kenfain

Great idea, if those injectors are that prone to getting clogged. Maybe someone should look into getting an aftermarket injector. Then post their results here.

You always want to check the easy stuff first. Mostly just to give it a chance to be an easy fix. Although it almost never happens that way for me. So yours was likely to be an internal problem from the start. Either that or a linkage issue that can only be diagnosed, and fixed by removing the transmission. I didn't want to point that out, because sometimes it actually does turn out to be something simple. But the good news is, that now you can freshen up the clutch friction surfaces. As well as any seals, bearings, and cables. Increasing the reliability of an off road vehicle is always a plus. As to that tranny. All manual transmissions are very simple. A mechanically inclined beginner can easily do this. But after pulling the transmission out, you don't feel comfortable with doing the work. Do NOT disassemble it. It's okay to open the side inspection plate and look inside. In fact, that's an important first step. Maybe it's a pin, that can be reached through the inspection plate. But be aware that while any competent transmission shop can fix whatever is wrong inside, and probably for a reasonable price. If you disassemble it, and end up taking it in to the shop, in pieces, in a box. They do NOT like that at ALL. If it were an old Chevy, they'd just charge ten times what the job was worth. But since they don't really have any reason to do something that's a pain in their butt. They'll probably just pass on rebuilding an unfamiliar brand. Thus leaving you in a tight spot. So be aware of this, as well as the fact that they likely won't provide ANY parts. Unless you find some kind of Joyner mechanic, parts will be your problem alone. Good luck with your project, and take some pictures to share with us along the way.

$32 bucks isn't bad, if that turns out to be the spark control.

Yup, that's another possibility. And probably easily checked.

Finding the connection port would go a long way to solving the mystery. If you go with the TS, keep us updated.

Because it's a relatively slow speed crash, I'd think proper fitting seatbelts would be more useful. Maybe an enclosure to keep people, and pet, as well as cargo contained within the cab. Half doors would be perfect. With netting to discourage appendages hanging outside the window.

Good to know, thanks! Looks like it was made for it. And at less than $30bucks, that's a heckuva deal. How are the doors constructed?

Looking at a water pump when it's in the hand is usually pretty easy to diagnose, because it'll turn roughly, with grinding, or be loose with sloppiness in the shaft. Lots of rust, leaking at the shaft, etc. Any one of these fairly obvious problems means a bad pump. Maybe just pulling the belt off and spin it freehand, and do a good visual check too. Or worst case, you have to pull it off to check it. If it's determined to be good, you're only out the price of gaskets. So I'd check it out before I just replaced it. I've heard of serpentine belts, that could be routed backwards over the water pump. Making the thing spin backwards. I'd consider that a severe longshot. Personally I'd suspect air in it, except for the fact that it was working good before. That seems a bit strange. But what's not uncommon is having to purge the air a couple times, or more on some vehicles. As you said, just keep topping it off for a few short drive cycles. See what happens.

Don't have any experience with the E1. But I've had a lot of years around golf carts, and most, if not all, of the best practices concerning battery maintenance would probably be the same. If batteries are old, they should be replaced at the same time. If one goes bad when they're new, then obviously you only replace the one. I wouldn't run it down before charging, instead I'd keep it charged nightly when in use. But pull the charger loose when it's full, and not store it long term, on the charger. Electrical storms, voltage surges, and the like, aren't always harmless to stuff that's plugged in. Assuming that such a thing can be found cheaper. As long as it's the same type, and voltage then any same sized quality battery would probably work just fine. To make it all fit properly, they'd likely need to be the same dimensions too. Just my .02 cents.

Aren't fault codes (if found), automatically displayed on the dashboard? Typically with other models, it'll blink a sequence to the dashboard clock, that's then decoded to provide the coresponding code. But even if you find a code reader, I'd be surprised to see an OBD2 port. More likely it's a Delphi.

How much for a control module?

That's certainly a possibility, and I hope that's the problem. If it's truly loose, it could at the least, be a significant contributor to your issue.

Yes it turned out to be a hole in the exhaust. Found it by accident, while trying to see if the sensors were interchangeable.

