85 Gasser quit running

mattpatt · 10-21-2011, 10:54 PM

Recently joined after purchasing a 85 EZ Go Gas Cart from a friend of my brothers. Story goes is that it was running fine then all of a sudden lost power and would surge. It would run for a little at like half speed then you would have to fiddle with the choke to get it to run again. It would so this over and over. I I figured it was something with the fuel system so I happily paid the $200 he was asking for it and took it home.

First thing I did was remove the oil pump and cap the line. He had been mixing his gas already but never took the time to remove the pump and line. I put in all new fuel line as well as dumped all the old gas out and cleaned the tank. Put in new gas at 128:1 (which seems very lean to me). I also replaced the fuel filter coming from the gas tank and remove the small clear one that was on the other side of the fuel pump before it went into the carb. After doing all this it still did not make a difference.

I then removed the carb and took it apart completely removing any varnish with carb cleaner and a cutting torch cleaning tool. Reinstalled carb and now cart ran without stalling. However I noticed that it didn't seem like it still had much power. I also noticed that it ran better going backwards. I never did put a gps on it but going backwards I believe it was doing 15-20mph easy. Going forward I maybe was doing 10-15mph and having trouble going up a hill on the road we live on. So I decided to start tinkering with the pilot adjustment screw and that's when things went from bad to worse. I backed it out 1/4 turn and it seemed like it ran rougher. I turned it back then the a 1/4 turn the other way and it didn't have any power. So I kept adjusting it and finally it got to a point to where the cart wouldn't run at all. Even after putting the pilot adjustment screw back to where it was. I figured I probably flooded it so I replaced the sparkplug with a new one I picked up and pulled the carb off again. When I opened the float bowl a bunch of gas came out. Is this right? Blew everything out again and reinstalled. Still won't crank.

I tested the fuel pump and I have a small trickle coming out but it's a lighy steady stream. Is this right? I thought it was supposed to be small bursts of fuel? I ran out of time today but the next thing I'm going to do is check for spark on the new plug. Can you guys think of anything else to try? This is my first attempt at working on something like this so please bear with me. As you can probably tell I've already been doing a lot of searching and reading on this forum.

Also, I noticed that now when I turn over the engine every once in a while it will backfire but it doesn't make a pop like a normal backfire. It's more like a burst of air or something. It's hard to describe. Any help would be much appreciated. I'm tempted to go ahead and order a new fuel pump for it and replace the 25+ year old one that's on it just to see what that might do. It's also possible I may not have something in the carb right but I took my time and made sure I put everything back like it was after cleaning. It didn't seem to difficult. Anyway, sorry for the long post but I really appreciate any help and suggestions on things to try.

Thanks,
Matt

popatop · 10-22-2011, 06:51 AM

Hi Matt, Here is a Manual I got from a post from 1lane66, Hope this helps?

Dave Box · 10-22-2011, 07:55 AM

Matt,
Welcome to the forum and thank you for writing such a clear and concise post. It makes a huge difference (to me) when the question involves sentences, punctuation and paragraphs.

There can be many reasons for your issues and you will appreciate that it is sometimes hard to be accurate by remote control. That said you have the classic symptoms of worn crankshaft seals. These seals allow the crankshaft to build up the pressure neccessary to transfer fuel from the crankcase to the cylinder and to drive the fuel pump. What tends to happen is that the seals spend 99.99% of their time in one direction (forward) so when you run in reverse the rubber gets scuffed a little and makes a better seal. Thus the cart appears to go faster in reverse.

If you look between the drive clutch and the engine block you can just see the rear seal. What you can do is jack up the back end and get a friend to hold the throttle at a brisk tick over whilst you spray WD40 or similar onto the seal. If the engine note or speed changes you have found the culprit. The front end seal is hidden behind the flywheel and although some will say that they can spray behind it, I have never succeeded.
If the seals are faulty (and feel free to take my opinions with a large grain of salt) the good news is that it is an $8 fix. The bad news is that it can be a job that will reduce you to impotent tears of bitter rage and frustration. The good news is that there are many guys who will be sitting, reading your posts and laughing at your pain. However these same guys will also be the first to post some very knowlegable advice on how to do this with the minimum loss of self respect and blood.

