The Noose
New member
Hi everyone,
First off, I'm new and I'm probably going to ask dumb questions so forgive me in advance. I just recently bought my 8 year old a gokart and I desperately need some advice from people who actually know something. Any advice you guys can offer would be GREATLY appreciated.
So, this last weekend I bought a used Trailmaster 110 xrx (will post a pic as soon as I can find one.) for my 8 year old son. It's a year old. I got it for $350. Ran perfectly. Its a 3 speed plus reverse, electric start. My plan was to teach my son how to shift it, which I think he would have been able to handle easily.
Brought it home, my 8 year old was so happy he literally started crying. It was a special moment for me as a dad. I knew he wanted a go kart, but didn't know how much.
Anyway, I took him around the block a couple of times. No problems at all. My wife decided she wanted to take it for a lap. I explained to her that she would need to shift. She said she understood. Then she took off in first and floored it AND NEVER BOTHERED SHIFTING OUT OF FIRST. She went all the way around the block. The go kart died right when she pulled in to the driveway.
I'm about 80 percent sure she messed up the motor. I couldn't get it to start again. I replaced the spark plug, verified that I'm getting spark, gas seems to be getting to the carburetor. The compression seems really, really weak. I'm no mechanic, but if Im not feeling too optimistic.
Luckily, I have a brother that owns a hotrod shop that is willing to help me.
This is where I need some advice:
It appears the motor in this thing is a Chinese 110cc knock off. I think I can get parts for it from a place that sells these go karts not far from where I live (OKC).
My question is, should I try to fix the stock chinese 110cc motor, or would I be better off just replacing it with a brand new 212cc predator from harbor freight? Im thinking the HF motor would be simpler, plus it would be a 100 percent, guaranteed to work solution.
Of course, I would rather keep the electric start, the reverse capability, etc. I just don't know if it is worth fixing. If the motor is just a cheaply made piece of junk, I don't want to invest time and effort and most importantly a bunch of money into an inferior motor.
My brother has all the tools we need in his shop. He builds hotrods for a living, so I know for sure we will be able to make necessary modifications to the frame to install the predator motor if we go that route.
Then again, If the stock motor is realistically fixable for a reasonable price, and it isn't just complete junk, I'd love to get it running the way it was before my dufus wife got ahold of it.
What should I do? Cut my losses and just put a harbor freight motor on it and be done? Or should I see if I can get the stock engine rebuilt (if it's actually damaged)?
First off, I'm new and I'm probably going to ask dumb questions so forgive me in advance. I just recently bought my 8 year old a gokart and I desperately need some advice from people who actually know something. Any advice you guys can offer would be GREATLY appreciated.
So, this last weekend I bought a used Trailmaster 110 xrx (will post a pic as soon as I can find one.) for my 8 year old son. It's a year old. I got it for $350. Ran perfectly. Its a 3 speed plus reverse, electric start. My plan was to teach my son how to shift it, which I think he would have been able to handle easily.
Brought it home, my 8 year old was so happy he literally started crying. It was a special moment for me as a dad. I knew he wanted a go kart, but didn't know how much.
Anyway, I took him around the block a couple of times. No problems at all. My wife decided she wanted to take it for a lap. I explained to her that she would need to shift. She said she understood. Then she took off in first and floored it AND NEVER BOTHERED SHIFTING OUT OF FIRST. She went all the way around the block. The go kart died right when she pulled in to the driveway.
I'm about 80 percent sure she messed up the motor. I couldn't get it to start again. I replaced the spark plug, verified that I'm getting spark, gas seems to be getting to the carburetor. The compression seems really, really weak. I'm no mechanic, but if Im not feeling too optimistic.
Luckily, I have a brother that owns a hotrod shop that is willing to help me.
This is where I need some advice:
It appears the motor in this thing is a Chinese 110cc knock off. I think I can get parts for it from a place that sells these go karts not far from where I live (OKC).
My question is, should I try to fix the stock chinese 110cc motor, or would I be better off just replacing it with a brand new 212cc predator from harbor freight? Im thinking the HF motor would be simpler, plus it would be a 100 percent, guaranteed to work solution.
Of course, I would rather keep the electric start, the reverse capability, etc. I just don't know if it is worth fixing. If the motor is just a cheaply made piece of junk, I don't want to invest time and effort and most importantly a bunch of money into an inferior motor.
My brother has all the tools we need in his shop. He builds hotrods for a living, so I know for sure we will be able to make necessary modifications to the frame to install the predator motor if we go that route.
Then again, If the stock motor is realistically fixable for a reasonable price, and it isn't just complete junk, I'd love to get it running the way it was before my dufus wife got ahold of it.
What should I do? Cut my losses and just put a harbor freight motor on it and be done? Or should I see if I can get the stock engine rebuilt (if it's actually damaged)?
. Fortunately for you, there are a lot of cheap spares around for these engines. You can even buy one pretty cheap new.
