Kawasaki Mule 3010 project

[Rat]

There was definitely something up with the primary lol, I took the front off and the spring out and knocked a fistful of crud out, lubed the weight pivots, and the rollers.
I think a new spring might be in order, it's gone too soft (or short from compression fatigue) to hold it fully open at idle.

I also made the startling discovery that the governor had been disabled by loosening the arm so that the governor couldn't effect the rpm at all.

 

[Rat]

Half the divers floor pan done, will eventually do the passengers side, but it's not that bad so most likely I'll just do the front wedge.

eventually I'll have the means to go back and rip it all out and do it more "professionally" as in not use free scrap metal

 

[Rat]

The worst of the bed floor is cut out, and the new frame braces/fender mount points are in.

The real irony in the clutch is that the commet driven springs are the same diameter as the driver spring on this thing... I cut a pair of coils to shim the spring with from a yellow one I'll never use again. They fit snug like snap rings, but can be pried out easily when the time comes.
I had to test the spongey spring theory some way and of course I was on point.

It doesn't grind going into gear
It doesn't try so hard to overrun the brakes or stall once in gear.

And holy hell this thing is quicker than I figured it for when tossed in High gear (2speed 4x4 with a manual rear locker)

 

[Rat]

•Replace the gas cap
•Replace the fuel gauge
•Replace fuel pump
•Replace radiator fan switch
•Replace thermostat
•Rebuild or replace carburetor rebuilt
•Replace all hydraulic brake lines
•Replace drivers floor panel support between main and side rail
•Resheet the cab floor (24x24 panels x2)
•Replace a few bed braces
•Resheet the bed floor (53×47 panel)
•Replace all 4 tires
•Replace the rear shocks
•Replace the front struts
•Replace R/R (passengers) parking brake cable
•Replace both rear light assemblies
•Replace the intake air filter hoses between the filter and carb, and the filter/roll bar connection
•Modify exhaust or spend $300 on OE muffler
(most likely modify) repaired

•Replace or find a way to seal 2 wheels (rims leak air from sealed

Just another update, I fabricated a splice box and now have a fully functional parking brake.

It's ziptied underneath for now as a temporary solution until I can actually get the OE cable. My driveway is sloped asphalt I don't need this thing deciding to take off unattended and hit the neighbors parked car broadside or worse run over her kids.

 

[Rat]

•Replace the gas cap
•Replace the fuel gauge
•Replace fuel pump
•Replace radiator fan switch
•Replace thermostat
•Rebuild or replace carburetor rebuilt
•Replace all hydraulic brake lines
•Replace drivers floor panel support between main and side rail
•Resheet the cab floor (24x24 panels x2)
•Replace a few bed braces
•Resheet the bed floor (53×47 panel)
•Replace all 4 tires
•Replace the rear shocks
•Replace the front struts
•Replace R/R (passengers) parking brake cable
•Replace both rear light assemblies
•Replace the intake air filter hoses between the filter and carb, and the filter/roll bar connection
•Modify exhaust or spend $300 on OE muffler
(most likely modify) repaired

•Replace or find a way to seal 2 wheels (rims leak air from sealed

I took it out and ran it hard today, turns out the thermostat and everything is fine, I got it hot enough to kick over the radiator fan finally... not that it's specifically a good thing, but as far as diagnostic purposes mission accomplished so thats two less parts I need to worry about.

I'm gonna have to take a look at the carb (again) and maybe the plug wires because it was making an intermittent clatter and losing power as if only one cylinder was firing... cleared up when I pulled the choke out for a 5 count and regained full power for a few yards when I stuffed it back in.

It clatters almost like something busted off; except if something was busted off choke wouldn't make it stop, it would definitely time with the engine regardless of rpm or load, and while possible it would not likely be intermittent... the only thing consistent at all is that pulling the choke corrects.

I've heard an 06 Jeep Liberty with bank 6 blown out into the valley with the conrod slapping like a jackhammer... similar sound acoustically but that's absolutely it.

Seems tell tale to me at least that some crud I was unable to excavate has become an issue for one cylinder or the other... being a dual bore carb (basically 2 independent carbs in a single body with extra long choke/throttle butterfly rods.

It could just be acting up because I'm gravity feeding the carb from a Predator tank where it is supposed to be pressure fed from an electromagnetic fuel pump.

 

[Rat]

It was a chunk of crud under one of the jets... that was easier than popping the Welch plugs for A/F screw access

 

[Rat]

Not entirely sure how I feel about the new color... Kinda brighter than I expected

Now that it runs more reliably I will revisit exhaust mods. I may or may not just run it wide open pipes.

 

[Rat]

I'm debating a universal electronic fuel gauge kit...the current one is just a typical tank top mechanical analog, and I'd kinda rather it be on the dash panel not, underneath the seat where it's out of sight out of mind

 

[Rat]

So as it turns out the CDI/ECU has a rev limiter that will stutter the engine if reved hard enough.

