead engine.The cart is completely stock. I've read some posts that the engines are not too reliable & come apart. Is this only when over abusing them? Are there some things to check on this engine before I buy it? Thanks for any info you can provide!!

[illregal]

I bought a 91 in late April. Also totally stock. It ran and drove well, that was enough for me. Check over the welds you can see for fractures. Check the dipstick for obvious signs of neglect.
Took mine to the lake and it's ran perfectly all summer. The flatheads just don't rev as high but with a governor adjustment I'm doing 18 on stock tires.

[nobuckbuild]

TWO THings to think about , 1 is the ignitor is impossible to find if it goes bad , i have some extras but once they are gone thats it , 2 the connecting rod tends to break an d destroy the engine both are bad but when buying one of these you take into consideration big block swap or clone swap in the purchase price you should be ok, you may get six month's or ten years out of the engine just be prepared when it does happen to replace it

[HighJacked]

Thanks for your quick replies! The cart is owned by a senior citizen & uses it at a trailer park. He wants $800. for it. If the engine went bad,what would be the easiest engine swap for general use? I was planning on installing an All Sports A-Arm 4" lift. What wheels & tires will fit? (10" & 22's or 12" & 23's) Will this put extra strain on the stock engine? Thanks again for any advice!!

[Springbok]

The KF82 flathead motor is a great little motor. The only reason you may have heard so much about them coming apart is because they haven't been put in gas Club Cars since 1991, so naturally these carts are old and the motors eventually wear out over time, and many have been abused. But of the cart is well taken care of, you should have no problems.

My cart is an '87 with a KF82 flathead and I love it. It's lifted 6" on 22.5s and will do about 21-22mph on flat ground. The motor doesn't feel strained at all spinning the larger tires. My buddy put a 4" lift on his '87 and is running 20" tires. If you want to run 22s with a 4" lift it may be close. I'd go 6", the price difference between lift heights on these kits is pretty negligible if I remember correctly. A pic of my cart is in my signature below.

$800 sounds like a good deal for that cart. If you want to swap in a clone motor, any pre-'97 cart would be best, since the transaxle is geared for counter-clockwise motor rotation.

[HighJacked]

Thanks Springbok!! Very helpful information.I previously read an article by you showing someone how to adjust the throttle cable & governor for a bit more speed. Until I get familiar with this cart,would it be advisable to just tweak the throttle cable a bit before touching the governor? I don't want to prematurely grenade this engine!! Is there a way to check the correct belt tension? Sorry for all the questions, but this is all new to me. Thanks again!

[Springbok]

I'm not aware of any major adjustments that can be done to the cable itself. There are two solid linkage rod adjustments that affect cart speed on a 1984-1991 Club Car. They are both very easy. In fact, the first method is so easy that they redesigned the governor in 1992 to make it harder to a adjust (these newer carts require the "zip tie" method you may have heard about). I imagine golf courses complained that leadfoot golfers were able to easily speed up pre-1992 rental carts and damaging them.

First method is a governor rod adjustment that goes between the transaxle and the throttle butterfly (up top), and second there's a pedal linkage rod that can be lengthened (down below).

I would start with the top adjustment of the governor rod at the transaxle.

[HighJacked]

I guess that shows how little I know about these carts.I didn't know there was a throttle cable & throttle rod. Oh well,live & learn!
I read that the All Sports A-Arm lift kit is a bolt in installation(no welding or drilling?) I presume that the body will have to be removed for installation? I have not found any installation instructions to read up on. How many bolts should I look for to remove the body?
With the body off it would probably be the time to paint it.Is there a type of paint to use or don't use? Thanks everyone for your patience & replies!!

[Springbok]

Yes, I have the Allsports Super Sport double A-arm 6" lift kit. No drilling or welding. That's good because I'm no welder. You don't have to remove the body to put the lift on, I didn't. But I have had the body off several times to do other things, and it's not a big deal. Body will have two bolts down along the front by your heels, 4 bolts around the shifter, 6 bolts at the seat, and two bolts at the back where the golf bags sit (under the black inserts). My lift was relatively easy to install, but would have been easier had I removed the body to install it.

Didn't paint mine so I can't comment on that. I can tell you that your cart body is fiberglass, but that's about it.

[Springbok]

Originally Posted by HighJacked

I didn't know there was a throttle cable & throttle rod. Oh well,live & learn!

The throttle rod is simply the linkage that goes from the gas pedal to the black control box. It runs under the floorboard. The cable then comes out of the control box and hooks to the carburetor.