It'll have some kind of code reader connection. Not being an owner myself, I have no idea where it might be. Unfortunately, I'm almost certain that it isn't OBD2. Most likely it's a Delphi type. The Delphi is a pre OBD2 reader, and doesn't support as many pids, or sensors. So it's a simpler system. But each manufacturer had it's own style of plug. The OBD2 was made mandatory, to standardize the whole messy arrangement. The factory sells a code reader for big money. Something in the $300 dollar range IIRC. But if it is indeed a Delphi. I believe that the readers are all pretty much the same, but use different plugs for different makes. The generic reader kit is quite reasonably priced, and comes with some variety of plugs. But you'd need to research which one is required. Those that don't come with the kit, are sold separately. But you would need someone more familiar to confirm this, as well as compatibility. Some brands of vehicles, including s×s buggies like these. Will use other methods of acquiring codes. For example, the newer models will cause the dashboard clock to blink a designated sequence. Each fault code has it's own sequence. You just count the blinks. Not being an owner of one of these myself. I'm not aware of anything like that for your vehicle. But while researching which code reader will fit. You should inquire as to the possibility of that other cheaper, low tech method. If all of this sounds like a lot of trouble. You could just start eliminating possible faulty sensors, and other possibilities. I'd start by replacing any vacuum hoses, the crankcase ventilation, and fuel vapor return line. Then pull out the upstream, and downstream exhaust sensors. One of the last guys that had a similar problem. Actually found exhaust issues were responsible for his trouble. He found this by a visual inspection, while pulling the exhaust sensors. It'll take a multimeter, and some time. And some sensors will just have to be replaced, since testing is not always an option. Typically they're pretty cheap. But it's all certainly doable.

That's okay, a picture isn't absolutely necessary. Does it smoke, or use oil? Does it spend a lot of time running at idle? Have you checked for fault codes? It's probably running rich, but without a code reader, it'll be a tedious process of elimination.

When you say that it's fouling the plugs. Is it wet fouling, or dry? Is it possible to post a clear, well lit, magnified picture of the fouling? How used is this motor? Any idea of how many hours?

Lift kit, or spacers, or both. If that doesn't work, you'll have to learn to live with it. Or possibly you could limit the turn radius, by adding, or changing the steering stops. Or run smaller tires. The gentle rubbing while turning on a mostly flat floor isn't the real problem in the long run. The real problem is hitting a rock, or pothole while turning at speed. That'll cause bump steer. So be aware of that when you're out there wheeling.

That's a nice look. You might try wheel spacers to help with the rubbing.

It's a common problem with towing, at higher speeds. You take preventive steps, or you take your chances. Personally, I'd probably make a padded plywood overlay.

Does the end cap have a gasket?

Seems strange that a deep cycle battery was recommended for starting. No reason why it wouldn't work though. Mine uses one, but mine is a diesel. Gas engines typically use a standard battery. I'd put a full charge on it, check the voltage, then start the engine a couple times. No driving, just start it up, and shut it off, repeat. Then check the battery voltage again. This just knocks off the surface charge. You should still be just above 12v-12.5v . Last time you said it was 13ish, that's a bit high. If you suspect the battery isn't the right size, or not strong enough. Try a different battery from the car, or something. No reason to buy a positive cable yet. You can easily check resistance with your multi meter. Takes less than a minute. Google will show you the exact details. But like I said before, I believe you'll still need to find that mysterious power draw. YouTube has a few tutorials about finding electrical shorts. But those only tell you which circuit. Then you know which wire to chase, or which component to test. But with it narrowed down, it usually gets easy from there. It's a process of elimination, but I'm thinking that your root issue is there, in that overnight battery discharge. It just seems suspicious, that you've got two problems that could very easily share the same root cause.

I gathered from your previous posts, that there seemed to be an inexperienced mechanic involved in the clutch job. As it reminded me of my own learning curve as a teenager. Partly because of substandard tools. Partly because of lack of understanding of best practices. I wouldn't fully trust what's been done to this point, if you're ever planning on taking it out beyond city limits. Enjoy it as much as possible, then when time permits, a complete redo of the clutch assembly would seem to be in order.

Glad to hear you got it going! Sorry to hear about the gear problem. Seems like there was a thread here a couple of weeks ago. Where one of the guys had a similar problem. Don't think it was fifth gear though. But it acted the same way. Sometimes stuff happens inside the transmission. Lose one pin and the gear slips out of position inside there. Easy enough to fix, if it were sitting on the bench already. But if you want to get technical...isn't everything like that? Hopefully, yours is something easy, and on the outside. Like a branch wedged into the linkage. Or a missing cotter pin. Never heard back from the other guy, one way or another. So keep us posted, and take some pictures if you tear into it.

Does it act the same way if you add jumper cables? I'd wonder if the starter was pulling too many amps? Or if the positive cable had internal corrosion? Because once it's warmed up, it should start right up. So I'd check the electrical possibilities, before I suspected a mechanical problem. Also, whatever is draining the battery overnight, could be substantial enough. That it's pulling enough amps away, to affect the starter, and how many amps that IT needs. Starters pull a lot of amps, and they don't like to share. Eventually, you'll absolutely have to find out what's draining the battery overnight anyway. I'd probably make that my first priority.