How to Remove the Governor on Vehicles

by Contributing WriterUpdated June 12, 2017

Vehicles are manufactured not to perform up to their potential. They are made to conform to a series of state and federal laws governing street performance, miles per gallon and emissions. The electronic control unit (ECU) is a computer inside the Vehicles that controls the performance of the engine. What regulates the top speed of an Vehicles is not a physical component, but rather it is program written into the ECU that adheres to the laws. Remove the ECU and take it to a professional to be rewritten in order to remove the speed governor.

Under The Hood:

 How to Remove the Governor on a Honda Accord

Open the hood and remove the negative battery cable using an adjustable wrench.

Expose the ECU. Find where the carpet of the front passenger side meets the firewall and pull the carpet toward the rear of the vehicle with your fingers. Remove the lower dashboard plastic kick panel by unfastening its clips with your fingers.

Identify the ECU as the larger of the two black boxes. Remove the metal belt holding the ECU in place by using a socket wrench to unfasten its two retaining bolts. Pull the ECU away from the firewall and unplug the wiring harnesses connecting it to the vehicle with your fingers.

Take the ECU to a professional for the program to be rewritten for maximum speed. Plug the wiring harnesses back into the ECU with your fingers. Install the reprogrammed ECU into its terminal, lay the metal belt back over the ECU and secure the belt by fastening the two retaining bolts with the appropriate socket wrench.

Clip the kick panel back into place and roll the carpet back to the firewall. Reconnect the negative battery terminal with an adjustable wrench, and close the hood.

Items you will need

  • Adjustable wrench

  • Socket wrench set

 How to Remove the Governor on a Go Kart Engine

Solicit the help of a friend to help you lift the go kart up on a small table, which will provide an eye-level position to work. Use a socket and wrench to loosen the oil pan drain plug. Drain the oil from the crankcase into a pan. Position a shop light near the side case. Use a socket and wrench to loosen and remove the three bolts holding the gas tank. Slip the gas tank up and backward, and let it rest on top of the engine. You do not have to remove the rubber fuel line.

Use a socket and wrench to loosen and remove all the side case bolts. Gently pry the case loose with a screwdriver and pull it off the crankshaft, without tearing the gasket. Leave the gasket in place.

Look at the rear top portion of the engine crankcase and find the small governor linkage arm resting upon a white, toothed gear. Follow the linkage arm up through the case and disconnect the arm at the throttle linkage location by pulling the small cotter pin out with a pair of pliers. Slip the arm out of the case.

Look at the center of the white gear. Remove the button and washer on the center of the gear shaft by pulling them straight out with your fingers.

Look at the two cantilever levers that sit inside the recessed portion of the the white gear. Use a screwdriver or pair of pliers to wedge the pins out that connect the levers to the gear. Pull the levers out. Pull the white gear straight off the shaft.

Wipe off the crankshaft seal on the side case with a rag. Push the side case back onto the crankshaft until it mates with the engine block. Insert the case bolts in by hand, then tighten them in sequence with a torque wrench according to your repair manual's specifications.

Align the gas tank back onto its bracket and insert the mounting bolts. Tighten the tank bolts with a socket and wrench.

Replace the oil pan drain plug and tighten it with a socket and wrench. Fill the crankcase with new oil. Start the engine and note the throttle response.

Items you will need

  • Assistant

  • Small table

  • Shop light

  • Socket set

  • Ratchet wrench

  • Oil drain pan

  • Screwdrivers

  • Needle nose pliers

  • Rags

  • Torque wrench

  • Owner's repair manual

  • Oil

 How to Remove the Governor on a Kawasaki KFX 50

Loosen and remove the screw that holds the throttle lever-governor to the carburetor cap. Depending on the year of the bike, the screw accepts a screwdriver or metric hex wrench. Save the spacer ring and the screw.

Pull the throttle lever off the side of the carburetor cap by hand. Slide the saved spacer ring on the saved screw. Thread the screw back into place on the side of the carburetor and tighten it securely with the screwdriver or hex wrench.

Attach a metric wrench onto the throttle cable adjuster at the carburetor cap. The cable was adjusted to work with the governor and must be readjusted for maximum throttle response. Rotate the cable adjuster counterclockwise two turns with the wrench.

Grip the section of the cable just above the carburetor between two fingers and your thumb. Twist the throttle grip at the handlebars and note the point where you feel tension on the cable. If necessary, adjust the cable again until you feel tension the instant you twist the throttle grip.

Items you will need

  • Screwdriver

  • Metric hex wrench

  • Metric wrench

 How to Remove the Governor on a Cushman

Access the engine compartment of the Cushman and locate the governor. If you do not find it immediately, pinpoint the carburetor and then trace the linkage running from the carburetor to the governor.

Remove the governor spring from the governor arm and the carburetor, using pliers.

Disconnect the wiring harness the governor plugs into.

Remove the governor's retaining bolts with the socket set, and lift it out.

Items you will need

  • Pliers

  • Socket set

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