Cushman Mitsubishi Distributor Question

[ClintonvilleDPW]

Our Cushman has a Mitsubishi 4G82 engine we would like to get more than 22 mph out of it. We run this white truck on city streets and need to run it at higher speeds. Our local police dept has no problem with this as we are the public works dept.

I need to know what IC igniter it uses. I tried the local parts store with no luck. The distributor number is A4T4C71174. They took the igniter out and run the distributor through a eletronic governor. It cuts power two ways by speed and rpm.

If anyone knows of a way to rewire the gov that would be great. Any help would also be great.

Thank you

Dan Etheridge streetgarage@clintonvillewi.org


City of Clintonville DPW

[Dan]

I modified a cushman in 2000 for our security department to make rapid response calls and put in a 2:1 reduction box( other ratios possible) between the trans cable and the speeedo output. i had a mobile speedo shop build the reduction box for about 60.00. i left the rpm's alone on this one and it was fine. I'm sure there is a way to re wire it but i didn't have the electronics aptitude for that. it got them 50 mph but the speedo was inaccurate by 1/2. showed 10 on the dial but actually was 20, 20 shown was actually 40mph, 25 shown is 50mph...

[golfcartguy]

I too have a Cushman LHD,2wd, ac, and would like to remove ,or get around the speed limiter or governor. Any one have the answer, or any ideas?

[Dan]

put in a 2:1 reduction box( other ratios possible) between the trans cable and the speeedo output. i had a mobile speedo shop build the reduction box for about 60.00.

[DanT]

Hi. is the governor in the distributor one of the ways the speed is controled? I have a cushman white van with pointles ignition and the service manual shows a governor that looks like an old mechanical advance and it also shows an ignitor. I'm confused as to where they work together to control the speed or not. The parts manual also shows an electronic engine control unit but doesn't show where it is located. Does it have something to do with the speed limiter too?I understand you can use an msd type unit to make these things go fater but what does it replace? This is indeed a chinese fairy tale and getting more interesting as I go along. I realize I can get a speed reducer for the speedo and that will solve the problem but I would rather have the speedo work correctly. I guess I'm just one of those guys that want to figure things out but may be whipped on this one and have to take the easy way out. Why in the world did they feel they had to have 2 ways to control the speed I wonder? This is a wonderfull forum and I have gotten good responses to my questions and thank everyone that has made it what it is. Thanks, DanT

[Dan]

DanT, I'm not as intimately familiar with the cushman as i am with the mitsubishi trucks but, I do know that the speedo is sending pulses to the ignitor and is killing it at 25 or with a time delay if there is no signal.. The distributor is also sending its signals to the ignitor's rpm limiter. The msd unit will only be influenced by the signal coming from the shielded pair from the distributor trigger. so you should have eliminated the speed sensor and rpm limiter. fuel cut-off is also incorporated into the scenario and you will have to run the fuel relay independantly too.. The msd isnt just for "faster", it is for its simplicity in function. power it up, trip the triggers and you get spark. no time delays, speed limiter signals or rpm limiters.. One other thing i ran into is that the oem ignitor had a huge amount of retard built in to it that had to be compensated for by realigning the distributor housing on the 550's i have now. so, its more than just two systems. The whole design of the ignition system is tamper resistant which i am sure was their ultimate goal for the US vehicles. Referring to your first question about the distributor governor... I think that there are two pigtails coming from the housing if i remember correctly one is a tach lead/positioning sensor and the other is the shielded set for the trigger. The vac advance and centrifugal/mechanical advance are the mechanisims you might be looking at inside the housing.

[Dan]

I vaguely remember having a conversation with one of the Jacobsen tech's that went through the oem training course for the cushmans. He wouldn't divulge the secrets to the governor system (huge liability) but, said "you would be suprised at how easily it's disabled" and he was shocked that the instructer even mentioned it. I'm sure theres a way around it. I just didn't take the time to figure it out at the time. The speedo gear reduction got the speed for our security department and i left it alone after that. I think i have one of those reducers in my garage if you're interested in the no-brainer way out...

Dan

[DanT]

Hi Dan and thanks for your reply and very valuable info. Yes I would be interested in the reducer if you can find it. I'll go the no brainer way while I'm getting all the info together for the more sophisticated procedure. I'm not 100% sure how your forum here runs and don't want to step out of bounds so we can exchange payment/shipment info off forum thru email if you like. One last question, Is dealing with the fuel relay as simple as running the wires from the electric fuel pump directly to something else that is only on when the ignition switch is on? I'm sure that probably isn't my last question but I don't want to be too much of a pita. Great Forum btw. I can see myself getting obsessed with these small trucks Much cheaper hobby than the Muscle Cars I have been playing with all these years and I believe with the unstable fuel prices they will only become more popular as alternative forms of short trip transportation :-) Thanks Again DanT

[Dan]

pm sent.

The fuel pump relay bypass was easy on mine. i just jumped a pair in the pigtail to the relay and it worked as a key-on application. Keep posting your Q's and i'm sure some of us will be able to assist you. There are a few others with the cushman vehicles and all are really helpful.

Thanks

Dan