1990 EzGo Textron Marathon Spins Belt But No Spark

[1990.Ezgo.Cart]

Hello,

I've recently acquired my first Golf Cart. It is a Gas 1990 EZ-GO Textron Marathon cart. Other than some minor lawnmower maintenance, this is my first small engine repair adventure. Unfortunately my general knowledge is limited, but I'm very much hoping to learn (I feel like I've already learned a few things so far).

I purchased the Cart "As-Is" but was told it did run in the past and had just been sitting in a barn the past several years as the couple that owned it were getting older.

Initially the Golf Cart didn't do anything. I installed new tires, new battery (the main initial issue), new spark plug, new oil, and new gas.

I also gapped the new sparkplug (something I just recently learned about).

After all of that - when attempting to start the golf cart, the belt on the cart turns and the cart moves very (very) slowly. The engine was never kicking in. After some more research, I checked the spark plug. When unscrewing the sparkplug from the engine, and connecting it to the sparkplug cable I realized that there was no spark occurring.

From reading more online, I saw that many people suggested checking the wired connections and also suggested cleaning them. None of the wires seemed loose or corroded on my cart. I disconnected all the connections I could find and sanded them down so that they were nice and clean. Some of them were pretty dirty which made me hopeful, but unfortunately I had the same "no spark" result.

I created a quick video demonstrating what my cart is doing and where I cleaned the connections. I realized I forgot to point out in the video that I also cleaned the connectors that go from the battery to the body of the cart.

Apparently I have to be a member for 7 days before I can post a link. My video is on YouTube. If you go to YouTube and add /watch?v=HbKoHdBLMIo to the URL, you will be brought to the video.

Any suggestions on what I can try next? I appreciate the help and support. Hopefully some day I'll be able to return the favour on this forum.

Thank you

[Cartmaster]

You need to ground the plug body to get spark, Holding it in the air like that will at most, make YOU jump, not the plug LOL. Try touching the metal body of the plug to the engines metal part such as the head or maybe the exhaust.

If you still dont get spark, we need to investigate the ignition system further. If you get spark we need to check fuel, compression etc.

[1990.Ezgo.Cart]

Thanks Cartmaster!

Now knowing that, I'm assuming the sparkplug touching the cart is completing the circuit. I guess it's a good thing I didn't see it spark - otherwise I'd be the part closing the circuit (and getting the shock) LOL!

I'll give it a whirl this morning and see what happens.

Thank you again!

[Cartmaster]

I suspect you will still see no spark seeing as you did not get a jolt up the arm!

Worth a try though.

[cart around]

This is the live you tube link to make it easier to find. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbKoHdBLMIo

This is the link to the 3pg two stroke manual. Post #25. https://buggiesgonewild.com/showthre...=105501&page=3

If it comes down to there really not being any spark, this is how you will fix it.
https://buggiesgonewild.com/showthread.php?t=57736

[1990.Ezgo.Cart]

Thanks Cart Around for the manual and the links - much appreciated!

I wasn't able to reply to your post directly because apparently having the links quoted from your reply count as me posting links.

[1990.Ezgo.Cart]

Originally Posted by Cartmaster

I suspect you will still see no spark seeing as you did not get a jolt up the arm!

Worth a try though.

Well I have the results and they were "shocking" lol. I actually got sparks when I touched it to metal. Thank goodness I didn't get shocked testing it the other way!

Okay so from this point my understanding is the issues could be compression, fuel pump, and carbonator?

Is there a particular order you would investigate next? Should I invest in a compression tool?

Thank you for your expertise!

[Cartmaster]

Originally Posted by 1990.Ezgo.Cart

Okay so from this point my understanding is the issues could be compression, fuel pump, and carbonator?

Carbonator?

That sounds like a character from a science fiction film

Seriously though. I am not conversant with these two strokes, I know enough to be dangerous lol. You already have a basic compression tester. Your thumb over the plug hole! This will give you a clue if you have any compression at all. A tester is a good investment though. If you wait a while I am sure a two stroke egg spurt will be here soon to advise further!

[CP241]

You can “rent” a compression tester from just about any auto parts store for free. You pay like a $50 or whatever deposit and then they refund it when you return the tool. These engines are relatively low compression, anything over around 100psi is good.

Hold your hand over the carb and spin the engine over. You should feel the carb “sucking” pretty hard on your hand. If there’s no “suck” then your crank seals are completely shot. If the suck is weak they could still be bad. If it sucks pretty strong then it still doesn’t mean they’re “good” necessarily but should be good enough for it to run. Bad crank seals also make the fuel pump not work. And are very common to fail, especially on a cart that’s been sitting for years.

Where/how did you add oil? If you’re talking about the little tank for oil injection then just remove that tank and cap off the oil injection line next to the carburetor. Premix a quality 2stroke oil in the gas tank with fresh gas. It’s a 128:1 mix (1 ounce of oil per gallon of gas) which isn’t much, so you can get a good quality amsoil or equivalent and it will last a long time. Klotz is regarded as best of the best but can be hard to find. Stay away from the cheap marine stuff at Walmart.

[1990.Ezgo.Cart]

Originally Posted by Cartmaster

Carbonator?

That sounds like a character from a science fiction film

Seriously though. I am not conversant with these two strokes, I know enough to be dangerous lol. You already have a basic compression tester. Your thumb over the plug hole! This will give you a clue if you have any compression at all. A tester is a good investment though. If you wait a while I am sure a two stroke egg spurt will be here soon to advise further!

LOL shoot that was a bad typo but I'm glad people can find the humor in it!

Thanks for the tip on using my current tool (the thumb) to test pressure. I just did it and well, there seems to be a lot of pressure.