New to karting, bought first Kart - what to check?

Dave Bunye · Joined: 20 Mar 2013 Posts: 21

As the title states, I am new to being an owner of a Kart and I need to know what to check. A little back ground...

I am not a mechanic, but am quite capable of following instructions. I just bought a slightly used 2008 CRG Rotax 125 kart. The owner claims to never have raced it, and there is no indication that it has been raced. No damage, no bent metal on the frame, no broken plastic, no rust, etc.

However, it has been sitting for about a year. Visually, a very stunningly clean kart for being 4-5 years old.

My questions are:

- With the bad effects of Ethanol, how do I make sure to get rid of any residual ethanol that may clog anything? Is this even a concern? I had a jetski (4 stroke) which burned out a piston due to a clogged fuel injector from ethanol. I have a new fuel line and filters that I will put on, and I will siphon out and residual fuel from the fuel tank. I am worried about anything sitting in the engine itself. Am I being overly worried?

- The previous owner suggested I rebuild the master brake cylinder as it began leaking while sitting. Is this difficult? On a related area, how do I bleed the brake lines?

- Sprocket and chain: The sprocket looks decent, but they are cheap enough to go ahead and just replace it now. It has 82 stamped on it, so I assume that is 82 teeth... so if I get a new chain at the same time, what number of links goes with it? There are way too many numbers out there! Is the 219 chain the default for karts?

- I bought new spark plugs, Denso IW-27 that I saw noted in another thread as the good sparkplug for the Rotax 125

Any other suggestions for going over a new used kart? I have not even started it yet until I resolve the importance of old fuel in lines or the engine, and of course once I charge the battery.

Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

I am in Orlando, Florida so if anyone is nearby and willing to help me at a track, let me know!

Here are a few pics of the Kart. I think I got a good deal ($1,800)

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Brian Degulis · Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 6:17 am Post subject:

Very good looking kart and an excellent choice to get started with. I would drain the coolant and re fill. Rebuilding the master and bleeding is easy and a search on here will give you the info you need. If it runs well I wouldn't worry about what fuel was used in the past just use the right stuff from here on.

You have the old style clutch. At some point you'll want to buy the up grade kit and change to the new clutch, balance shaft gears and air box cover and bracket. Easy job and the kit comes with instructions.

Good Luck!!!

Brian

Paul Makarucha · Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 6:23 am Post subject:

Dave Bunye · Joined: 20 Mar 2013 Posts: 21

Excellent, thanks for the replies! Makes me feel I got a good deal by your responses and that this kart will be a good one.

My 16 year old daughter and I had so much fun on the rentals that I thought this would be a fun thing to do together, plus I have always wanted to work on cars for fun, so this seems to be a better financial hobby than rebuilding a full size car! Plus I get to race it as a bonus. Smile

And yes, I am in it for fun!

I have noticed one damaged part since getting it up on a kart stand. Underneath the seat is a metal plate, apparently to protect your butt from getting scrapped when you hit any cement on the track. This metal plate has some slight damage on it which makes it hang a little lower than it should be. So far it is the only sign of damage on the entire kart. Also, I notice it is about .5 to 1 inch lower than the rest of the frame. Is that right?

Here are pictures of that plate if someone can tell me what it is called so I can replace it:

Here is a picture of the chain and sprocket, not the best due to taking at night in the garage. Thoughts on wear, or too hard to tell in this shot. I'll try to get a closer more focused shot soon.

It appears the power valve is needing a rebuild. I watched a video last night, so I unhooked the cover and did the test on pushing the valve down. It did pop back up, but fairly slowly compared to the video. With the oil in there, perhaps all it needs is a good clean out. Plus the oil leaking out (may have been due to transporting it hanging on a wall). The video seemed to be a straight forward, easy repair/check.

A couple close up shots of front suspension, looks good to me but if you see anything amiss let me know!

And one shot of front of engine... looks clean. A few fins on radiator are ding, but nothing needle nose pliers can't straighten out.

If there are any areas to look at let me know and I will snap a picture for review.

Thanks again for responses, it gets me really motivated to hear this is a good kart and should be easy/fun to work on, let alone run!

Dave Bunye · Joined: 20 Mar 2013 Posts: 21

Oh, one general question which is confusing me... Smile

I see in the manuals I found online it shows how to check oil level and drain it. Plus being a two stroke, I know you add oil to the fuel mix at 1:50 or 1:32 ratio.

