Newbie here. Rebuilding carter gx150IIr

[67StingrayJ]

Thanks for the link. It looks like you and I are working on identical buggies. This Petcock was a direct bolt on?

The first thing was considering tackling was the steering, then the reverse. The steering is very stiff. Is that typical do you know? Anyone know? The dust boots on mine are all dry rotted to heck so I'm sure some of the stiffness is due to a backlog of dirt. Have you seen any new dust overs for sale anywhere?

My buggy runs and it's a lot of fun, just a bit weak on power. But the suspension amazingly absorbs quite a few of the lumps and bumps of buggy riding. If you need any help with the wiring or anything like that I can try and help. Like I said, mine is running nice.

 

[Sandmanbjj]

Awesome. My steering is a little stiff as well. But i need to lube the joints. The dust boots are also dry rotted or missing.
The petcock was as simple as unscrew the old and screw in the new.
If you pull the seat forward and look at the metal plate behind the seat, there should be a serial number. That will tell you the year, and type of carter.

 

[Sandmanbjj]

Here is a pic of the petcock and the metal plate behind the seat

 

[Sandmanbjj]

If you are able to, could you post a pic of the electrical panel above the engine? I think i have things done right but it would help to see

 

[Sandmanbjj]

Where did you go? Hahah.

 

[67StingrayJ]

Sorry, I just saw this now. I'll take a pic for you in the morning.

In the event anyone is interested in the steering rack assembly, here are some pictures.

 

[67StingrayJ]

ok, I took the cover off the electrical panel on the back of the buggy. let me know if they are any good or not. Just let me know if you need specifics or anything.

 

[Sandmanbjj]

Thats awesome. Exactly what i needed. I appreciate it.

 

[Awdornowheels]

I have a maxxam acer 150 it looks just like that carter 100 percent . I have to say I've had a not so good time dealing with buggy depo . I order a verified 11 polo stator upgraded and the plug was diffrent from my harness . Then took them a couple of weeks to sent me an adaptor plug which then got lost in the mail. Then I message them every other week for 2 months trying to get them to ship me another plug and I was willing to pay for it . Cash it was like 7 bucks they then ignored me till finally I messaged them stateing I would let everyone know how my customer service was. And that I would report them to the better business bureau . I will never buy from them again

 

[67StingrayJ]

I have a maxxam acer 150 it looks just like that carter 100 percent . I have to say I've had a not so good time dealing with buggy depo . I order a verified 11 polo stator upgraded and the plug was diffrent from my harness . Then took them a couple of weeks to sent me an adaptor plug which then got lost in the mail. Then I message them every other week for 2 months trying to get them to ship me another plug and I was willing to pay for it . Cash it was like 7 bucks they then ignored me till finally I messaged them stateing I would let everyone know how my customer service was. And that I would report them to the better business bureau . I will never buy from them again

That sucks man. I hear you on the customer service not being worth anything from these Chinese go kart companies. I think if you're going to get one of these you really need to know how to work on these things. And lear to be creative.

I'm already getting ready to swap out the motor for something that has parts readily available, and is more reliable. Not to say that mine isn't working or running, it's just lacking on power. I drive in the southwest, primarily sand and this thing really needs some extra "umph" to get it going. If anyone has ever put another motor in theirs let me know. I have way to many ideas to list here so I just want to see what was successful in the past for others. How do I get more POWER!?

 

[Sandmanbjj]

Mine is for my 7 and 9 year old girls mostly. So i will play with the motor when they are done with it. I just put a brand new stock motor in. I do want to ramp it up at some point and put more power, but for now my girls dont have enough fear to have more power available haha.
As for buggy depot, i only order from them because they have some specific parts i needed. If there is another source of parts please let me know. I can not stand that customer service is dead these days.

