Predator 212 fouling plugs

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Snakeone

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Bought a doodlebug db30 2 days ago and i have fouled up 4 spark plugs, from new i run 10 minutes and check the plug its charcoal black. I am trying to find the adjustment screw on the carburetor but I only see one screw that can be adjusted I'm thinking that's it. The odd thing is that with the engine running I can turn that clockwise all the way and the engine will still stay on which is odd. The guy I bought the bike from said it had an upgraded carburetor but he doesn't know which one it is. Just by looking at the carburetor I cannot tell how to adjust it so I don't fouled plugs instantly and the bike is very hard to start until I change and put a new plug any suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated what else can I check to avoid fouling plugs?
 

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anickode

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He might have bought a pre-jetted carb online and the engine isn't modded enough to need the bigger jet.

Most newer OEM carbs don't have a mixture adjustment. It's all done with the jet size.
 

bob58o

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Is the gasoline fresh?

The black plastic one that takes a Phillips is the idle speed adjustment.
The brass one that takes a flathead is the idle mixture adjustment. The mixture adjustment screw is a "Fuel Screw" as opposed to an "Air Screw"

Turning that screw in should reduce the amount of fuel - leaning out the mixture. If you can turn the screw all the way in and you are still way too rich, you might need a smaller pilot jet. If the pilot jet is unmodified, then I'm not sure you can get a smaller one. If somebody drilled it out, then you might be better off with a stock (unmodified) one.

A hotter spark plug might help. Which plug are you using? Try 1 heat range hotter.

Since I don't see an air filter, I assume you have already tried to lean out the mixture by running with no air filter. If not, give that a try and see if it improves.

I'm also assuming that you have the choke off when the engine is running.

How does the engine run at WOT? When you get it running, take the bike for a test run. Give it full WOT for about 10 -15 seconds and then kill the engine while still maintaining WOT. Don't let off before you kill it. Pull the plug and take a picture. Research How to Do a Plug Chop to find more info about tuning this way.


CAUSES OF SPARK PLUG FOULING
If your spark plugs are fouling and keep fouling out, you probably have an engine problem. Normal spark plug deposits are typically light tan or brown in color. Black deposits or heavy ash deposits usually indicates trouble. Some common causes of spark plug fouling include:

Worn or damaged valve guides or valve guide seals. Problems here can allow oil to dribble down the valve stems and enter the combustion chamber. Oil will form heavy black wet oily deposits on the spark plugs.

Worn or damaged piston rings, or worn or damaged engine cylinders. Badly worn piston rings, broken or cracked piston rings, grooves or scoring in the cylinder walls, or even piston rings that have been installed upside down can allow oil to get into the combustion chamber and foul the spark plugs.

Rich fuel mixture. This will produce black fluffy deposits on the spark plugs. If only one or two spark plugs are affected, the underlying cause may be a leaky fuel injector. If all of the spark plugs show heavy dry carbon fouling, the rich fuel mixture may be caused by too much fuel pressure (check for a defective fuel pressure regulator or a plugged fuel return line). A defective oxygen sensor that reads lean all the time can also make the fuel mixture run rich. Check fuel trim readings with a scan tool to see if the engine is running rich (negative fuel trim numbers that are -8 to -10 or more would tell you the engine is running rich). On an older carbureted engine, a rich fuel mixture can be caused by a leaky float, incorrect float setting inside the fuel bowl, a leaky fuel inlet needle valve, or incorrect jetting (too large).

Leaky Head Gasket. This is really bad news because a leaky head gasket can be very expensive to repair. If coolant seeps into the combustion chamber, it will form fouling deposits on the spark plug. A fouled spark plug may be an early sign that a head gasket is starting to leak. The cheap fix here wold be to add a bottle of cooling system sealer or head gasket sealer to the cooling system and hope it seals the leak - at least temporarily.
 

Karttekk

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Agreed. If the mixture screw does nothing, you're getting way too much fuel from somewhere. If it were me I'd try and find a stock carburetor rather than guess with jet changes or other possible fixes. Could even be a clogged port. Sometimes it just makes sense to put the correct OEM carb on it and call it a day. Who knows what the previous owner may have done to it. I fought mower issues for days until I threw in the towel and put new factory carbs on them. One pull starts now; no flooding, plug fouling, no black smoke. Your time has to be worth something.
 

Snakeone

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I agree gentlemen. I went ahead and bought a carb online from ebay that has 25 5 star reviews not even going to mess wih this carb although i am going to take it apart and see if it needed cleaning and also im curious to see what main jet is in tnere, i u derstand they should have a stamp identifying he bore. I have his air filter and pipe ao i assume ill probably need a .038 jet as they recommend online, maybe not. Thw plug im using now is he ngk br7es because they didnt have the bp6es that predator manual recommends. Is this the plug you guys run?...

Update. I took the main jet out the carb but it doesnt have a stamp on it so i dont know if its stock or not
 

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bob58o

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My modified 212 uses BP7ES and runs pretty dang well.
Here’s the plug.

If the engine is fairly stock internally... I’d try the hotter bp6es or bpr6es.
 

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Snakeone

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My modified 212 uses BP7ES and runs pretty dang well.
Here’s the plug.

If the engine is fairly stock internally... I’d try the hotter bp6es or bpr6es.

Man that looks new , im getting a new carb installed in a couple days ill start there,
 

bob58o

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Not too much time on it. A few hours. Definitely more than a few minutes like you were describing with yours.
 

Snakeone

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Update on he 12.99 carb i bought on ebay , put it on and cranked up in 2 pulls also after 3 houra of running pulled the plug and it looks new no more fouling plugs. But now im having a hard time trying to get the clutch out, seems to ne jammed or seized on the shaft, it slides out about half inch then stops, tried prying it out and nothing.....one problem afger another
 
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