Adjust an E Z Go Golf Cart Governor

Adjusting the governor can make your golf cart go {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} faster. If you do this to an E-Z-GO golf cart, you might be able to go from {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} to {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}. It will only take about 5 minutes to do it.

Steps

Adjusting the Common 4-Stroke Engine

  1. Tighten the governor spring located in the engine of most golf carts to adjust your cart's top speed. 90% of EZ Go Carts have simple springs which limit the speed of the engine. To raise the top speed of your golf cart, all you need to do is locate this spring and tighten it slightly. If you cannot find this spring, you likely have a newer model that is more difficult to adjust, though this is rare.[1]
  2. Lift up the seat. Remove the seat cousins, which hide the engine. You may have to unscrew the seat in newer models.[2]
  3. Remove the screws from the black plastic cover at the rear of the seat. There should be five screws in most models. The engine is in the front of golf carts, underneath this panel. Take off the plastic cover and set it aside with the seats.
  4. Follow the thickest cable coming from the gas pedal until your find a small spring wrapped around a metal rod. This is the governor. The spring apparatus will have two nuts, one small nut and one larger nut, holding it onto the rod.
    • If you are curious, this is your cart's carburetor.
  5. Loosen the small nut and tighten the larger nut. The more you tighten the larger nut, the faster your cart will go. Start slowly, only tightening the nut a quarter turn to start. You can over-stress the engine if you try to run it too quickly, and it will skip and potentially burn out if you are too eager.[3]
  6. Tighten up the small nut on the governor to keep the spring in place. Test the speed of the cart. After you are satisfied with how fast your cart goes, tighten the small nut back up. As you test, listen for whining noises, skips, or odd clunking movement in the cart-- this means you've tightened the governor too much and need to dial it back.[2]
  7. Replace the black cover to start driving. Put the cart back together how you found it and enjoy your ride.
  8. Know that upping a cart's top speed will cause the engine to wear faster. You'll likely need to get repairs and replacement parts faster on a cart with an adjusted governor. In addition, any cart that can go above 19mph is officially a motor vehicle, and you legally need seatbelts and inspections. This shouldn't be a big problem, but it is worth knowing.[3]

Adjusting Other Engines

  1. Remove the seat and plastic covering over the engine. Sometimes you'll need to remove screws while some models have seats that pop right out. Expose the engine so that you can get to work adjusting the motor. If you don't have a central governor spring, you can still get your cart to move a little faster.
  2. Locate your clutch pedal and line. The clutch is the pedal (sometimes a handle near your knee) that you use to put the car into reverse or change speeds. You can adjust the clutch to send more gas to your engine, moving you faster.
  3. Find the small metal rod right next the clutch and the attached cable. The length of this cable determines how much gas flows into your engine. Again, you should remember that the cart's motor will struggle the faster you make it move. So test every change and listen for clunks or stalls to make sure you protect your motor.[2]
  4. Loosen the nut attaching this cable to the metal protrusion to increase the speed. You should see the cable lengthening slightly. This will make your cart faster. Tighten the nut to make the cart move slower.[4]
  5. Know that you cannot adjust the governor if this cable or the governor spring are not visible. This is most common on modern, all-electric engine. Many manufacturers, including EZ Go, do not want consumers tampering with their engines, and have thus hidden the governors in the spark plug ignition. This is very difficult to adjust without ruining the engine, and should be left to trained professionals.[3]



Tips

  • Turn any nuts and bolts slowly, testing each time. You cannot lose them!

Warnings

  • Adjusting the governor yourself may void your warranty.

Things You'll Need

  • A crescent wrench
  • A pair of channel lock's
  • A set of torx screwdriver bits
  • A screwdriver with interchangeable bits

Related Articles

Sources and Citations