Budget Wooden go-kart (take 2)

[Mr_mcrib212]

Hello all, it is me the incredible Mr_mcrib212 creator of the wooden go-kart, Currently, the engine shoots flames out of the carb, the whole go-kart is painted black, looks awesome but is a complete and total piece of crap. And I thought this would be a simple project. I was so wrong

 

[RobertD]

Shocking. Post pics.

 

[landuse]

If you don't post pics and give us more detail, this thread is going to be locked down just like your other one, and you will possibly be banned.

Enough of the trolling!!

 

[Mr_mcrib212]

heres some pics

 

[Karts of Kaos]

hmm, I think your timing might be off.

 

[Mr_mcrib212]

I don't think so, the dot on the cam lined up to the line on the crank gear

 

[Karts of Kaos]

ok. we went through all the valves, key, and stuff like that, right?

 

[Mr_mcrib212]

I should probably check the valves again or just get it to a propper mechanic because honestly I have no idea what I'm doing.

 

[Mr_mcrib212]

Okay, so, I have my cousin's phone number who is a mechanic who is willing to help me with the engine. Also part of the problem was the gasket is crap, causing oil to cover the entire cardboard mat I set out to get completely drenched in oil (and that was my last one.) I have spark, the carb is pumping gas into the combustion chamber, and the only other thing I can think it would be was old gas. That still doesn't explain why flames were shooting out of the carb (even after I got the timing right) I marked it with a sharpie so I would be able to see the marks better and the dot on the cam lines up with the dot on the crank so I don't think that it is the timing. The only other possible problem would be that the valves were incorrectly tightened. I just wanna ride this thing already so I think I'll buy a cheap Briggs just for the test run.

 

[Bansil]

Okay....the 1st question was answered...you didn't crash and burn or get pizza elbow or broken bits,Or die.
So,

...would you like to play a game?...

Or apparently died of dysentery


So what is next move?

 

[Mr_mcrib212]

The funniest thing happened to me the other day, I was draining the oil from the engine and when it was done and I picked up the pan to move it when a bag full of present bags fell and knocked all of the oil out of my hands and completely drenched my pants. Truly a lmao moment. Anyways, once I find the feeler gauges I'll readjust the valves, get new oil and gas. Whenever I try and start it, it smells very strongly of gas and I have a stage 1 style carb I'm gonna install on it. I'll get you guys some pics of it as soon as I can.

 

[pearl111]

WOW I hope this works and the motor starts. What every you do keep your face and all other body parts away from the carb. and tail pipe. Do you have safety glasses? Be sure to put them on, then your should be safe to pull the cord. Good luck.

Pics. Please.

 

[Karttekk]

That engine has a compression release mechanism on the camshaft. Pop the valve cover off and remove the spark plug so you're not fighting compression. Turn the crankshaft or pull the rope slowly while watching the valves open & close. You'll see one valve open then close then the other valve will open & close then you'll see the exhaust valve just barely open then close, that is the compression release device opening the exhaust valve enough to allow easier cranking until the engine fires. Centrifugal force will "pull" the compression release back once the engine starts to keep it away from the exhaust valve. Put a screwdriver or something with a long stem on it in the spark plug hole and turn the engine over manually until the piston pushes the screwdriver up until it's at the very top of the cylinder while watching to make sure both valves are closed. This is what's known as Top Dead Center. Loosen both rocker arm jam nuts then loosen both rocker adjusting nuts until both rocker arms wiggle around and are loose. Grab your feeler gauge and find one blade with .004 on it. Slide it under one rocker arm where it touches the valve and turn the adjusting nut until there is slight drag on the blade. Tighten the jam nut. Repeat with the other valve. Manually turn the engine over a couple of times then check your clearances again. If both valves drag the feeler gauge properly put the valve cover back on, put the spark plug back in & see if the engine will fire and run normally. Unless you have a bent valve, a worn cam or an extreme lean condition, the engine SHOULD run normally. Report back with results.

 

[Mr_mcrib212]

Thanks, I'll see if I can get working on it today, if i do, i'll make sure to post pics or hopefully a video of it running.

 

[Mr_mcrib212]

Sorry I haven't updated you guys on what's happening, For the past 10 months, i've been trying to get this engine running with no success and every time I worked on it, I felt like I was only making the problem worse, so I stopped working on it and decided to take it to a mechanic or someone who actually knew what they were doing. That never happend. So, it's sat in the garage collecting dust. I want to get this thing running and driving before the end of the year now that I have more time to work on it and keep you guys updated on how it's going.

 

[pearl111]

So tell us.... what does the motor do when you pull the cord?
Maybe someone can help you if you tell us in detail.

 

[Karttekk]

Is the Predator in the pictures the engine you're having trouble with? Was it brand new out of the box? If it was, the engine should have run fine without doing anything to it other than putting oil in it, adding fuel and loosening the throttle lever nut enough so the lever can be manually moved. They usually start up after one or two pulls after the fuel valve on the carb is opened and the choke is closed for a cold start. Did you try and run the engine "right out of the box?" Need more details, something isn't adding up here Mr_mcrib212.

 

[Karttekk]

Questions:

Did you buy it new?
Did you try it as soon as you bought it?
If so, did it run okay?
If not, why didn't you return it?
If it did run but you wanted to "hop it up", what did you do to it?
Telling someone here what you did or didn't do could make this go away.

 

[madprofessor]

After this long a time, what's called for is action, not trying to figure stuff out. You need to drain every bit of that old gummy fuel out of the tank, fuel lines, and float bowl, start over with some brand new 87 octane unleaded regular gas. Not the stuff in your gas can for the lawnmower, brand new gas, and if it goes into a brand new can that would really be extra great. Try a few pulls with the choke on, and with it off if that doesn't work. Once there's fresh gas in the carb, you can tell us what it's doing and not doing so we can help. Hopefully. Good luck.

 

[Karttekk]

There isn't a whole lot to these engines. If you're having this much trouble with a basic lawn mower engine, I'd give up and use it as a boat anchor. I think we're only getting a half story here. You're wasting people's time.