Advice needed for a beginner builder

[hbcolf]

Hi, Im new to the big wide world of go karting and to mechanical things as a whole. I have been planing in order to build my first kart, I have an old go kart frame that is complete and an engine. The frame is wonky and was designed to only turn left for an oval track, but somewhere along the way it basically lost any ability to turn because one wheel doesn't touch the ground when the steering wheel is turned and the other wheel just kind of skids along on the ground not helping the turning part in any way. Also the engine doesn't run, that may be because of several things one being I have a difficult time starting pull-start motors in general, two the gas in the tank may have been old and it may have needed more oil, or the third and most problematic of them all... the engine was left outside in the Washington rain for at least all of the winter rainy season and snow so there may be some issue with that but I don't know what that could be or if there is an easy solution. All of that being said, would it be a worthwhile learning experience to work on that engine and fix it? Or would it be better to just purchase another one? Also would it be better to just fix up the frame I have now until it is able to turn? Or just build a new one, I was leaning more toward build a new one because I would like to make it off road to ride in the forest around my house.

Any advice would be awesome!! Thank you!

 

[KartFab]

Post pics of the kart you have, don't buy a new engine until you know what shape your current engine is actually in. Just because an engine was sitting outside, doesnt necessarily mean it will be ruined. Guranteed you will need to clean out the gas tank, fuel line, and carbeurator. You will also need to visually inspect the bore, or test the compression (very easy to do, compression testers are like 10-20$).

If you have a race kart but want to go off-road, you should probably keep looking on craigslist/ebay until another old junker kart comes along with suspension or at least big tires (if you plan on taking it off pavement). It will save you a lot of headache in the future by doing this. Building a kart is a big undertaking, but restoring one is less of a hassle (especially if you are new to go karts/fabrication).

For now, focus on the kart/engine you have now to build your experience. Taking vids/pics will help us help you.

 

[hbcolf]

I gave it new gas, checked the spark plug, and put in a new air filter because the old one was nasty. But still nothing. I've read the manual for my engine and it says that if it doesn't have enough oil it shuts off automatically but it appears to have enough oil (I can't really be certain because the dipstick stick part is broken off). Another thing I don't think I mentioned was that there isn't an air filter cover so water might have gotten inside the engine. I'm not sure if that is bad for engines, I'm assuming that it is because it isn't working haha

and here are some pictures of the motor...

 

[firemanjim]

Ok look , this is what you do. Pull the engine off and box it up in a wooden crate. Mail it to me cod.... I will mail you a brand new in the box 212 predator..... Ok just kidding.... Or not?...
First let's address 3 things. Air, fuel, and spark.... You got to have the right amount of all these things first an engine to run. You're getting air. Are you getting fuel? Your engine was left with no filter cover for awhile. That means water most likely got into carb and messed it up.... MUST remove so "we" can service/clean it up....
Let's move on, shall we? Ok so "we" cleaned up the carb, and now we got air and fuel. Now you need to check for spark and spark intensity. Doubt you have a tester for this so let's do it this way...... Grab (get a not so swift buddy ) the plug wire and pull the rope 1 good time. His reaction will tell you a few things. First, he ain't that smart..... Second, if he jumps quickly and yells, then you got good spark. If he merely pulls away, you have spark, but maybe not hot enough. Remove the engine cover and turn the flywheel so you can sand off the rust from the ignition pick ups and the coil. That's about all there is to that except recapping the coil, but I don't think you need to go that far....
Pull the carb first though, buddy. I think that that's gonna be the heart of the issues you're having....

 

[KartFab]

Guranteed you will need to clean out the gas tank, fuel line, and carbeurator.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlRZitBposI

boring video but it should help you

Also, if you REALLY want to know if your engine will run, just pull out the spark plug and put like a couple drops of gas in there, put the plug back on and attach the wire to it. Make sure your kill switch is set to ON, then pull the cord. The engine will (should) run for like 2 seconds.

 

[hbcolf]

My older brother came home and he made it work. I cleaned the cabeurator out. Then he just used some starter fluid and he said he just pulled it a couple times and it fired right up. I like to think I helped haha but thank you all for your suggestions. Also the steering wasn't working but I realized that it was too heavy in the back so I found a cinder block and tied it to the front, it is soo unbelievably ugly but it was more of a temporary fix/ proof of working type thing. Hopefully I will find someone willing to help me build a new frame, just a simple one but hopefully with suspension because I rode it through a small field I front of our house and I got popped up out of my seat when I hit every bump! Hahaha

 

[landuse]

My older brother came home and he made it work. I cleaned the cabeurator out. Then he just used some starter fluid and he said he just pulled it a couple times and it fired right up. I like to think I helped haha but thank you all for your suggestions. Also the steering wasn't working but I realized that it was too heavy in the back so I found a cinder block and tied it to the front, it is soo unbelievably ugly but it was more of a temporary fix/ proof of working type thing. Hopefully I will find someone willing to help me build a new frame, just a simple one but hopefully with suspension because I rode it through a small field I front of our house and I got popped up out of my seat when I hit every bump! Hahaha

I am sure your carb clean helped a lot. They get pretty gummed up sitting with fuel in them