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Gas Yamaha Gas Yamaha Golf Cars; G1 through "The Drive" and U-Max Utility Vehicles



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Old 11-27-2022, 09:41 AM   #1
5J Farm
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Default Yamaha gas newbie question

I'm an owner of a 92 EZGO Marathon 36 volt.......and I have become rather good at EZGO repairs (out of necessity LOL).
It's time to upgrade and I've been looking into the Yamaha gas carts. I have no idea about these units. I am considering a cart that is roughly between 2011-2016......just from a cost standpoint.
But......can y'all give me any information about a Yamaha gas cart in these years? I didn't know if there was a specific year that Yamaha had a consistent problem or a year to stay away from or anything that would be helpful while looking into these.
This will be used on our farm/ranch where it will be used more as a utility vehicle. I'm not hauling huge loads, but I do need to throw several bags of feed on it once a week, hook up a small dump wagon for moving stuff around, and throwing on tools and such for various repairs. Still like to have 4 seats for driving friends around or when my daughter likes to mess around the property. My biggest criteria is finding the quietest unit possible, hence why I still love my EZGO (prefer hearing nature over an engine). I've got a 4 wheeler for the heavier/bigger jobs.

Appreciate any insight.
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Old 11-27-2022, 12:03 PM   #2
meimk
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Default Re: Yamaha gas newbie question

Up till 2014 they still had the internal "wet brake". They work, but they can be more expensive and difficult to replace brakes & some of the other internals if it comes to that. 2015 & up went back to conventional drum brakes - like the G-22's before them. Also those newer models were available in either carbureted or fuel injected versions. The fuel injection means easier starts & no manual choke to deal with, but at the cost of more complication and expense.
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Old 11-27-2022, 12:12 PM   #3
SteveCSC
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Default Re: Yamaha gas newbie question

Well, as someone who is just starting out as well, here is my take. Thus far, mechanically the carts are pretty simple, and seemingly built to take a bit of abuse. Frames don't seem to be an issue, even though are make of tube steel (gas carts). Battery trays seem to rust out due to acid damage. On the engine side, fairly simple 4 strokes, only real maintenance is adjusting valves every so often, change oil. I picked up a 2.75 cart deal, and have the 1st one nearly complete. 2nd one needs an engine rebuild to take care of stuck oil control/valve stem leak. Likely can do this in my home shop with simple hone (fingers crossed). The stock engine/muffler should be fairly quiet, not nearly as quiet as electric of course, but if you keep the stock soundproofing, or add more to the engine compartment, it should keep the noise pretty low.

One quirk, is the electrical system - it uses fusing to ground, vs. most automotive using a fuse to the positive side. The wiring diagrams available widely show this interesting twist.

And finally when you have an ignition coil go bad - just get an OEM one. Aftermarket are known to wipe out after brief service.
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Old 11-27-2022, 12:33 PM   #4
meimk
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Default Re: Yamaha gas newbie question

Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveCSC View Post
Well, as someone who is just starting out as well, here is my take. Thus far, mechanically the carts are pretty simple, and seemingly built to take a bit of abuse. Frames don't seem to be an issue, even though are make of tube steel (gas carts). Battery trays seem to rust out due to acid damage. On the engine side, fairly simple 4 strokes, only real maintenance is adjusting valves every so often, change oil. I picked up a 2.75 cart deal, and have the 1st one nearly complete. 2nd one needs an engine rebuild to take care of stuck oil control/valve stem leak. Likely can do this in my home shop with simple hone (fingers crossed). The stock engine/muffler should be fairly quiet, not nearly as quiet as electric of course, but if you keep the stock soundproofing, or add more to the engine compartment, it should keep the noise pretty low.

One quirk, is the electrical system - it uses fusing to ground, vs. most automotive using a fuse to the positive side. The wiring diagrams available widely show this interesting twist.