The so called governor is only a gearbox output speed limiter, and with it enabled this thing won't do better than 12mph, bypassed I can get around 22mph (gps checked) so I'm just not going to have it like it was when it got shoved in my garage...not tightened on the shaft so it will go however fast it can go.

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

I've got an old Yamaha g1 cart. Same gearbox govenor on it. I also have it cranked all the way fast. Does about 25 or so.

I'm pretty sure you can get performance cdi's with a advanced spark and higher Rev limiter.

 

[Rat]

I've got an old Yamaha g1 cart. Same gearbox govenor on it. I also have it cranked all the way fast. Does about 25 or so.

I'm pretty sure you can get performance cdi's with a advanced spark and higher Rev limiter.

It has the FD620D-A5 engine, liquid cooled Vtwin. I have the linkage fully disabled from the rod and it's only in play for the throttle connection... the thing is a just a farm machine with gobs of torque.

I'll likely pick up 5mph or more just in replacing the belt and the primary drive spring. Maybe another 5mph when I finally switch over to 12" wheels.

I'm thinking a 25x11-12 should sit nicer than the current 23×11-10 even if I have to go with a 2" leveling kit when I replace the front struts before I can swap wheel sizes.

These 10x8.5 wheels with a 4/137 pattern wheels have been an absolute b★tch to try tracking down

 

[Rat]

Made a new discovery... there are wheel spacer adapters to change the lug pattern... 4/156 is common enough bolt pattern to get nicer wheels for cheaper.

Guess I'll look for cheap wheels I like and then see if I can match an adapter from there. I don't want gobs of tire hanging out from under, so I might need to be mindful of the wheel offset and account for a 1-1.25" spacing.

The current set are deep...5/3 and there's suspension clearance enough they could be flipped around.

 

[Rat]

Got the fuel pump in... Odd sucker though. It makes a fairly loud pop about once a second when it pressurizes the line at idle, can't hear it over the engine at full gait.

I'm sculpting a gauge cowl onto the hood for the 2inch gas gauge that's on the way.

 

[Rat]

That should be that
[ammeter in place for fitting and shaping because it is 2" like the fuel gauge going there is]

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

That came out nice.
I would have made it easier and just recessed the gauge, but that matched the rest of the dash.

 

[Rat]

That came out nice.
I would have made it easier and just recessed the gauge, but that matched the rest of the dash.

Couldn't recess because of latch mechanism, and theres nothing to mount to farther back. I set it back as far as possible.
The only other place I could have put it would have required a block off face plate for the storage bin it's mounted above.

I considered just putting a 2" hole in the edge, and mounting it into the hood instead of dash top, but that would have required making the electrical long enough to run all the way forward to the hinges and then back up to the gauge... wasn't really feeling like using an extra 6ft of wire.

 

[Rat]

Irony can be such a CUNextTuesday!

As a Preface: keep in mind I've had the spider open to remove the spring and clean the slider shaft in place best I could without a puller and make sure the weights and rollers all move as they should... more than once.

I decided to roll up inti the yard and hose off what grime I could (a lot but not all-will need a degreaser) and wouldn't you know it the damn spider started working normally when I fired this jackass back up to move it back to the driveway!!

Guess it needed more effort cleaning than a slightly oily shop rag, oh well. New spring on the way already but I think I'm going to pull the shims I made, see how much top speed that 6mm worth of spacing cost me just for fun.

 

[Denny]

Might have needed to work a little to free itself up?

 

[Rat]

Might have needed to work a little to free itself up?

Dude it never fully disengaged on idle (only with engine off) UNTIL today after hosing everything down with the hose and a "carwash cannon" which I only used for the soap aspect... it's a joke as far as being anything that will actually get anything clean by itself

 

[Rat]

I'm pretty sure you can get performance cdi's with a advanced spark and higher Rev lilimiter.

Well first off I'd have better luck getting more performance by engine swapping with a Teryx (same general driveline)

There aren't any performance parts for a Mule because it is basically a 4wd golf kart with a lift kit... it's meant to be all terrain unstoppable, not fast.

That said there are a few Mods that could be done to transfer some of the bottom end torque to top end power... but at what mechanical cost?

Do I need it to do 45mph... nah, but it would be fun until precisely the moment engine grenades.

Do I need it to do better than 20mph? Yes, people around here are absolute ★ssholes when it comes to their driving habit and general lack of competence behind the wheel... the latest offense was some di★khead passing me on the double solids.

Either way it has been stated everywhere Ive looked that any attempts to squeeze any significant gains only leads to the FD620D engine tearing itself apart.

I will end up doing exhaust work swapping the exhaust for something larger just off the header... probably 1inch ID true duals.

The intake breathes through the 2" tubing used for the rear roll cage hoop like a snorkel so I could disconnect that to free up the intake flow rate as well, it's not like I'm ever going swamping with it so it's not entirely necessary to have connected.

It has a fairly high compression by default, but swapping to a flattop piston and forged billet conrods would be preferable as well as a stiffer set of springs on the valves.