May 2020 May 2020 | Page 51

have found the problem with your cart’s performance. Sometimes there is a second filter located underneath the carburetor facing the front of the vehicle. Check to see if you have one and make sure it is also clear of deposits. To set the air mix and Throttle screw, we need to use the Torx T15 and remove 2 screws holding the cover that hides the adjustments. After removing the screws, pick up the right edge of the cover and pivot it over and off. Use a pair of needle-nose pliers and remove the fuel line and exhaust vent tube to provide easy access to the adjustment screws. I found the exhaust vent tube on mine had been torn in half by the sharp edge of the cover sometime in the past. Fortunately, the tube was long enough to snip off the damaged part and still have enough to reach the nipple on the carburetor body. “A” is the throttle adjustment and using the flat screwdriver, back the screw away from the plate that it pushes against until there is a gap between them. Turn the screw until it touches the plate, then 1/4 turn further. “B” is the air mix adjustment and this is set by turning it closed to a soft seat, then back it out 1-1/4 turns. Hook the fuel line and crankcase vent tube back up and replace the cover, tightening down the two screws. Check the Spark Locate the spark plug on the top of the engine and remove the cable, exposing the top of the plug. Use a spark plug socket and ratchet to remove the spark plug and inspect the ceramic insulator. This should be light brown to brown and not oily or wet. If it is black in color, you might be running too rich of a fuel mixture, requiring an adjustment to the air screw (we will cover this later). The electrode should be visibly free of deposits and can be scraped clean if needed. Check the gap with a spark plug gap tool (cheap or free at most parts counters) and set this gap to .028 – .030. Replace the spark plug and screw into place using the socket and your fingers to prevent cross-threading. Lightly tighten with the ratchet…no need to strip it out by tightening too much (you do NOT want to deal with a stripped out spark plug hole on the engine’s head). Push the wire connector back on to the spark plug. Set Your Cart To “Maintenance Mode” After all of these steps are completed, and the connections, clamps, and hoses are all back where they should be, it is time to test our work. Located on the wall of the engine compartment opposite of the engine is the switch cam. This is on the backside of the forward/neutral/reverse lever. Put the lever in the “Neutral” position. Grasp the cam as shown in the picture and pull out on the cam. Rotate the cam about 180 degrees or so that when released the cam is now pressing upon the microswitch on top. When the microswitch is engaged in the “pressed” position, and the lever is in the “Neutral” position, you can start the engine without the cart taking off. It would be safest to chock the wheels to prevent an accidental runaway should you bump the lever while running the engine. Start It Up After you have all of the safety measures in place, reach in and press the accelerator with your hand and the engine will begin to turn over. If the engine is still cold, you may need to use your other hand and press the choke button until it fires off. Listen to the engine while revving up and down to see if your engine is running better now. Note that the engine will not idle when you release the accelerator, because the cart is designed to stop running when your foot comes off the pedal. MAY 2020 51