Club Car Golf Cart Engine Revs Up But Doesn't Move

[yates2k5]

Hello, I recently purchased a Club Car golf cart from my roommate. It is between a 01-04 model, i am not quite sure but can find out...
My problem is the following: whenever I put the key in and turn to the on position and press the gas peddle the engine revs up a little but the golf cart doesn't move (when in reverse i can hear the backup buzzer). The engine does not sound like it is revving very high at all. I can see belts and wheels turning BUT the wider drive belt is not turning, which looks to me like the belt that would turn the wheels. The golf cart might have been exposed to water in some way due to driving it through water after tropical strom fay. Also a wire coming off the negtive post of the battery is broke, but is to the headlights, the local cart mechanic said it should still drive though (its is some kind of fuse thing). The battery may be old 06-07 but the lights work when i put the broken wire/fuse together.

I would appreciate advice on some troubleshooting tips before i end up paying out the rear for a mechanic to look at it. I know i can fix it if I just had an idea of what to look for. My main concerns are if water got in it somehow why would it not move but the engine still run. Or does the battery being from 06-07 have something to do with it (old maybe). I feel it really could be something simple or maybe not. I bought the cart for only 750 dollars and it is in great condition besides the fact that it has been sitting for about a year.

When i say the engine revs, it doesnt get that loud. it gets about as high as the sound of a idleing lawnmower.. HELP PLEASE

 

[ftfixer]

Are you sure that the engine is actualy running or that it is just the starter turning the engine over. If it is actualy running there are a couple of simple things that you should check first. You probably are not turning up enough rpm's to engage the clutch more than likely. I can probably help you with a little more info.

 

[HotRodCarts]

I agree with ftfixer. The engine probably isn't running it's just the starter cranking it. Check to see if your getting spark and fuel. If your getting spark and gas do a compression test.

 

[yates2k5]

OK i checked it out. First of all its a 2000 model. And yes it was just the starter turning the engine over. I held the gas pedal down for a few seconds and heard the engine kind of puttering and the cart started to move forward, which is a good sign. I know I am getting spark. I am not sure about gas though. Even though it cranked and moved it just seemed like it was outta gas. It will sit there and just turn over and over and will eventually fire up and move very slow, and the engine sounds choppy like its about to run out of gas. I looked at the fuel filters which are clear and didnt see fuel being sucked through, should i see fuel being sucked through? Does this golf cart have a fuel pump? Could my spark plug be fouled out? What else do i need to look for? A compression test involves taking it to a shop right? Which i dont want to do. I appreciate all the info I can get and I'm very excited to get this Club Car running again. I am going to change all oil, plugs, and fiilters this weekend to maybe help it out.

 

[HotRodCarts]

A compression test only requires a compression guage. Pull the gas line off the carb and see if it pumps gas while your trying to start the cart. It's possible the valves need to be adjusted. If your getting fuel and spark the next thing to check is compression.

Also you mentioned the golf car had been sitting for a year. The carburetor probably needs to be taken apart and cleaned.

 

[ftfixer]

Like hotrod reccomended make sure that you are getting fuel first and no you probably will not see the fuel move through the filter it only moves a small amount. Checking the valves would probably be a good thing why don't you pull the carburetor off and clean it good crank it over a few times and pull the plugs to see if they are wet or dry then get back with us maybe together we can figure it out and yes the cart does have a fuel pump.

 

[yates2k5]

OK i got the cart running. I drove it around for about 30 seconds ant it began to smoke heavily. The smoke was a thick white smoke. I opened the air box and found the air filter to be soaking wet this leads me to believe the cart has been submerged under water. What do i need to do to get the water out. My x-roommate told me to change all the fluids and spark plug and air filter. I plan on doing all that today my main concern is if the water got past the carb, which it prob did what else do i need to do to the engine to clean it out. I have taken the carb off, the plug out and propped the airbox open and taken air hose (from box to carb) off to air dry.

 

[yates2k5]

Also what kind of oil should i use?

 

[ftfixer]

First of all remove the air filter and get a new one is gas or water in the fuel box ? Next disconnect gas line from carb. make sure that crankcase vent is not clogged, check vaccum line on pump also, drain oil from engine and clean filter this will keep any moisture from the oil from circulating back through the engine remember to add oil back into engine. Drain the gas from float bowl just in case water is in the bowl Remove spark plug and crank engine over for a short time this should blow any moisture from the top of the pistons. I believe this may be a lot of your problem, you can bet white smoke { water } maybe blow some air into cylinders to remove any excess moisture it would not hurt anything to put just a small amount of oil into each cylinder. Now put it all back together and I would probably drain the oil again if any moisture is still there you want it gone. Also its very possible that you may need to clean the carb. again. this will not take a lot of time but it may sound like it you have got to make sure that the engine is as free of moisture as possible and i almost forgot water will settle in the bottom of your fuel tank if there is any clean it out. I belive this is your problem hopefully we can get you carting again soon.

 

[HotRodCarts]

If the cart was under water you might want to change the rear end oil and re-pack the front wheel bearings also. Here's a link to post that will give you all the information on changing the fluids in the Club Car.
Club Car DS Servicing

 

[yates2k5]

SWEET, i did everything you guys told me and that baby fired up and i drove it all over my neighborhood for a good hr.
You guys are awesome thank you very much. My only question now is about the throttle. when i give it gas it accelorates quickly but then mellows out at about 15 or 20 mph it feels. is there a way to fix this or adjust the throttle(or am i at my limit). it feels like there is more throttle to be had... i say that bc i just dont hear much engine and i wanna hear that baby humm.haha once again i appreciate and would love to figure this throttle out.

DAmn and i would like to post a picture for my cartaholics advisors to see what they have helped me with. shes a beast. if i can post a pic somebody let me know how. i tried copy and paste,haha, no luck



thanx again

 

[ftfixer]

Glad to hear that you are cruising the streets again and running good. I believe that your golf cart is probably running the way that it is governed to run and at a normal speed. The cart will accelerate at start up and then level out this is normal. You can tinker with the govenor and get more speed by tightening the spring on top of the rear end but you might not want to adjust it to much at a time. If you do and run it at high speeds for an extended amount of time it could cause you some other problems sooner than later. You will have a rev limiter that you will start hitting if you adjust to far. Hotrod also has a little trick that you can do with a zip tie that works well also. as you have already found out this is a very good forum and the guys realy know their carts and are more than happy to help out.

 

[HotRodCarts]

Glad to hear you got the Club Car running.