Here are detailed steps of the Club Car Throttle Cable Adjustment process.
Club Car manufactures gas-powered and electric golf carts as well as personal and commercial small utility vehicles.
Regardless of the vehicle, throttle cable adjustment follows the same procedure.
But gas and electric propulsion systems can have varying components with contrasting adjustment procedures.
So, first, let’s define a throttle system.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Throttle System?
- So, What Is a Throttle Cable in a Club Car?
- Why Adjust the Throttle Cable?
- Club Car Throttle Cable Adjustment Steps
- Wrap Up
What Is a Throttle System?
To define the throttle cable, we’ll have to step back and look at the entire throttle system in electric and gas-powered motors.
This system comprises the following components.
Accelerator Pedal
An accelerator pedal is the point of contact or interface with the throttle system because it provides input to regulate the vehicle’s speed.
The more you press this foot pedal, the faster the vehicle will move.
A golf cart’s accelerator and brake pedals
Throttle Cable or Electronic Throttle Control
This part can differ depending on the propulsion system. Electric golf carts rely on electronic throttle control systems (ETCs), which are sensors that detect the position of the accelerator pedal.
But gas-powered golf carts feature throttle cables to transmit the position and movement of the gas pedal in real time to the throttle body.
Therefore, when looking at the Club Car throttle cable adjustment, we’ll focus on the vehicles running on gas engines.
Throttle Body/Motor Controller
You can only find throttle bodies in gas-powered golf carts, which regulate airflow into the engine depending on the accelerator pedal position.
This device features a butterfly valve that opens and closes depending on the pedal position location transmitted by the throttle cable.
A close-up image of a throttle body with the butterfly valve inside
Electric vehicles or golf carts don’t need to take in air because they don’t burn fuel. So, they have a motor controller in place of a throttle body.
These controllers adjust the power fed to the motor depending on the data input from the ETC sensor.
These carts have an extra function known as regenerative braking. When you release the accelerator pedal, the motor turns into a generator, producing electricity using the vehicle’s momentum to recharge the batteries.
Speed Governors
Speed governors are electronic or mechanical devices that limit the top speed the vehicle can achieve.
Golf carts are not built to ride fast, so these speed controllers usually cap the maximum speed to between 12 and 14 miles per hour.
So, What Is a Throttle Cable in a Club Car?
A throttle cable in a Club Car is a flexible, braided cable that connects the accelerator pedal to the throttle body via the throttle linkage in gas-powered vehicle variants.
A motorcycle’s throttle cable
The cable transmits the accelerator pedal travel to the throttle body to control its butterfly valve, which regulates the airflow into the engine.
Therefore, the more you press the accelerator pedal, the more you pull the throttle cable, allowing more air in.
The engine control module adjusts the fuel flowing into the engine accordingly, increasing the RPM and sending more power to the wheels.
But this cable must have the correct tension to transmit the pedal movements accurately and without lag.
So, you have to adjust it if the pedal is not as responsive as it should be.
Why Adjust the Throttle Cable?
A throttle cable that is too tight makes the engine idle at high speed, resulting in poor fuel economy.
On the other hand, when it is too loose, the vehicle will accelerate sluggishly, and you’ll find it challenging to maintain a consistent speed.
The cable is usually tight when new but loosens due to stretching or wear with continued use.
Therefore, you should maintain the throttle system by occasionally adjusting this cable’s tension to achieve the recommended balance.
Most cables have two adjustment points, one on each side (throttle body and accelerator pedal ends).
So, adjusting occurs at these sections. But it might differ depending on the vehicle.
Club Car Throttle Cable Adjustment Steps
You’ll need wrenches or spanners to adjust the throttle cable, but screwdrivers and lubricants might be necessary in some scenarios.
With these tools in hand, here are the adjustment steps for the Club Car DS.
Step 1: Locate the Throttle Cable
Set the vehicle to neutral mode before getting under the hood. We recommend lifting the driving wheels (usually the rear) for easier adjusting when testing.
A throttle/clutch cable
Next, pop the hood or lift the bench seat to access the engine. Locate the flexible, braided cable connecting the accelerator pedal to the throttle body.
Step 2: Identify the Throttle Cable’s Adjustment Points
Spot the spring that wraps around the plastic piece near the shifter. Pull this spring, then spin it until it falls back.
The throttle cable spring in a go-kart engine
Step 3: Loosen the Cable
Loosen the throttle cable in the cable box to the point where you can extract it from the housing.
Step 4: Start the Cart To Calibrate the Throttle
Press the accelerator to start the engine and let it run idle. Check the cable’s tension as the engine runs idle and ensure it is loose.
Adjust the idle screw accordingly if the engine idles at higher or lower RPMs.
A throttle cable bracket that holds the spring in the throttle body end
After setting the cable tension to the correct idle speed, turn off the ignition key and insert the cable back into the throttle box.
Step 5: Adjust the Cable Tension in the Throttle Box
Adjust the throttle cable’s tension in the throttle box while listening to the microswitch. This switch should click before the throttle plate starts moving for accurate adjustment.
Step 6: Test the System
Test the calibrated system by turning on the ignition and pressing the accelerator pedal with the driving wheels up in the air.
Check the throttle response by how the wheels turn, and make the necessary adjustments.
Once everything looks good, lower the cart and test it around the course.
Wrap Up
Club Car gas-powered vehicles require regular throttle cable adjustment to ensure the throttle response is quick and wastes no fuel.
Most Club Car gas-powered vehicles have a throttle cable adjustment process similar to the one listed above.
Also, contact us if you need custom cables for your club cars, vehicles, agricultural machinery, etc. We’ll give you the best deals.
