just got my first kart!

[thechief86]

ok, so i ended up exchanging the drive sprocket for a 10 tooth, because the one i had to begin with was for a smaller chain than what i have. i have everything on there and set up, except for the throttle cable. i decided to take a brake for a minute, and warm up for a minute. anybody have suggestions for breaking in a newly rebuilt raptor 3?
the thing looks pretty sick with the 16" tires on the back, and the shiny muffler and whatnot. i don't think this thing will have any trouble haulin my fat arse around

 

[thechief86]

 

[thechief86]

i'm guessing this thing has some great compression, because on the compression stroke, that rope is hard as heck to pull...

 

[BriggsTwins]

maybe, just on the safe side pull the plug and yank it to clear any oil that may have worked its way into the cylinder

 

[thechief86]

it didn't have any oil in it when i got it, and i just now put oil in it for the first time...
but now my throttle cable is an inch to feckin short!!! holy balls, i'm tired of messin with it already!

 

[BriggsTwins]

hehehe ok, does it run?

 

[thechief86]

kinda... i once i put gas in it, it started and ran great on the first pull! woot! i let it run for about 3 minutes, and turned it off, so i could torque down the lug nuts on the wheels, and now it won't start
i don't know much about these bad boys, so any input is greatly appreciated!

 

[thechief86]

i think it's flooded? there is gas in the carb, and it looks wet. also, it doesn't even act like it wants to start now. please help!!!!

 

[jeremybentham]

Cable placement is not the best, but I've NEVER had an issue with throttle sticking or anything like that. Be mindful of the cable angle throughout its stroke so it doesn't bind under throttle. Make sure to adjust so you're not at full throttle yanking on the carby itself. eg; make sure you can't push the pedal PAST true full throttle on the carb.

Looks good!!

 

[BriggsTwins]

looks nice, sorry to hear about your issue with the engine, probably just flooded. check your plug and see if it is wet, that should tell you

 

[thechief86]

yeah, plug was wet, so i put another in, but still nothing. i'll get it goin eventually....

 

[thechief86]

ok, so i got the kart running, and it's LOUD!! it sounds awesome, and take-off is phenomenal! but, it kinda still acts like it has a governor, even though i know it doesn't. at wide open throttle, it kinda bogs, and sputters just like with a governor. this is a newly rebuilt engine. will it get better as it breaks in?

 

[BriggsTwins]

this sounds like an adjustment problem!!! open the needle for fuel a half turn, and tune it in. if the engine is running higher comp it will tend to suck a tad more fuel. be sure for the first 5 hours of run time you allow the engine to idle up to warm before goosing it

 

[thechief86]

well, i just got through riding all around my neighborhood! it seems like the bogging down is more like a dead spot in my rpm range. if i hold the pedal, it will get past that and go faster. like you said, it's prolly an adjustment thing.
the kart is fast, though! it'll go fast enough that i can't hold my eyes open anymore, so unless i get some goggles, that's plenty for me!
before i even got on the kart, i let the engine run for a good 30 minutes or so, so i'm sure it was plenty warm, but by the time i got home i couldn't feel hands, feet, or face, so i decided to give it a rest.
this little metal rod on the carb broke.... it's the same size as a paperclip, so i'm gonna find a paperclip and make a new one. when it broke, the kart had cruise control on the ride home.

 

[newrider3]

For break in, you should run a non synthetic oil, and let the engine warm up for a few minutes. Then get in it and run it nice and smooth for a bit, then give 'er hell. By beating on the engine occasionally when breaking it in you give the rings a chance to seat better than taking it easy. Change the oil and repeat again, then dump out the conventional oil and run a nice synthetic.

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

 

[thechief86]

that's kinda what i'm doing. i rode it around easy for a bit, then opened her on up
as for the oil changes, what intervals do i need to do these at? what weight synthetic should i use? i couldn't find sae 30 in full syn, and that's what the guy who built the engine told me to use.

 

[BriggsTwins]

cant beat cruise control! nice but scary feature only available on home built karts

 

[newrider3]

that's kinda what i'm doing. i rode it around easy for a bit, then opened her on up
as for the oil changes, what intervals do i need to do these at? what weight synthetic should i use? i couldn't find sae 30 in full syn, and that's what the guy who built the engine told me to use.

For early break in, after everytime you warm it up and hammer down, only a couple times though. After that, though, it's hard to say. Racers change their oil after every race and sometimes even before the main heat, but you shouldn't be abusing your engine as much.

 

[thechief86]

so yeah.... i have the engine running pretty good, and it starts relatively easy, even when cold now, but i don't have the same parts on my carb as 'JEREMYBENTHAM', so i'm still having a bit of trouble getting the throttle cable to work just right. i finally got my throttle return spring to work, but currently there is no pedal-to-carb action going on.
when i had it set up similar to ^his, it bent the little arm doohickey that the actual carb butterfly pivot is attached to (same piece of metal that the return spring is on, just the top part), so when i let off, throttle didn't go back to idle.
so now the plan is to come up with something that will allow me have the cable pull down at the same point that the return spring is attached pulling up, or off to the right side pulling the butterfly pivot open that way, with the return spring where it is... gonna hafta buy some metal to make brackets with. suggestions? (refer to pics above to get an idea of my setup.)

 

[BriggsTwins]

some 16th plate would so ya some good