Manco Dingo 8 hp go-kart problems with acceleration

[SpeedDemon1990]

Hi, I recently got a 1993(I think) Manco Dingo go-kart with an 8 hp Briggs and Stratton engine on it. I had to get a new spark plug for it and a new carburetor kit for it(I had someone do this for me). Basically, the go-kart was running great for 3 days(except the kart would shut off after 2 min every time I rode and I'd have to re-fire it). Now, it has no acceleration. I start it up and it stuggles BIG TIME to get up to speed. It crawls when I press on the accelerator. It sounds really bad and I have no clue what is wrong with it. The belt and chain on the engine are fine, but it seems like the engine "grinds" along. I would greatly appreciate any help in diagnosing what could be going on with my go-cart. My biggest fear is the engine is getting ready to go up. Thanks for any help you all can provide

 

[OzFab]

I had to get a new spark plug for it and a new carburetor kit for it(I had someone do this for me).

Hey, this is DIY go karts, not GSETDIFY go karts :toetap05:

Basically, the go-kart was running great for 3 days(except the kart would shut off after 2 min every time I rode and I'd have to re-fire it). Now, it has no acceleration. I start it up and it stuggles BIG TIME to get up to speed. It crawls when I press on the accelerator. It sounds really bad and I have no clue what is wrong with it. The belt and chain on the engine are fine, but it seems like the engine "grinds" along. I would greatly appreciate any help in diagnosing what could be going on with my go-cart. My biggest fear is the engine is getting ready to go up. Thanks for any help you all can provide

Ok, a few basic questions:
1. Will it idle ok?
2. If yes, how does it sound when idling?
3. Is it blowing lots of smoke?
4. Please explain

"grinds" along

 

[SpeedDemon1990]

It does not sound good at all when idling. It doesn't have a consistent sound, in that, it doesn't maintain the same volume. It goes up and goes down(in regards to noise. Sorry if this is hard to interpret). Also, it smells pretty bad when I drive it now. At first, I wouldn't smell anything out of the ordinary and now it really stinks. Also, I observed when my buddy drove it that there was white smoke coming out of it. That did not seem normal at all, either. The smoke and smell seem to both happen after I drive it.

 

[OzFab]

Without any further info, my guess is your rings are shot which would explain everything (except maybe the noise):
- worn rings means loss of compression which means loss of power
- it also means that oil is getting past, into the combustion chamber & burning, causing the smoke

 

[SpeedDemon1990]

What kind of rings? How much would it cost to get them fixed? Also, the guy who fixed it said I might need yet another carburetor. So, you don't think I'll need a new carburetor or anything else? Just the rings?

 

[landuse]

What kind of rings? How much would it cost to get them fixed? Also, the guy who fixed it said I might need yet another carburetor. So, you don't think I'll need a new carburetor or anything else? Just the rings?

The rings which go around your piston

 

[OzFab]

What kind of rings?

Piston Rings (as stated by landuse)

Sorry, I assumed you had some knowledge of engines...

How much would it cost to get them fixed?

That depends if you do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you. Piston rings aren't expensive (around $30 IIRC but, don't quote me on that...)

So, you don't think I'll need a new carburetor or anything else? Just the rings?

No, I didn't say thet but, one problem at a time...

In all my years I've never known an engine to need a new carb unless it was physically damaged, a good, thorough clean & rebuild usually does the trick. They may seem overwhelming but, realistically, they're not that technical...

 

[SpeedDemon1990]

Thank you for the responses, everyone! Hopefully, I can get my cart fixed sooner rather than later. If you guys think of anything else that might be cause my engine to not work efficiently or what might cause it to turn off after 2 minutes, let me know.

 

[SpeedDemon1990]

@Fobroman I knew about pistons, just not much about their anatomy lol. But yeah, I am pretty inexperienced when it comes to engines. Heck, if I knew more, I could fix my go-cart myself. I just hope fixing those rings will work.

 

[OzFab]

You can fix it yourself with a bit of guidance... A year ago, landuse (one of our mods) had never opened an engine & he managed to rebuild a kick a$$ engine with only instruction from this forum...

 

[landuse]

You can fix it yourself with a bit of guidance... A year ago, landuse (one of our mods) had never opened an engine & he managed to rebuild a kick a$$ engine with only instruction from this forum...

And it is still running pretty well. You can always give my rebuild thread a read if you like

 

[OzFab]

And it is still running pretty well.

...But, what's it running on?

You can always give my rebuild thread a read if you like

Yeah, it's only 8 pages

 

[landuse]

...But, what's it running on?



Yeah, it's only 8 pages

It runs on petrol, and those 8 pages are packed with exiting reading and mindblowing information lol

 

[OzFab]

It runs on petrol

:toetap05: Really?

Let me rephrase, What's it mounted on?

and those 8 pages are packed with exiting reading and mindblowing information lol

Oh I know, I provided about half of it

 

[BigThieme]

What I would do is just get a new engine. You don't know what's wrong so you spend money on parts that work fine is just wasting your money.I would get a new one that runs new, looks mew, and starts new. Problem solved

 

[OzFab]

... & do what with the old engine, add it to a junk heap?

We try to discourage this line of thought; how do kids learn to fix things by throwing them away & buying a new one?

An example: My stepson, who I tried to involve while working on cars, bikes, etc will break something & say :it broke, I need a new one. My daughter, on the other hand, who helped me build her go kart will say "it broke, can you fix it?"

Besides, it's a B&S! It doesn't matter how much you put into it, at the end of the day, after a rebuild, it will outlast 3 predators...

Food for thought...

 

[itsid]

... & do what with the old engine, add it to a junk heap?

We try to discourage this line of thought; how do kids learn to fix things by throwing them away & buying a new one?

An example: My stepson, who I tried to involve while working on cars, bikes, etc will break something & say :it broke, I need a new one. My daughter, on the other hand, who helped me build her go kart will say "it broke, can you fix it?"

Food for thought...

Please allow me to virtually hug you!

'sid

 

[SpeedDemon1990]

Problems with acceleration and possibly gear.

I have posted about the problems with my Manco Dingo 8 hp go-kart earlier and I decided to drive it again today to try to diagnose what is going on. Basically, I hit the accelerator and it revs up and stays at a high rpm range and it sllllooooowwlly starts to get up to speed(kart shakes like crazy when I do that, too). Could this be a gear problem with it not catching when I press down on the accelerator? Also, the top speed has basically been cut in half. It's not as fast as it used to be. I had someone tell me it could be a problem with piston rings. Please help. Thanks.

 

[rocketkart]

if your angine is smoking thin its probably the rings are you runing with a T/C or a clutch?

 

[philip metzner]

If the engine rev's up and stays there then ring dont make sence. Does it have a torque converter or centrifugal clutch? Does the kart roll freely? Sounds like a worn out clutch.