Kart ignition issues

[JTO]

Hi all , new to site, lots of great info.
I've got a Twister kart that starts right up but dies as soon as the ignition switch goes from start back to run. Replaced ignition switch, no difference. I'm wondering if once kart starts ignition power is supposed to come from magneto, andd that's not working? Or?
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Master Hack]

Not everyone knows what a twister kart is, so more info would be helpful.
Pics are wortha thousand werds...

 

[JTO]

Enclosed are some pics, hopefully this helps. This was a barn find, so I have very little actual info on the kart

 

[Edwin Spangler]

Really hard to find anyone who can help with these engines. Theyre pretty horrible. Even if you figure out your current ignition problem, another problem will soon follow. Not that I have any personal experience with them but I have read enough about them.

Your best bet is get rid of all that GY6 nonsense and put a predator in.

Good luck either way.

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

Thats not a gy6 Edwin. It's a lifan 125 most likely. And changing to a predator is not easy. The engine mount will need to be fabricated. New drive train, cvt, axles and sprockets, brake rotor will have to be changed.

And JTO, welcome to the world of China karts. The wiring on those is abysmal. The connectors are crap. Check them for a wire pulled out from the back of the connector.

My first guess by the looks of it. Is you need to clean the carb fully. It probably looks like the rest of the kart does on the inside.

On the plus side you can buy a new wiring harness and all the magic boxes for around $100. But don't go throwing money at it. Find the problem.

 

[JTO]

Thanks all for your replies. It is great to be able to connect with some folks who are knowledgeable with these karts. as I mentioned, this was basically a barn find and I’m just trying to get it running for my grandson. If for $100 I can replace all of the wiring and save myself hours of trying to troubleshoot that is probably my best route. I did put a brand new carburetor on when I started this project, cleaned out the tank, etc. fuel is not the issue, it is some type of ignition problem. When it used to be the old points and condensers, I knew how to troubleshoot that fairly easily, but with this CDI ignition where everything goes into and out of the box without knowing exactly what’s going on in there, it’s kind of hard to walk my way through the sequence. I did buy a replacement CDI unit, actually it came as a two pack, I got no ignition at all with either of these new units. Does anyone know, is it possible that when the key is released from start to run the magneto powers the ignition system, not the battery as when it is in the start position? If that is the case, it would lead me to believe the magneto is not working

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

Find the 2 or 3 wires coming from the stator. Should be yellow. There should be AC voltage on those when spinning. They run to the voltage regulator. The box with the heat sink fins.

Schematics are almost a joke. You won't find one for your kart specific but it should lead you in a general direction.

Chinariders.net has been a good source of info for me.

 

[JTO]

One more comment, I meant to mention that if I hold the key in the start position, the kart does run. Obviously, I only do this for a second or two, but when I release the key back to run the cart dies. I don’t know if that clarifies or possibly give someone another idea.

 

[Edwin Spangler]

Thats not a gy6 Edwin. It's a lifan 125 most likely. And changing to a predator is not easy. The engine mount will need to be fabricated. New drive train, cvt, axles and sprockets, brake rotor will have to be changed.

And JTO, welcome to the world of China karts. The wiring on those is abysmal. The connectors are crap. Check them for a wire pulled out from the back of the connector.

My first guess by the looks of it. Is you need to clean the carb fully. It probably looks like the rest of the kart does on the inside.

On the plus side you can buy a new wiring harness and all the magic boxes for around $100. But don't go throwing money at it. Find the problem.

Ah good to know there is Lifan nonsense also. (talking about the mess of wires and unknown accompanying corrosion within connectors.)

Sorry, I get way ahead of myself with what I recommend. Still if it were me, I would tear it all out, fab what I need to, put in a 212, and make peace with the departed funds LONG before I got electrical figured out enough to offset the worry of "whats next"?

I HATE having to tell the kids their toys 'need to be fixed'. Thats my motivator when funds come into question.

 

[Master Hack]

Regarding electrical refer to Holmes Law: Simpler is mo bedder. A concept they are not familiar with in dem fern countries. Some time it is better to start over than deal with poor wiring that has been "repaired", patched, and modded by by some clown with no clue. Its rarely a easy fix. I'm dealing with one myself, but mine is a better quality. l feel your pain!
Does this thing have some sort of starter relay?

 

[Hellion]

What is the kart's model number or name?

You won't like this but it sounds like you're going to have to go through the entire wiring harness and verify every connection because it sounds purely like an electrical problem. An electrical problem caused by crossed wires or possibly rodent or environmental damage seems likely.

It'll be fun. Get out your voltmeter and a test light and get cracking.

 

[JTO]

What is the kart's model number or name?

You won't like this but it sounds like you're going to have to go through the entire wiring harness and verify every connection because it sounds purely like an electrical problem. An electrical problem caused by crossed wires or possibly rodent or environmental damage seems likely.

It'll be fun. Get out your voltmeter and a test light and get cracking.

Thanks for those thoughts. Earlier it was suggested that I just replaced the whole wiring system on the cart as opposed to trying to track down the problem. I am seeing them on Amazon in the $40 range, complete. If I can figure out the correct harness I think that’s probably the way I’m going to go Save myself much time and aggravation.

Thank you for your response.

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

Watch what you buy. Those 40 dollar ones are for kiddy quads. The wires will be short or a kart.

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

You an always relocate the boxes and extend the wires you need though.

 

[JTO]

Thanks all, my thought is to totally strip all the existing out and lay it on the table the way they display it in the ad, hope to match it exactly

 

[Karttekk]

I think it is a GY6 engine.

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At least with the old Mopar car engines, the ballast resistor would cause this problem. Try replacing the coil first, it's the cheapest guess. If that doesn't fix it replace the CDI. (The spark module.) Make sure it's a DC CDI.

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