1987 Marathon Gas Cart - I'm out of idea's...

[BigEd358]

Hi All,

Ok, I'm officially out of idea's... I have a 1987 Marathon Gas Cart (3 Wheel). When I bought it the wiring was not connected as the prior owner took out the motor and wiring and didn't remember how to reinstall it. So, i got it for a steal ($130.00). Any-who, I picked up a new solenoid and ignition switch. Thanks to the help of the members on this forum , i've located an accurate wire diagram. So, for the third time I disconnected all of the wires and followed the diagram to a "T". When I place the buggies in "Forward", turn the key to the "On" position and hit the gas, nothing.... No solenoid click, not starter running, nothing. I've check the micro switches (Reverse switch - Neutral and Accel) and all are fine. Not sure how to test the ignitor and voltage regulator.

So, I'm officially out of idea's on how to proceed.

Any idea's of things I can test or check?

Thanks!

Ed

[ScooterMcTavish]

Hey Ed,

At risk of asking a dumb question, is your battery good and charged?

Also, without the solenoid clicking, I wonder if you have a bad ground connection issue somewhere. It could be that you can't complete a circuit. Check to see if you have a good frame connection, and that the connectors are all clean.

[BrewCityMusic]

the ignitor and regulator would have no effect on the engine turning over when the pedal is depressed - the above advice on the ground is definitely where I would start too (these older 2-strokes are notorious for failed ground connections) ...

Also, this is a little strange, but when I picked up a new solenoid last year there were 2 major differences from the OEM one that was on the cart (which also resulted in the factory wiring diagram being wrong) - the new solenoid was designed to be isolated from the body (it had a plastic guard on the mounting tabs and I never read the instructions - of course ) so when I hooked it up without the plastic isolater it was grounded to the body like the original but it wouldn't work at all until I replaced the plastic guards/isolaters, and then it was (and to this day is) still fine.

Also, the 2 large posts were backward on the new one (or at least marked that way) which didn't make a difference but still is worthy of note

Keep us posted on how things progress!

[BigEd358]

Thanks Guys for education and encouragement! The heavy duty power wiring and ground wires look pretty worn, so I ordered a new set. In the mean time, I'm going to go through all of the wires that I made up and solder them all and clean every contact in sight. While the battery showed charged on the battery tender, I'm going to have it tested at my auto parts store as well.

I'll keep you posted what happens next. Crossing my fingers!

Thanks again! Ed

[ScooterMcTavish]

When cleaning some corroded wires for attaching a new connector, I found CLR worked fantastic in removing the oxidation. Use some CLR and rinse it off when done.

Keep us posted how on you make out.

[BigEd358]

Just wanted to provide a quick update. I've replaced the power wires, cleaned the ground connections and motor mounts, tested the micro switches (again), checked the wiring diagram and the Solenoid still doesn't activate. I did verify that the motor turns over by jumping it with a power pack and confirmed the compression is 120. I still plan on going through the other smaller wires, most of them I made, and soldering the connections just in case.

I'll follow up shortly and post some pics.

[Dave Box]

OK BigEd let's break it dawn to basics. To make that sucker activate it needs 12 volts on one side and a ground on the other. One side should have some black wires on it and the other a bunch of colored wires, I am talking of the two small terminals here. If you can see that, hook a 12 volt meter across the small terminals, turn on the key and press the accelerator. Do you see 12 volts on the meter? If yes and you hear no click then the solenoid is shot.
If no then remove the negative lead of the meter (which was connected to the small terminal with the black wires and place it on the battery negative. Now press the throttle again. Do you see 12 volts. If yes then the ground path is open. If no then the 12 volt path is open. So from the battery positive you have a fat wire to the solenoid and from there a thin wire to the ignition switch. The other side of the switch goes to the microswitch on the throttle and the other side of that goes to the solenoid. Somewhere along that line is a break.

Keep us posted
Dave

[BigEd358]

Originally Posted by Dave Box

Now press the throttle again. Do you see 12 volts. If yes then the ground path is open. If no then the 12 volt path is open. So from the battery positive you have a fat wire to the solenoid and from there a thin wire to the ignition switch. The other side of the switch goes to the microswitch on the throttle and the other side of that goes to the solenoid. Somewhere along that line is a break.

Keep us posted
Dave

Thanks for the detailed testing info Dave! I really appreciate your time!!
Ok, I ran through the tests and it appears I have a 12 volt path open. I'll check the connections tomorrow as you stated above and let you know what I find out.

Catch you tomorrow.

[racin161]

Ignition switch ? Just a thought

[shadowman]

your soleniod mounting tabs are they metel or do they have those plastic sleeves on them? if they are metel make sure where its mounted to cart body that its a very clean surface.......i ran into this one time with an old e-z where it ended up just being the mounting surface for soleniod...........................