87 cushman overheating

[87cushman]

Hi guys I'm Justin here in NC and I have a 1987 cushman vanster and I keep getting an overheating buzzer after 4 miles. What is the optimal running temp for a 22hp OMC????

[Unforgiven]

Welcome to BGW. If you made it this far you come to the right place to get your answers. I'm sure someone will come along and give an answer. I myself do not know,...honestly.

Only thing I can suggest. Has the Cushman been modified? Any air vent clogged up? Maybe restricting air to the engine.

Also you may want to post this in the Gas Engine Trouble shooting section. I got a lot of help with my Cushman Hawk in there. Maybe a nice admin/moderator will come by and move it for you.

[87cushman]

Yeah I'm still learning to navigate the site!! I've cleaned all the air intake vents and cleaned the engine but still have the overheating problem or at least the buzzer is going off of I could get a temp range I could figure out if my sensor is faulty

[Unforgiven]

You may can find the information here: http://sillylittlecars.com/files/

[Shepard]

Check for intake leaks -- they will make the temperature climb if not destroy the valves or burn a hole in the piston.

[lockman1]

Moved to Gas golf carts, and a courtesy bump!

[CharleyL]

Justin,

I'm also in NC, North of Charlotte and also have a 1987 Truckster.

I spent considerable time trying to get the air dampers to work properly on my OMC engine and then I just gave up trying and removed the temperature sensitive bellows assemblies. I have acquired three of these engines, including the one in my Truckster, while trying to find two working temperature sensing bellows assemblies that worked. I was not successful in finding any new ones.
I also moved the damper doors to their fully open position (against the inside of the front casting of the motor) and then drilled and tapped holes (10-32) in the aluminum casting right next to the edge of each damper door. I then threaded a short pan head bolt into each tapped hole. The head of the bolt overlaps the edge of the damper door and holds it semi-permanently fully open. I did this so that I could make them functional again, if I should ever want to.

In the NC Weather my OMC engine runs fine with no overheating now, and the climate temperatures of NC don't really go low enough to really need the dampers for the benefit of the engine. In the coldest temperatures of about 10 deg F I just let the engine idle for a couple of minutes to warm up before I drive it. You won't get much cab heat when you do this, but the engine will run fine. I did this to my engine about 3 years ago and haven't had any engine temperature problems since then.

Also, make certain that all of the fins on the crankcase, as well as the cylinders, are completely free of mud and debris. These engines need all of the cooling that they can get, especially in the Summer months here. Any significant vacuum leak, like suggested above, will more likely make your engine very hard, or impossible, to start, so I wouldn't worry too much about a vacuum leak, but the most likely location for a leak is the rubber T fitting just behind the carburetor, if you should suspect that you have one.. The T fitting is available, if you should need one.

I also removed the mechanical fuel pump and the bypass filter from my engine. The OEM fuel pumps have become un-obtanium and if you do find one NOS they are very expensive. They are no longer manufactured and NOS pumps will likely fail quickly. lThe rubber parts have likely deteriorated from age, will crack and fail quickly. I made a cover plate and gasket to plug the hole in the motor where the mechanical fuel pump had been located. I bought an electric fuel pump from the auto parts store and just ran the fuel line from the gas tank, through a filter and then to the fuel pump, then from the fuel pump outlet direct to the carburetor. The black wire from the electric fuel pump connects to the chassis, and the red wire connects to the ignition wire from the key switch. I plugged the fuel return line at the gas tank using a short piece of fuel line with a bolt pushed into it. MY engine starts within 2 revolutions with just partial choke when it's cold, and starts in less than one revolution the rest of the day. There is also no chance of ever getting fuel in the crankcase from a failed fuel pump diaphram, like frequently happens with the mechanical fuel pumps. The electric fuel pump pressure is self regulating, so the fuel bypass filter and return line are no longer necessary..

If you want/need a manual for the motor, the 898767 Supplement Manual contains the only information about the OMC motors that I've found, but it is quite complete. It can be found for download as a .pdf Acrobat file on the www.sillylittlecars.com website, also suggested by member "Unforgiven" above. The 898767 main manual is mostly exploded diagrams and parts lists for the rest of the Turf Trucksters, Trucksters, and Vansters that were made in the late 80's. Most of the body parts are no longer available, but sometimes having an original part number can help to locate one. You can still find mechanical parts like brakes, wheel and master cylinders, brake lines, steering linkage and ball joints, etc. frequently by visually matching the Cushman part to an automotive part at the auto parts stores. They frequently have these parts on the shelf, but don't have a Cushman cross reference. Only a visual comparison can find the match.

My Truckster has been restored enough to be functional. I haven't done a frame up restoration on it and I don't intend to. I just wanted everything to work properly. It's used mostly to help me maintain my approximate 3 acres of property, but I have added flashing yellow lights and a slow moving vehicle reflector on the rear, because it does occasionally go on the secondary roads.

Charley

[Turfspray]

Air cooled cushmans did not have overtemp
alarms. Oil pressure, yes