Dave

mattpatt · 10-22-2011, 08:29 AM

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the reply. I was afraid you were going to say worn crankshaft seals. As for it not running after I was jacking around with the pilot screw do you think it just got flooded? I'm going to check for spark on the new spark plug when I have some free time tomorrow.

Thanks again for all your help.

Matt

Dave Box · 10-22-2011, 08:37 AM

That screw is for the slow running bypass and should have little effect on your situation. You should loosen the lock nut and gently drive it all the way in, then turn it two complete revolutions out and tighten the nut again. This is the start point and you can then adjust it 1/2 turn in either direction until you hit the sweet spot. Be sure to tighten the lock nut each time. If you lose that screw you are in trouble.

Dave

mattpatt · 10-22-2011, 08:56 AM

mattpatt · 10-22-2011, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by popatop

Hi Matt, Here is a Manual I got from a post from 1lane66, Hope this helps?

Thanks popatop for the service manual! I really appreciate it.

Matt

mattpatt · 10-22-2011, 08:58 AM

I was looking at how to replace the seals. Whoa! Thanks for posting the service manual popatop! Anyway, is it necessary to also replace the crankshaft bearings while you're in there? The reason I ask is because I do not have a arbor press.

mattpatt · 10-22-2011, 09:56 AM

Sorry for all the questions. Curious if there is someplace you recommend for purchasing the crankshaft seals. Possibly a link?

10-21-2011, 10:54 PM	#1
mattpatt Not Yet Wild Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 52	85 Gasser quit running Recently joined after purchasing a 85 EZ Go Gas Cart from a friend of my brothers. Story goes is that it was running fine then all of a sudden lost power and would surge. It would run for a little at like half speed then you would have to fiddle with the choke to get it to run again. It would so this over and over. I I figured it was something with the fuel system so I happily paid the $200 he was asking for it and took it home. First thing I did was remove the oil pump and cap the line. He had been mixing his gas already but never took the time to remove the pump and line. I put in all new fuel line as well as dumped all the old gas out and cleaned the tank. Put in new gas at 128:1 (which seems very lean to me). I also replaced the fuel filter coming from the gas tank and remove the small clear one that was on the other side of the fuel pump before it went into the carb. After doing all this it still did not make a difference. I then removed the carb and took it apart completely removing any varnish with carb cleaner and a cutting torch cleaning tool. Reinstalled carb and now cart ran without stalling. However I noticed that it didn't seem like it still had much power. I also noticed that it ran better going backwards. I never did put a gps on it but going backwards I believe it was doing 15-20mph easy. Going forward I maybe was doing 10-15mph and having trouble going up a hill on the road we live on. So I decided to start tinkering with the pilot adjustment screw and that's when things went from bad to worse. I backed it out 1/4 turn and it seemed like it ran rougher. I turned it back then the a 1/4 turn the other way and it didn't have any power. So I kept adjusting it and finally it got to a point to where the cart wouldn't run at all. Even after putting the pilot adjustment screw back to where it was. I figured I probably flooded it so I replaced the sparkplug with a new one I picked up and pulled the carb off again. When I opened the float bowl a bunch of gas came out. Is this right? Blew everything out again and reinstalled. Still won't crank. I tested the fuel pump and I have a small trickle coming out but it's a lighy steady stream. Is this right? I thought it was supposed to be small bursts of fuel? I ran out of time today but the next thing I'm going to do is check for spark on the new plug. Can you guys think of anything else to try? This is my first attempt at working on something like this so please bear with me. As you can probably tell I've already been doing a lot of searching and reading on this forum. Also, I noticed that now when I turn over the engine every once in a while it will backfire but it doesn't make a pop like a normal backfire. It's more like a burst of air or something. It's hard to describe. Any help would be much appreciated. I'm tempted to go ahead and order a new fuel pump for it and replace the 25+ year old one that's on it just to see what that might do. It's also possible I may not have something in the carb right but I took my time and made sure I put everything back like it was after cleaning. It didn't seem to difficult. Anyway, sorry for the long post but I really appreciate any help and suggestions on things to try. Thanks, Matt
mattpatt Not Yet Wild Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 52

