using a car starter as an engine.

[GuySapire]

Hi.
I'm currently designing my first kart, which i'll start building (hopefully) in a number of weeks.

The main thing I want from this kart is to be cheap, but easy to upgrade with overkilling engine and such. (for the future )

So here are some questions:
1. if i'll use a car starter as an engine, will it be hard to mod it to a gas engine in the future?

2. comparing electric and gas engines in the same price range, which will perform better?
(the car starter i'm currently thinking of buying costs a bit more than 70$...)

3. Should I get the cheapest car starter I can find?
Is the difference between a cheap starter and a kinda pricey one big?

 

[r_chez_08]

Hey and welcome
For $75 you can find a hf 6.5hp gas engine as they are discontinuing them.
Starter motors are ok but must not be overvolted and ran for extended periods of time. Think of what they are designed for: hard cranking for a few seconds in every minute max.
Rob

 

[devino246]

Car starters will need modification. They get HOT after about 30sec of cranking. Gas would be the best choice, IMO.

 

[GuySapire]

Won't a gas engine cost more in total with all the things he needs and an electric engine doesn't?

and I live in a country with crazy taxes, so i'll need to pay something like 30%-50% more if i'll import a gas engine.

 

[baer]

I wouldn't go for s starter motor for the reasons stated above plus it need mechanical modification for the sprocket.
You can try to find a starter motor that does not work for free (sometimes they are easy to fix) and even if you don't fix it you can disassemble it to see how can it fit with your kart and the needed electric modifications.
Where are you from?

 

[Bluethunder3320]

most likely it will burn up if ran for over 2 minutes straight.......

where are you from? is there a nearby dump that you can get a old engine to fix up?

this is the harbor freight engine. also they have a 11 and 13hp if you want overkill in a small kart.....

WOW just looked they arent available online anymore. they have the new ones already...... http://www.harborfreight.com/predat...d-for-all-states-except-california-68120.html

this is what the old ones looked like.

tractor supply sells a speedco clone. http://www.tractorsupply.com/speeco-196cc-6-5-hp-gasoline-engine-1026588

 

[r_chez_08]

Instead the greyhound motors are all on ebay...

 

[GuySapire]

I live in Israel.

I'm pretty sure I can find a engine in a dump or a similar place.
But my problem is that I have no idea how to check if its working fine or if its suits my needs.

 

[fowler]

the most important thing u need to check is the compression
the rest are usually easy fix

but if u can then ckeck for a spark
then put fuel in it and try to crank it up

u need somthing of about 5 hp or upwards

a motorbike or scooter engine will work as well

 

[landuse]

Have a look at this link. It will give you some idea as to what is involved in modifying starter motors

http://www.diygokarts.com/engine/car-starter-motor-conversion.html

You can also do a search on this forum for starter motors. Yu should get some more info

 

[anderkart]

Hi.
I'm currently designing my first kart, which i'll start building (hopefully) in a number of weeks.

The main thing I want from this kart is to be cheap, but easy to upgrade with overkilling engine and such. (for the future )

So here are some questions:
1. if i'll use a car starter as an engine, will it be hard to mod it to a gas engine in the future?

2. comparing electric and gas engines in the same price range, which will perform better?
(the car starter i'm currently thinking of buying costs a bit more than 70$...)

3. Should I get the cheapest car starter I can find?
Is the difference between a cheap starter and a kinda pricey one big?

1 - Not too hard, you'd just mostly need to change the motor mount and throttle hook up.

2 - The car starter would have more low-end torque than most any industrial engine. But a gas engine would last much longer and offer longer rides w/o having to let the starter motor cool down and/or recharge your battery.

3 - I assume your pricing rebuilt starters from an auto parts store, right?
If so, rebuilt starter prices vary from different places but are typically around 1/4 to 1/2 of the price of a brand new one. Bigger more powerful starters cost more to manufacture so they cost more.

If you want a bargain on a starter go to a junk yard or find someone parting out any 1980's/1990's Toyota car or truck model.

The gear reduction starters Toyota used from this era are the most suitable and are most widely used on electric bar stool racers because:

A- They are a very well designed starters that typically only need the solenoids brass-contacts filed down when they finally begin to malfunction. (and that's usually after 150,000+ miles)

B - The Armature spins in Ball-bearings (not brass-bushings) and the Bendix/drive gear is mounted outside the front housing making it very easy to mod/weld a gear onto it, that would fit a chain running to your karts axle sprocket.

You should try to find an older Toyota 22re engine starter like this pic below:
(an automotive wrecking yard in the USA would probably sell a functioning one of these priced between $10 and $50)

You can google-search 'electric Barstool racer' to find lots of info to help you use a Toyota gear reduction starter on your go kart. But here's a video to get ya started researching:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYF9AvlkbbM&playnext=1&list=PL541DD68B62BB1069

 

[GuySapire]

I'm pretty concerned about using the starter too much and overheating it.
Will there be a risk if I'll use the starter for something like an hour or two?
because as someone said, it is supposed to be used for less than a minute per use.

 

[anderkart]

That's right, you cant ride-em very long without letting the starter cool down.
If your trying to choose here, I recommend going with gas powered engines.

 

[GuySapire]

well... so a gas powered engine it'll be.

how much HP do you think I need?
I'm aiming for high speed. but my budget is obviously a problem.
for something like 100$, what are the recommendations?
And if i'll go to look for an engine in some sort of a dump, what should I look for in the engine?
How can I know if one engine isn't good for me?

 

[karl]

If you want a good engine go on craigslist and look for a 5hp briggs L-head. They are cheap and easy to mod- get parts for. This thread can help with the performance mods.
http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1583

You can get 5hp briggs for haft or less of the price of honda clones and they will last twice as long, even after years of use they will still last longer than a brand new honda clone. The only thing you might need to do with the 5hp is get a pair of piston rings, they are cheap and easy to install.

 

[GuySapire]

I will need to pay approximately 50% more for importing an engine.
do you think it will still worth the price?

 

[karl]

I will need to pay approximately 50% more for importing an engine.
do you think it will still worth the price?

Find a used motor for sale local or in dump-scrap yard. That is your best solution.
BTW- I am writing this reply in the school computer lab.

 

[devino246]

BTW- I am writing this reply in the school computer lab.

And? I rebuilt my whole website in my drafting class, then used this site and worked more on my site in Engineering the next semester.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

BTW- I am writing this reply in the school computer lab.

Umm- shouldn't you be doing actual schoolwork as opposed to screwing around on the 'net?

To the OP- What sort of low-horsepower industrial engines are available in your region?

 

[GuySapire]

I was thinking about searching for an engine in dumps, but my problem is that I have no idea how to know if an engine fits my needs or even working without problems.

someone told me to check if the compression is good.
What does that mean?
How do I check that?