1988 ds

djohn

New Member
Great forum! I bought a 1988 DS that ran fine for about 20 hours then started smoking exaust and losing power. I opened the oil dip stick and oil/gas gushed out. Changed the oil and it ran better for awhile but got gas in oil again.

Guy I bought off of said he replaced the carb so that is certainly suspect but I'm wondering if worn cylinder/rings might also be the problem.

Also, can anybody tell me what engine I have or how to tell? Is clockwise vs counter-clockwise as viewed from flywheel or clutch side?

Thanks much for any help/advise
 

shadowman

New Member
an 88 you have the old KF-82 flathead...........it could be float needs adjusted, did he put a new carb on? do a compression test that will give you an idea about piston and rings.....you want min. of 125...........................................
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djohn

New Member
Compression is 110. Adjusted the float a bit and found the air filter soaking wet with oil/gas. I'll run it without a filter until I can get one delivered. Seems better but now that I can see the carb, it spits and backfires just a bit.

Is the 110 compression a game killer or just well worn?
 

djohn

New Member
After adjusting the float just a bit more shallow and verifying the float needle is seated correctly, I checked compression and found it a bit low at 110. Changed the oil to get rid of the gas contaminated oil and put it back in service. All was well for a week or so and it failed to start.

Inspection this time found little fuel pressure, fuel filters 1/2 filled with air and the crankcase overfilled by over a quart with oil/fuel.

I now realize the fuel pump is vacuum operated using crankcase vacuum. If the fuel pump seals fail, gas is sucked into the crankcase. If it gets enough gas into the crankcase, the vacuum stops and the fuel pump stops pumping.

I'm going to order a new pump but I'd also like to consider an electric option and do away wit the lame vacuum option. Two questions for you folks. 1. I see replacement pumps at several retailers but they all mention the FE engines. I have the KF-82. Is it the same pump? 2. Anybody know the pressure and flow data for the vacuum pump so I can locate a suitable electric replacement?

Thanks much for helping out. This forum helps us new to the carts to pick up knowledge quickly.
 

shadowman

New Member
you can use the same pump as newer carts....i,ll give just my opinion on elec. fuel pumps since i never use them......every cart i have seen with an elec fuel pump ended up with fuel delivery problems.......don,t ask me why i can,t answer but i don,t think i have seen one that held up.......remember once you put power to pump its constant power unless you find a way to hook it to the floor switch and than it burns out in a month from the off and on.......just my experience with them but others may share different results......................
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