In this book, entitled Gas Golf Cart Repair 101 (and a half), the author, Ron Staley, describes Techniques, Tools, Tips, and Tales that he experienced during his life as a golf cart Repairman. The book is published as a Kindle ebook and is available from the Amazon Kindle Book Store.
Just click on the following link to read more about the book or to purchase it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095NFBQ61
Click on the following to understand: WHY AN EBOOK?
This book has just been totally rewritten to include a lot more information that its predecessor. It is available in both hard copy and eBook forms at the following link Gas Golf Cart Repair 101 (and a half): Techniques Tips Tools Tales , Staley, Ron – Amazon.com. The following is a list of its contents:
Chapters 1-7
Let’s Start at the beginning
These first 7 chapters provide a detailed step-by step procedure of what to do with a gas golf cart that won’t run, in order to get you headed the “right way” toward what the problem could be. It goes into the “logic switching” that must be completed before the starter/generator will even “try” to spin the engine over. It also offers some advice on things NOT to do in the troubleshooting process. These tips might make the experience of troubleshooting the cart move along much faster and much safer.
Chapter 8
Other Problems with Gas Golf Carts
Here are names of the rest of the chapters in this book and a brief description of what is in each of them:
Chapter 9 Starter/Generators
As I’ve already described, the starter/generator is the place where energy from the battery is used (when certain criteria are met) to spin the engine over to get things going. It is also the device that helps perpetuate this happening over and over by recharging the battery while the cart is running. This chapter gives detailed information about how this all happens and how to troubleshoot and repair starter/generator issues.
Chapter 10 Gas Golf Cart Ignition Systems
Boom! That’s what has to happen to get things moving. If you think in terms of Suck (intake stroke), Squish (compression stroke), Boom (power stroke) and Blow (exhaust stroke), we are talking about the Boom, in this chapter. What causes the boom is that the carbureted fuel that has been compressed into the combustion chamber of the engine is ignited by a spark that is provided by the ignition system. Troubleshooting ignition systems can present some real challenges because the various manufacturers have so many different ways of providing the ignition spark. This chapter introduces the most common methods of providing ignition by the most common manufacturers. It also goes into what usually happens to prevent the ignition from taking place.
Chapter 11 Fuel Pumps
If you have worked on things like lawn mowers, generators, motorcycles, etc., many of them rely on our old friend gravity to get the fuel from the gas tank to the carburetor. Not so, in gas golf carts. Because of the position of the carburetor, relative to the gas tank, the fuel has to be pumped there. To do that, gas golf carts use an ingenious little device called a pulse operated fuel pump. After all, as the piston is traveling up and down the cylinder, it is producing both positive and negative pressure intervals in the crankcase, so why not put them to use to suck fuel from the gas tank (negative pulse) and push it to the carburetor (positive pulse)? This chapter explains just how that all works.
Chapter 12 Carburetors
Do you remember when you were back in your high school science class and watched a Bunsen burner burning this beautiful blue flame? It was so nice and blue because it was burning fuel (alcohol) and air at a ratio of 14.7 to 1 by volume (for instance, for every gram of fuel that is burned, there are 14.7 grams of air burned). And that is exactly what your gas golf cart is CRAVING. Is it getting it? This chapter explains how the carburetor achieves providing this ratio. It goes into quite a bit of detail in the process, so don’t miss the show.
Chapter 13 Let’s Talk Clutches
Gas golf cart clutches just fascinate me (I guess I’m pretty easy to entertain). They are able to provide torque conversion that makes driving a golf cart almost like driving with an automatic transmission. Just step on the gas to tell the golf cart how fast you want to go and the clutches will find a gear ratio that is suitable to get the job done. This chapter talks about how all of this magic happens.
Chapter 14 Valve Clearances and Valve Overlap
How can an engine possibly run with both the intake valve and the exhaust valve open at the same time? It wouldn’t for very long, but it’s very important that it can for a short while. In this chapter, we talk about a crucial event called valve overlap and how it works.
Chapter 15 Valve Clearance Adjustment
In this chapter we talk about how to get the maximum performance out of an engine by having the valves adjusted correctly. It’s really not that hard to do, if you know a few little tricks.
Chapter 16 Valve Stem Seal Replacement
Oil consumption of an engine can often be caused by one of these cheap little seals ($10 or so). With the effects of ethanol in our gas, it’s becoming more common to need one replaced. This chapter tells how to replace valve stem seals without removing the engine from the cart.
Chapter 17 Compression Testing
When you’ve got fuel, spark and correct timing, but the engine still isn’t running “right”, a compression test can tell you a lot about the “innards” of the engine (without taking it apart). This chapter talks about how to do a compression test, and what to expect.
Chapter 18 Brakes
Have you ever been racing along in your golf cart and needed to stop quickly, only to find out it wouldn’t even slow down, let alone come to a stop? I have, and it is not a good feeling (and can even get expensive and embarrassing). This chapter goes quite deeply into how to do a brake job on a golf cart. Three popular models of carts are used as examples.
Chapter 19 Front End Alignment
Yes, there are ways to make that cart run truer, stop “eating” the front tires off and contribute to a nicer driving experience. This chapter goes through the most common causes of front end problems and their fixes.
Chapter 20 Lights and Accessories
Adding lights and accessories to a gas golf cart is very similar to adding such things to an automotive product. That’s because the lights and stuff are usually meant to be operated on 12 volts, and that is what the cart has available. As usual, there are some tricks that can make it easier. This chapter deals with that.
Chapter 21 Suck, Squish, Boom and Blow
This chapter is mostly a reprint of a little book I published about an old mechanic’s wisdom that he shared with me many years ago about gas engines (golf cart, car, boat, motorcycle, it doesn’t matter). They all work basically the same. Although the phrase kind of sums it up, there are some intricate details that need to be addressed.
Chapter 22 More about timing
I just can’t get over the importance of timing during the cycle of a 4-stroke engine. This chapter probably goes a little deeper into the nitty-gritty of the timing than most people even care about, but I think it is interesting, so, here it is.
Chapter 23 Does Tire Size Matter?
What is the right tire size for my golf cart or does it really make any difference? I think the tire size is very important and, in this chapter, I’ll try to prove it to you.
Chapter 24 Differentials
Although they don’t need worked on very often, when they do, this chapter will give some insight into what is “in there”. Since the outer axle bearings are part of the assembly and do need to be replaced occasionally, this chapter goes into that process also.
Chapter 25 Some Gas Golf Cart Engines that I have Experience With
I certainly haven’t been “inside” every make and model of golf cart gas engine that is out there, but this chapter gives a lot of information about some of the ones that I have been into. I’ve picked some models for discussion that are very common to see running around.
Chapter 26 Engine Removal
For any repair inside the engine, the engine must come out of the cart. This chapter offers some tips on how I do it (and you know that I am going to find the easiest way that I can).
Chapter 27 Gas or Electric
Many people ask me, “do I want a gas cart or an electric cart”? That is what this chapter is all about. Comparing some of the plusses and minuses of each.
Chapter 28 A Meter is a Must
In order to make even very basic decisions about what is happening when a golf cart “croaks”, you need to be able to use a meter. You don’t need to be an electronics engineer. I’m talking about making VERY simple (but important) readings that ANYBODY can make with even a small amount of understanding and instruction. This chapter provides that.
Chapter 29 Tidbits This chapter is a “hodgepodge” of information that I “just had to put somewhere”, so, here it is. It mostly relates to my (and other peoples) mistakes made along the way. If you read it, you might feel better about yourself, knowing that I could mess things up as well as anyone.