10-22-2011, 07:55 AM	#3
Dave Box Respect the Cart Join Date: May 2010 Location: Rocky Mount, Virginia Posts: 2,190	Re: 85 Gasser quit running Matt, Welcome to the forum and thank you for writing such a clear and concise post. It makes a huge difference (to me) when the question involves sentences, punctuation and paragraphs. There can be many reasons for your issues and you will appreciate that it is sometimes hard to be accurate by remote control. That said you have the classic symptoms of worn crankshaft seals. These seals allow the crankshaft to build up the pressure neccessary to transfer fuel from the crankcase to the cylinder and to drive the fuel pump. What tends to happen is that the seals spend 99.99% of their time in one direction (forward) so when you run in reverse the rubber gets scuffed a little and makes a better seal. Thus the cart appears to go faster in reverse. If you look between the drive clutch and the engine block you can just see the rear seal. What you can do is jack up the back end and get a friend to hold the throttle at a brisk tick over whilst you spray WD40 or similar onto the seal. If the engine note or speed changes you have found the culprit. The front end seal is hidden behind the flywheel and although some will say that they can spray behind it, I have never succeeded. If the seals are faulty (and feel free to take my opinions with a large grain of salt) the good news is that it is an $8 fix. The bad news is that it can be a job that will reduce you to impotent tears of bitter rage and frustration. The good news is that there are many guys who will be sitting, reading your posts and laughing at your pain. However these same guys will also be the first to post some very knowlegable advice on how to do this with the minimum loss of self respect and blood. Dave

10-22-2011, 08:29 AM	#4
mattpatt Not Yet Wild Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 52	Re: 85 Gasser quit running Hi Dave, Thanks for the reply. I was afraid you were going to say worn crankshaft seals. As for it not running after I was jacking around with the pilot screw do you think it just got flooded? I'm going to check for spark on the new spark plug when I have some free time tomorrow. Thanks again for all your help. Matt
mattpatt Not Yet Wild Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 52

10-22-2011, 08:37 AM	#5
Dave Box Respect the Cart Join Date: May 2010 Location: Rocky Mount, Virginia Posts: 2,190	Re: 85 Gasser quit running That screw is for the slow running bypass and should have little effect on your situation. You should loosen the lock nut and gently drive it all the way in, then turn it two complete revolutions out and tighten the nut again. This is the start point and you can then adjust it 1/2 turn in either direction until you hit the sweet spot. Be sure to tighten the lock nut each time. If you lose that screw you are in trouble. Dave

10-22-2011, 08:56 AM	#6
mattpatt Not Yet Wild Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 52	Re: 85 Gasser quit running aaa
mattpatt Not Yet Wild Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 52

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10-22-2011, 08:58 AM	#8
mattpatt Not Yet Wild Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 52	Re: 85 Gasser quit running I was looking at how to replace the seals. Whoa! Thanks for posting the service manual popatop! Anyway, is it necessary to also replace the crankshaft bearings while you're in there? The reason I ask is because I do not have a arbor press.
mattpatt Not Yet Wild Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 52

10-22-2011, 09:56 AM	#9
mattpatt Not Yet Wild Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 52	Re: 85 Gasser quit running Sorry for all the questions. Curious if there is someplace you recommend for purchasing the crankshaft seals. Possibly a link?
mattpatt Not Yet Wild Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 52

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