 

[Sandmanbjj]

So i got everything hooked up. New battery charged. And qhen i turn the key, nothing. No lights on, nothing. Is there some way to bypass everything and crank the motor?
Best way to go about trohble shootinf everything?
•MERGED•
Update. I tightened up a few things. Changed the glass fuse, connected my brake switch, tightened down my ground and the lights came on and it cranked. I didnt have gas in the tank so clearly it didnt start. But that makes me hapy.

 

[itsid]

Glad you got that sorted out..

Sorry for merging your last two posts, that was a misreading on my behalf,
got the wednesday post as todays post (maybe because it appeared to be a new entry for me) and thought they fit in one..

I'll ask Robert if he can undo that (but I doubt it tbh)

Sorry...

But yeah.. fuel up, see if it moves

'sid

 

[Sandmanbjj]

So i added gas. It cranked. But wouldnt start. I shot starter fluid into the intake. Got one small stumble. I tried so long i melted the positive terminal on the starter solenoid. That seem right? I will post a pic of what i have wired and see if i did something wrong

 

[itsid]

You melted the terminal.. that's Odd

I mean sure it can get hot when you don't allow it to cool back down..
but usually it's not going to melt before the battery is completely dead anyways ... soooo yeah.

Hm, bad connection is the only thing I can think of that could cause that.
now - it being toasted anyways - make sure you clean it up and make sure the battery cable is in good condition and you have the best possible connection
crank 10 wait 50 should keep the terminal from melting next time

Now to the starting issues..

it appears you have very weak connections at all places considering the last posts..
Sooo
clean every single chassis ground (remove all paint!)
check all wiring for cracks (internally broken wire and insufficient insulation)
clean all terminals and their respective connectors (pins, rings what have you)
and make sure all connections are rock solid.
Tedious, I know.. but it has to be done I'm afraid in order to be sure.

Of course that's a good time to also check your wiring logically as well
(is everything connected how and to what it ought to be)

The engine was new IIRC.. but if your spark plug isn't fouled already, and
you get a solid bright spark when cranking the engine (remove the spark plug and rest it against the cylinder head holding it by the boot to check)
the only reasonable thing would be the carburetor...

So check check if you have fuel In the carb.. if so
it needs to be cleaned I'm afraid.

'sid

 

[Sandmanbjj]

Here are some pics. Time to start running each wire. Lol. Woo hoo

 

[Sandmanbjj]

After running down a bunch of wores i broke down and bought a new wire harness. I was finding pretty much everywire was dry rotted and cracked or down right broken. So this will save me the headache.

 

[itsid]

sometimes it's the best thing to do..
I hope it'll solve all remaining (at elast electrical) issues.

It's a pain to spend big bucks on a wiring harness just to find out some cheap relais was broken.
But as you describe it.. it's a good idea to get a new one anyways.

keep us posted!

'sid

 

[67StingrayJ]

After running down a bunch of wores i broke down and bought a new wire harness. I was finding pretty much everywire was dry rotted and cracked or down right broken. So this will save me the headache.

Wiring is the least appealing of the entire process. My kids have the smaller 125 version of this buggy and the starter solenoid went out. Troubleshooting it was the hardest part. Thankfully Santa and the elves gave me a warranty and shipped a new solenoid for free. But wouldn't you know the dang thing didn't work either, at first. Turns out the plug was the weak link. So I cut both ends of the plug off and solders them both together. The thing starts right up now.

So Sandman, are you thinking of doing any modifications to your ride at all? I can't stop dreaming of things I want to do to mine. I been watching this video nightly. My first degree was Design Drafting so I'm working on some 3D drawings now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN-VGv2tvQc&t=43s

 

[Sandmanbjj]

I always want to make things go fast and better. I built my mustang from the ground up just to make it as fast as i could afford. Loved doing it and learning every inch of that car. I plan to mess with this cart now. But first i want to get it up and running stock so i can have an idea of where im starting. I will say i have rebuilt or replaced 90% of this cart. So im learning the basics. I am going to check out that video in the morning and probably have a whole new set of ideas and projects hahaha