So I want to be sure, there is in fact a place to put straight oil in the engine block that is nothing but oil? I know, stupid question but I rather ask than do something mindlessly stupid. Just wrapping my head around everything before I get involved in any repairs and maintenance so I do it right!

If anyone could just give a quick run down on liquids such as oil, brake fluids, and anything else and where it is properly put in, that would be great.

Also, any recommendations on good online stores? While looking at parts, it seems I can find some parts here, some parts there, but no shop seems to have everything.

Peter Zambos · Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 9:54 am Post subject:

You need some resources.
Operators manual:
http://goo.gl/r9IB7
Repair manual:
http://goo.gl/7Rzos
A good care/maintenance sheet:
http://goo.gl/WOUjO
Exhaust valve care:
http://goo.gl/pgwHm
Another care/maintenance article, this one by John Savage of Jet Tech, who makes jetting software and is quite the FR125 guru:
http://goo.gl/eS4am
If you see any post by Savage, I would believe it.

The oil that you're confused about goes in the side case on the driver's side, where the gears the drive the balance shaft and water pump are. This is not for the fuel. The oil for the fuel is mixed directly with the gasoline in the fuel tank that's right in front of your jewels.

Consult your local CRG dealer or CRG America for info on the brakes. You want to make sure that you use the correct type of brake fluid, i.e. DOT4 or DOT5. After you've got that down, replace the seals. If you're going to replace them in the master cylinder, you may as well do the same in the caliper. You can to this by a gravity feed tool or the old pump method. I would go with the tool as it's faster and easier.

As for the exhaust valve, the RAVE, it sounds like you need to replace the green portion of the bellows if it's not springing back fast enough.

Dave, ask around as to the best local kart shop. The local shop is almost always your best source of info. Online shops are great, but nothing, and I mean nothing, beats a warm body who is willing to spend time with you to get you on the track safely and quickly.

Walt Gifford · Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 10:20 am Post subject:

Wow did you jump into the deep end, that thing has 40hp and is an extremely complicated machine!

Edit: oops 28hp, don't know who told me 40, same difference to a rookie (too much imho).

The rotax has a gear box for a balance shaft that uses gear box oil. You have a screw on the bottom of the side cover as a drain then you add X amount of Red Line shock proof gear oil check the manual.

Rotax uses 50:1 because they go a long time between overhauls. I always ran 40:1 for more protection. I use Red Line Two Stroke Kart oil.

You should replace all fuel lines with nonharding tygon tubing and rebuild or replace the fuel pump. you'll have to get use to taking the carb apart anyway to change jets so take it apart and clean it.

You need to pull the packing out of the muffler and maybe replace it if it's clogged.

Water only in the radiator with a little water wetter.

That chain and sprockets look beat. If you get one track day out of them you're lucky. That's one area you have to keep fresh by cleaning and lubing every track session. Try to use a standard length of chain so you don't have to mess with a chain breaker. Yes, 219 is the standard (only) size.

The seat being below the frame is normal and is done to keep the weight low so you don't flip over sideways. You can just take that plate off or just trim the broken part off.

The first thing you should do is make sure the brakes work. They save your life every 15 seconds. I believe that system uses DOT4, don't use anything different (even if you think it's better) it will melt the seals.

Also, inspect the axle for defects. The softer 50mm axles do not tolerate defects at all and will break off possibly killing someone. There should be numbers on the axle telling you what you have. I'd hope for a medium/hard axle to start on most tracks.

Check the tires for dry rot. If you buy new tires get a hard/med compound. Less traction is best for newbs Bridgestone "C" compound is good. You don't want grip, one mistake and you'll be flipping sideways, sliding is better.

A good place to buy Rotax stuff online is http://www.accelerationkarting.com/

You'll need to get a full width rear bumper and mounting kit eventually if you want to race it.

So much more but, sorry lunch is ready,
Gif Cool

_________________
FAA certified jet engine and aircraft technician
Nicholson Speedway class champion 2001
Yamaha KT100 Service Center
40 years karting experience

Oscar Biondi · Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 10:32 am Post subject:

40hp? I thought closer to 28hp for the rotax. Anyway, great deal on that kart! Are those 17mm spindles? Was CRG still using 17mm in 2008? It may have 08 homologation but the chassis could be a bit older, not that it matters much. Others more familiar with CRGs may chime in. I think you scored, it looks very clean!

