Briggs "Fun Power" 5hp?

[BellyUpFish]

Hey guys-

Kinda new to the whole go-kart scene, but just started getting into it for my kids.

My father-in-law rounded up a kart with a B&S "Fun Power" 5hp motor on it. It's fairly "well loved" and I'm planning on freshining it up a bit.

It starts usually on the 3rd pull or so and will run fine for about 3-4 minutes, then it will die under load. Start back up fine, idles fine (a little smokey, think it's burning a little oil.) and then will die.

Let it cool down, same thing. Starts fine, runs for a bit and we are back to the same old routine.

Are essentially all the B&G 5hp engines the same thing? I need to pull a part number, but I'd like to start with a gasket kit and I plan on cleaning the carb.

Any of you 5hp Briggs guru's dealt with this issue or similar issue?

 

[itsid]

sounds like it's not getting enough air (or too much fuel)
in short: running too rich.

check your spark plug, if it's black or even wet I'm correct
light tan is the ideal color for a spark plug after it ran for a while.

lighter than that (or even crusted) and your running too lean. (not enough fuel)
so before you buy anything, give the airfilter a good clean, and reset the high speed needle if you have one (depends on the carb).

But yes, you'll need the model number to determine what overhaul kit you'll need for the carb.
cleaning the carb is always a good idea if the engine doesn't run properly..

Sometimes the same model engine came with three different carb models over the years.
so find the number on the shroud (sometimes crankcase) and punch it into the B&S webpage to find it's manuals
(should start with 1362xx )

'sid

 

[BellyUpFish]

It's a 136212.

It's running pretty pig rich, plug proved the story there.

Ran the needle back in until lightly seated and then back out 1.5 turns and she won't even turn over, but I had been running it a bit and that's sorta in line with how it's acting.

 

[Joe-405]

The coil is getting hot. Check for spark when it dies. Then check carb.

 

[BellyUpFish]

The coil is getting hot. Check for spark when it dies. Then check carb.

Thought about that.

I had a car once that did the same thing with the coil, it was cracked and it'd get hot and that crack would grow and it'd stop working.

 

[BattleGroundCycles]

If it has an airfilter on it now, you can try removing it to see if it leans out some.

also, if it doesnt have enough oil in it, it might be getting too hot and sitcking itself. but hopefully it is just the coil.

 

[BellyUpFish]

Had some time today to mess with it..

Carb needs a rebuild me thinks.

Looks like someone went full bore "turn until it don't no more" on the needle.. I guess I should probably grab a new one?

 

[itsid]

oops.. yes a new one is called for...
it'll still do for a while (if you hit the very narrow sweet spot that's still left somewhere on that worn out tip).

But since you want to rebuild the carb anyways (who knows what other surprise it holds for you)
just clean it and wait for it to arrive with the fresh gasket kit

'sid

 

[Hellion]

...Looks like someone went full bore "turn until it don't no more" on the needle.. I guess I should probably grab a new one?

I bought my carburetor overhaul kit from fleabay but whilst looking around and doing my research, I found that in photos, some of the kits contained only one needle and it was brass. Just a different material, right? Wrong. I bought the kit that contained two; a silver and a brass one. The silver matches the type I had--the brass one was different.

I contacted the seller prior to and verified that the kit was exactly as pictured.

Just a heads-up/FYI.

 

[BellyUpFish]

I bought my carburetor overhaul kit from fleabay but whilst looking around and doing my research, I found that in photos, some of the kits contained only one needle and it was brass. Just a different material, right? Wrong. I bought the kit that contained two; a silver and a brass one. The silver matches the type I had--the brass one was different.

I contacted the seller prior to and verified that the kit was exactly as pictured.

Just a heads-up/FYI.

Thanks. I wound up with a kit from RepairStation.com I think it is. Should be here any day.

 

[Mr. Spindle]

Hey guys-

Kinda new to the whole go-kart scene, but just started getting into it for my kids.

My father-in-law rounded up a kart with a B&S "Fun Power" 5hp motor on it. It's fairly "well loved" and I'm planning on freshining it up a bit.

It starts usually on the 3rd pull or so and will run fine for about 3-4 minutes, then it will die under load. Start back up fine, idles fine (a little smokey, think it's burning a little oil.) and then will die.

Let it cool down, same thing. Starts fine, runs for a bit and we are back to the same old routine.

Are essentially all the B&G 5hp engines the same thing? I need to pull a part number, but I'd like to start with a gasket kit and I plan on cleaning the carb.

Any of you 5hp Briggs guru's dealt with this issue or similar issue?

I've only had issues with the carb and the pull cord.

 

[BellyUpFish]

I've only had issues with the carb and the pull cord.

Funny you should mention that.

I got the carb put back together last night and started trying to dial it in. Guess what broke?

 

[Hellion]

It starts usually on the 3rd pull or so and will run fine for about 3-4 minutes, then it will die under load. Start back up fine, idles fine (a little smokey, think it's burning a little oil.) and then will die...

...Let it cool down, same thing. Starts fine, runs for a bit and we are back to the same old routine...

Any of you 5hp Briggs guru's dealt with this issue or similar issue?

Your engine is well-loved as you say but it could be worn enough that it has enough compression to run without a load, but not enough to put power to the wheels. You also said it smokes a little. You should probably do a compression test and see if there is enough compression in the engine. Also, remove the head and check the head gasket and also look at the cylinder wall. If there is any scoring on the cylinder it is very likely that the engine will not build up enough compression to give you enough power to run the kart. The lack of power could also be due to burnt or worn valves.

Make certain that every "turning thing" from beyond the engine's PTO shaft spins freely and very easily. If there's any binding in the axle or if the wheel bearings are shot and seized, for example, it's possible that the engine cannot overcome this resistance and it stalls out.

 

[BellyUpFish]

Your engine is well-loved as you say but it could be worn enough that it has enough compression to run without a load, but not enough to put power to the wheels. You also said it smokes a little. You should probably do a compression test and see if there is enough compression in the engine. Also, remove the head and check the head gasket and also look at the cylinder wall. If there is any scoring on the cylinder it is very likely that the engine will not build up enough compression to give you enough power to run the kart. The lack of power could also be due to burnt or worn valves.

Make certain that every "turning thing" from beyond the engine's PTO shaft spins freely and very easily. If there's any binding in the axle or if the wheel bearings are shot and seized, for example, it's possible that the engine cannot overcome this resistance and it stalls out.

Well, I rebuilt the carb and she's running with plenty of power.. Drug the wife and I (I'm 230 alone) at a speed that had us cackling the entire way.

Then, the pull cord spring broke, so now I need to replace that.

I'm tempted to just throw a Predator 79cc on it for now. The Briggs 5hp is going to be too much for my 6 year olds.

 

[Hellion]

Excellent. Fuel starvation was my next guess--glad you got it sorted.