yamaha gas cart having drive issues

[LURCH]

I'm going thru this now, take the cover off of the front clutch 3 10mm bolts and check the rollers there are 3 of them at the end of the fingers they will probably have flat places worn on them. One of mine had worn so bad that it broke in 2 pieces and the clutch would not open up to let the belt drop down to the bottom of the front pully which would be like first gear. Hope this helps.

[BEEKER]

There was a significant difference between the two belts. I changed out the belts and then the battery died. Maybe the power was significant enough before with no load but now I either need to charge or buy a new battery

[BEEKER]

Before I changed the belt I was trying to drive the cart uphill and it would not go. The drive pulley was spinning at full speed. The throttle and motor were responsive and the belt was stationary. After this I changed the belt and no battery to go. I'm going to charge the battery and see if it works. I may need to buy a new battery.

[Mike Mac]

Did you grease the clutches? Then you need to find out if the generator is charging. You may have to do some clutch maint. Read up on clutch maint on this site. Use the stickys above.

[BEEKER]

I didn't see a sticky for clutch maintenance. I read a few older threads that say not to grease them to much or they will fling grease on the belt. Is there a cover or internal part I need to grease or all external and obvious? Everything seems to run good on the cart in Neutral on jumper cables but once I remove the jumper cables to drive there is not enough juice built up to drive. I only had it in neutral revving the engine for a couple minutes it started to drive but died shortly after. I'm going to pick up a battery charger and get some voltage readings off the generator and battery this weekend.

[Mike Mac]

You need a healthy, charged battery to do much trouble shooting.

Use the search feature at top of the page for clutch maint. Take the cover off the front clutch and look at the 3 weights or rollers, (which ever type clutch you have). Look to make sure all 3 look the same and not anything out of the ordinary on any of the 3. You don't lubricate the weights, leave them dry or they collect dust and wear faster.

It may run ok in neutral, there is no load on motor or drive train.

I see your on, so keep readin, buddy!!

[BEEKER]

I greased the clutch parts. Charged the battery. Cart didn't run very well again. I fiddled with it a little more and it warmed up a bit. Lifted the back wheels and put it in gear. The wheels spin but don't seem to have a lot of power. Maybe I would expect more, may be me. Dropped it down to drive it again and it ran about as good as I would expect. Then after a few grips around the block , ot died. No lights, no power. Dead. Pushed it home and back on the charger but it was like flipping off a light.

I don't know. I was thinking something with the rear axle or drive train? If I manually turn the rear driver clutch wheel should the tires spin? Could the gears inside not grab very well. I have seen YouTube videos of the clutch and it seems to run fine.

I'm tempted to sell this cart for what I've got in it and let someone else figure it out.

[Mike Mac]

Don't know how much mechanical knowledge you have, but if the cart is all there and basically in decent shape, now might be a good time to learn. There are alot of great teachers on here. But its your call, don't want you to spend alot of money on parts. Does the motor start and rev to high rpm like you think it should, with the drive belt removed? Or is it struggling to run?

If it just quit, sounds like it blew a fuse, but I don't know what yr. it is, so I can't tell you where that fuse is. Start looking for a 10 amp fuse.

If I were you I would spend some time reading this Yamaha site. Start at the end and read backward. You will learn tons! No matter what cart you get, you will need some knowledge of its workings. Then you might make a better decision as whether to sell or not.

[BEEKER]

I can turn a wrench but I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to figuring these things out. I pushed the cart back into the garage and put it back on the charger. I went back and checked it about half an hour later and it fired right up. Is there a built in thermal protection like newer engines? Or is this something related to a bad battery? I don't want this to become a money pit and would rather spend my money on upgrades.

The motor starts right up and runs great, it actually runs faster than I would expect in neutral. The drive belt tightens and appears to move up and down like it should.

I think I have narrowed the cart down to a 1996-1998 G16 based on the motor. 301CC JN6 stamps on several other parts.

[Mike Mac]

I am not one of the big guys, versed in all yrs. of carts on here. But first I would get a good battery, need that for anything you get. Charge that battery, then have it load tested at Auto Zone.
Then I would take the cover off the Primary (front) Clutch, and look at the rollers. Search "G16 clutch problems". There are pictures of these clutches and their problems in threads on here. As I understand the rollers get flat spots on them, then they don't work as designed. I have an older model, so can't help you there.

Then look at the spring on the inside of the "Secondary Clutch". You need to determine whether that spring is an aftermarket "Torque Spring". Lifted carts need a stronger spring to move a car with larger wheels on it. There is a sticky on that at top, read that to familiarize your self with what your looking at.

I think G16's are the best cart out there, so in my opinion, you have a good base to start with. Get a tape measure, and measure from the main cross member, on the frame, out to different parts on the chassis. Trying to see if the frame has been bent or sprung or twisted. Kinda measure out to the back bumper as well, from that main cross member on each side. That tells you if its been wrecked, and whether its worth spending money on. Measurements should be very accurate.