And finally when you have an ignition coil go bad - just get an OEM one. Aftermarket are known to wipe out after brief service.
FYI: The year range he's looking at (2011 to 2016) would all be G-29 / Drive models which have the fuses on the + side, unlike many of the earlier models. The rest of what you said holds true. Steel frames may eventually rust but are fairly durable. Yamaha is the only manufacturer who uses their own engines. The 357cc engine used in the Drives has been around since the G16 models and is a well proved design.
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Old 11-27-2022, 12:39 PM   #5
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Default Re: Yamaha gas newbie question

I own a 2012 g29 sparky and a 2016 g29 gas efi. Both drive well and the gas is super quiet. Both very good carts.
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Old 11-27-2022, 12:48 PM   #6
Leon willis
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Default Re: Yamaha gas newbie question

Get a G1 you can get them some what cheap and plowmen’s sells good performance parts for G1’s and you will look cool in one
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Old 11-27-2022, 12:54 PM   #7
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Default Re: Yamaha gas newbie question

Just to throw it out there, have you considered getting something like a club car carryall or an ezgo workhorse for the daily farm tasks, and keep the ezgo marathon for cruising around purposes? Nothing is quite as nice as having a huge 4 foot by 4 foot dump bed to just throw whatever you want in there with no worry or fear of overloading it. Or having a stack of bags if feed slide around a turn and have them fall off the back of the flipped down back seat. If I ever move back out of a subdivision to somewhere I’ve got a bunch of land again, a carryall is on the “must have” list. I’d regularly throw 5-10 bags of feed, oyster shells, pine shavings, whatever in the back and have zero worries about climbing hills or overloading it. I could also roll a round of hay onto my 5x8 trailer when I needed to and it didn’t seem to have any problems there either. And that big heavy aluminum dump bed really quieter the engine down a ton too.

I always had another cart too with a back seat for cruising around and stuff to go see the neighbors or get the mail or whatever.
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Old 11-27-2022, 09:59 PM   #8
5J Farm
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Default Re: Yamaha gas newbie question

I had thought about those. But it adds another piece of equipment to maintain and repair. I figured a standard 4 seater with flip down rear seat would help complete our needs. Presently, my 92 EZGO has 4 seats but no flip down seat and I'm laying bags of feed all over the front and back seats.....quite humorous actually. I've got a front mount gun rack that normally holds a hoe or rake or shovel or weedeater or all of the above.
And, since I've owned this cart for the last 6 years, I've become much more aware of other carts (especially newer ones LOL). What I've noticed is that the gas Yamahas I've driven and been around are much quieter than other MFGs. And gas gives me the opportunity to leave behind replacing batteries every 5 years. I also recognize that a 48 volt cart might be the best thing, but that battery cost and 5-year life comes back to me. Curious though with Yamaha engine maintenance costs over a 5 year span compared to electric. Electric has a hard cost for sure.
I've also begun to notice that EZGO (although a good cart) is built rather cheaply compared to others. This is not a knock on EZGO....I still appreciate mine and I know they work well for many folks, but when you compare components, gear, build, extras, etc. there are other carts out there that are well worth the extra money. And since Yamaha still manufacturers their own engines, it seems a good transition to me.

For the other comments.......I do love simplicity. Cables, wires, gravity.........all of that extra fancy stuff is more cost down the road. I'm cool with simple repairs, I don't want to hire a "technician" for a golf cart repair unless we're talking in depth electrical work.
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Old 11-27-2022, 10:08 PM   #9
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Default Re: Yamaha gas newbie question

Not sure where you're located but I have a nice 48v Carryall for sale with a hard cab and fresh batteries...

Figured I'd throw that out there anyway.
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Old 11-27-2022, 10:21 PM   #10
CP241
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Default Re: Yamaha gas newbie question

Understand completely

I loved having a carryall around. But understand not wanting a second piece of equipment to maintain.

Truthfully, any gas carts I’ve owned have required very little maintenance. Oil changes every so often, spark plug changes and valve adjustments periodically. Pretty standard stuff. Otherwise very little maintenance.

Have you considered lithium electric? Waaaaaay less maintenance than either gas or a regular flooded lead acid battery setup. And the batteries are good for twice as long as lead acid batteries (or longer). I’ve had lots of gas carts. A few electric but never cared for them. Lithium was a game changer for me. Literally no maintenance. Just charge them whenever you feel like it and otherwise just drive it.

However back to the YDRA, as said above, I’d go newer than 2016 and avoid the wet brakes inside the rear end. They work well and don’t need servicing often, but maintenance on them is a real PITA when required. Simple drum brakes are much better to work with. As for the reliability and serviceability it wouldn’t be much, if any different than any other piece of equipment. Basic stuff. However if you go older than 2011 pay attention to the rear axle. They had a couple versions, one had a white tag on it and one had a yellow tag. The white tag axles were known to have a lot of issues but the yellow tag was solid.

Aside from the axle issue I don’t know that there were very many issues to look out for on the yamahas. Just look at general maintenance stuff… clutch condition, belt condition, general shape and maintenance of how the cart was cared for, etc.
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