Dan Haynes · Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 10:36 am Post subject:

That aluminum plate isn't a standard item. I have never seen one on a kart but I understand the need for it. Seats are typically installed slightly lower than the rails. Depends on track, driver size, tires, etc.

1" sounds a little low but usually up to about 1/2" below the rails is common. My son is only 5'7" and about 145lbs. and we runs ours almost even with the bottom of the rails.

EDIT: That looks like a 40mm axle setup. Not typical of a TaG/Rotax kart. Not really a negative but most run a 50mm setup. 40mm is fading and parts are getting harder to find for them. Won't matter for seat time or even racing but if you need to replace an axle at the track you might have a hard time finding somebody that has one for you.

It looks like you got a great deal though. CRG is one of the top of the line karts.
_________________
Blaise Haynes
#3 Arrow X1-CIK
TaG
Cook Racing Engines Parilla Leopard

Dave Bunye · Joined: 20 Mar 2013 Posts: 21

Thanks everyone for the great information!

I know the best thing to do is get to a track and talk to warm bodies. Right now I need to get a trailer to get it down there. I could stuff it in the back of my Durango, but I don't want to risk bending/damaging anything. Plus I figure I got a lot of little things to do with the gas tank/lines, lubing, greasing, etc. I don't want to rush into anything, regardless how much my inner child is begging me too!

The track in Ocala Florida (2 hours away) apparently is a full on Rotax service center. The list some pricing for engine rebuilds, a complete rebuild with all new parts and seals is listed at $300. I am thinking only worst case having them do it, but is that seem like a good/fair price? Says a lot about the facility if they do good work for a good price.

Orlando's track is a Tony Kart facility, but I assume Rotax is common enough to be covered by their mechanics in some fashion.

But as you guys say, I need to meet up with someone willing to go over parts with me and offer guidance as I learn to be self sufficient with the maintenance aspects.

Oh, and as for going off the deep end getting a powerful Kart, I used to have a YZ-250F dirt bike, and a turbo jetski so the speed is not an issue... but I will definitely be starting slow and be careful until I learn the quirks of this cart/chasis and get used to tires.

The chasis does have an '08 stamp on it. I will need to to look at the axle, I am not sure if it is 40 or 50mm.

Again, THANK YOU ALL for the assistance! This gives me a greater idea what to look for and fix.

jeff grose · Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 2:06 pm Post subject:

Hey Dave
Welcome to the goofy world of karting, we live over in cocoa and we go to OKC for practice alot, I don't know much about Rotax because we run Parilla Leopards in FKCS Tag Sr. class, if you have questions call: Nick at:

http://www.speedquestkarting.com/

in orlando, he's a Rotax guru and a great guy

if you need pm me your phone and i'll discuss any questions you may have
_________________
jlgracing
#31 Gillard/PDBAmerica
IAME Leopards by P1 Engines
Tag Sr./FKCS/WKA
Driver: Jesse Grose
Remember: "No matter where you go,there you are"

Brian Degulis · Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 5:01 pm Post subject:

Dave Bunye · Joined: 20 Mar 2013 Posts: 21

Thanks Jeff! I didn't know about any stores in Orlando outside of the track itself... that will be great. looking on his site now and adding some parts... support the local guy! Smile

Brian, I live in Longwood which is 10 minutes north of Orlando.

Michael Taksa · Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 7:00 pm Post subject:

That aluminum palte is there to protect the seat from wear and tear, not going to find one commercially available, if you want to fix it, make one yorself. 99% of karters don't bother wuth protection on bottom of the seat. And if the seat is "scrubbing" it will get worn

Walt Gifford · Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 8:06 pm Post subject:

The problem's not starting off slow, the danger comes when you get brave enough to go faster lol. Just be careful in high speed or hard braking turns that have poor run off areas.

Make sure your seat fits tightly on the sides or you can actually crack a rib in a normal turn.

The traffic will not be going slow so, the first thing to learn is how to let people pass you without getting run over. Don't try to move out of the way. By the time you hear or sense someone coming up on you they are already committed to a line.

Stay smooth,
Gif Cool

_________________
FAA certified jet engine and aircraft technician
Nicholson Speedway class champion 2001
Yamaha KT100 Service Center
40 years karting experience