Overflow and no power caused by carb?

[danger42]

Hey all, I joined recently, but my 87 EZ-GO TXT has been running great... until now.

About a week ago, I was driving along and suddenly lost power, smelled gas/oil mix, and had to push the cart home... Looking closely at it, there's mix coming out of what I think is some kind of backflow or overflow pipe on the top of the carb. There's also a little mix going back into the air intake.

Here's a picture of the pipe:


Because there's plenty of fuel coming out of this pipe when the engine's running, I assume it's not the fuel filter, but instead some kind of blockage within the carb. Just wanted to see if I'm on the right track, and ask for recommendations: take carb apart and have a look-see or order a rebuilt kit or order a brand new one altogether.

And, since I don't have any parts or service manual, I was hoping someone could point me to a seller of these old parts. I'll of course check the forum sponsors first. :)

Thanks!

matt

[Dave Box]

That pipe is the breather. It allows air into the bowl to prevent a vacuum forming and stopping gas flow. What has happened in your case is that the bowl has got too full of fuel and it is leaking out of the breather. There are two possible reasons for this.

1. The float has punctured and now full of gas, this causes it to sink and therefore it cannot activate the fuel cut off needle valve.
2. It is also possible that a small piece of dirt has jammed the needle valve open.

In either case you will need to remove the carburetor, turn it upside down and undo the nut that holds the bowl on. Now you can access the float and the valve.

If you are going to do it them I earnestly recommend that you remove and clean the main jet and the nozzle. I suggest that this would also be a great time to invest in a new air filter, new fuel filter and a new plug. If you would like instructions on cleaning the carburetor shout out.

Dave

[danger42]

Thanks for the advice!

I started to try and pull the carb off and got hung up on one of the linkage "stoppers" (the choke). Looks like the little nut in there takes a Torx 9 but even after using Blaster and waiting and blasting again, I can't get that tiny little ******* out of there to pull the wire out. Should I try heating up the housing to try and loosen that little nut?

[Dave Box]

I would try to drill it out. Those little stops can be purchased from any auto store. In my case my choke was so rusted that I bought a generic choke cable kit from Advance Auto for about $7. If you can find one locally then you will have the option to be as brutal as you like including just cutting the cable.

Dave

[danger42]

I finally got the stopper off. Tried heat and drilling and finally just cut the thing off. I might be able to reuse the existing choke cable, or it sounds like I'll be able to pick up a new one when I go to put it back together.

As for the carb, the seals and nozzles looked OK, but the inside of the bowl has some corrosion in it, and there was a piece broken off of the float:



So the next step: replace the whole carb? Clean the bowl and replace the float? Something in between?

I looked at the carb repair kit, and at $64 it doesn't appear to include the float. For $136 I can get the whole carb (found them on site sponsor site 3R). Any recommendations?

Thanks for any info!

[Dave Box]

Here is another suggestion
http://www.everythingcarts.com/p-917...7-2-cycle.aspx
Site sponsor, good price ($99) and enter code BG WILD for a further 5%. In addition great people.

Dave

[danger42]

So I need a new carb? Thanks, you just saved me $37. :)

[Dave Box]

To be frank, I don't see the point in messing too much with a 25 year old carburetor. All the bushes and shafts will be worn and yours is clearly pretty shot. The single best thing I did on my 86 was a new ($99) carburetor. Now it starts like a new cart and runs like a sewing machine.

Dave

BTW I forgot to mention that you are missing the spring that should be on your throttle cable. It also looks like you are running the oil pump. The call is yours but most guys like to dump that and premix the gasoil.

[danger42]

Thanks. Ordered the carb ($99) and a new choke cable ($10). I've thought about disconnecting the oil pump, but I've only had the card for about a month and a half and wasn't going to start changing stuff right away. THanks again, and I'll let you know how it turns out!

[danger42]

Got the new carb yesterday (props to everythingcarts.com for good prices and quick shipping). Will attempt to install this weekend. I'm a bit of a noob so I have to take my time with this stuff...

One thing I noticed when I took it out of the box is it doesn't come with a gasket to seal the connection next to the throttle valve. There was no gasket for that connection when I took the old one off.

The service manual does mention "When reinstalling the carburetor to the engine, installation of a new gasket is recommended to assure an air tight seal."

Sounds great, but should I just make my own gasket since I dont have an old one and didn't get a new one? If so, is there a recommended thickness/material for such a thing?

One more thing that is vaguely interesting is that the gasket sealing the choke valve side of the carb was clearly a custom job and not a "factory" gasket. Maybe this thing didn't come with gaskets originally.