GoKart goes in reverse, but not forward
 

Trying to figure out why this POS Chinese GoKart we got from Tractor Supply will go in reverse, but not forward. When in forward gear and gas pedal is applied, the engine dies.

We are coming up on having spent as much on repairs as the thing originally cost.

Any ideas.

More info please
 

Welcome to the forum, in order to help you with this issue we are gonna need to have a little more info. Let us know what type and size of buggy it is, also whether it is equiped with a internal or external reverse, is it making any such noises, etc!?

I agree with bear. Or post pics of ur buggy

Did you recently change a drive belt. It's very common to get the variator weights cocked if you shredded a belt.

Did you ever address that grinding in your other post? You never responded to the replies.

We wound up just taking it into the shop for repairs. Now it is broken again.

From the manual it is a

American Sportsworks
Zircon
150cc
6152 Fun Kart

I don't know about the internal/external reverse. I assume internal. There is a single lever for the transmission, forward, neutral, reverse.

Not sure about noises. I'm told it was backfiring.

Thanks.

where do you live JohnE?

maybe someone could make some recommendations on someone that could help you locally.

I live out in East Texas, near Nacogdoches.

Found some stuff that makes me think the problem isn't the transmission but something more basic - I've got hoses that don't go anywhere and what I think are carb ports that don't have hoses.

Will try to post pictures soon

pics of open hoses and ports
 

I'm going to try to insert some pictures of open hoses and ports that I suspect is the root of the problem. The engine would not turn over until I put my finger over the open port shown. The engine then ran, but very, very rich, with much smoke coming out the exhaust.

in your second pic the hose on the left I can't tell where its coming from so no help there, but the one on top right is just a vent tube and its fine as it is. the one on the bottom right should have a short hose also hooked to it and inserted into the clip right below it there and hung down on the side of the engine. the screw just to the left of this one is for draining the gas out of the bowl. the hose will keep it from getting gas all over your engine if you drain it.

its hard to tell in both the 1st and 3rd pic since I can't see where they come from.

If I understand you correctly, the hose and port on the right in the second picture are okay as they are as one is a vent and the other a drain.

The hose on the left originates from the port(?) that is also in the left circle. I've attached a revised pic to help clarify. I can take another picture if that will help.

Do you have any idea what the broken plastic end shown in the upper circle of the first picture is? It originates from the module shown in the third picture.

(on edit - didn't see your previous comment about not being able to discern what was in the first and third pictures - hope the clarification helps)

Thanks!

The hose from the head port (where valves are) is okay as is, just another breather hose.

The first and third pics is some funky e.p.a crap.

where does that hose in 1 and 3 come from?

The hose in 1 ends in the top circled plastic thing in 3 - the one I think you meant by the EPA crap.

The lower hose in 3 is the same hose as the left circled one in 2. I'll attach a better pic of where it comes from tomorrow morning.

http://www.americansportworks.com/pd...6152/15193.pdf

page 22 is that thing (part # 14762 AIR INJECTION in to MUFFLER ). I was doing some reading and I think this is what it does.

The air injection system (AIS) is designed to introduce clean air to the engine exhaust as it exits the exhaust manifold or exhaust headers. Exhaust gases are at their hottest as they leave the combustion chambers. Introducing oxygen to the exhaust at this point allows continued burning of the fuel mixture as it travels down the exhaust system and ultimately out the tailpipe.

Got some info on it here.
http://www.smogtips.com/air.cfm

I think it is suppose to help burn the fuel more for cleaner emissions.
So I am guessing I goes from your air box (maybe in to exhaust pipe):dunno:

I am also thinking you can probably get rid of it some how and it will probably help performance maybe.

I didn't see a page 22

I opened the link you had and didn't see what you were talking about. did I miss it somehow?

I saw section 22 but nothing there about a pipe to exhaust

Page 22 part #26 in pic next to exhaust

In the first pic, the bottom item comes from the valve cover and goes to your air box. You just can't see where it goes because the nipple for it sits right below the cross bar. So look behind the carb (behind being closest to the back of the buggy) and follow it to the air box. If you are standing behind the buggy, it is on the left side of the face of the air box that faces the rear seat. Again, it is kinda hidden below the cross bar.

The top one in pic 1 if I remember right goes to nothing. It is in fact for the A.I.R. system. The others looked fine.

The carbs they put on the zircon are a PITA from our personal experience.

When the machine is cold, if you even attempt to touch the gas, it will die. You HAVE to let it warm up at idle for a few minutes and gradually feather your way into the gas until it has reached its warm up point (usually when the electric choke wears off). Fortunately on a Zircon, since it is an ASW machine you have neutral! This makes warming it up a little easier cause you can flutter the gas without worrying about it going anywhere. When I say flutter I mean rapidly just barely giving it a little gas until it finally "takes". Then you are good. If for any reason you have the idle set to high, you may have a problem because that will simulate that you are giving it gas...which as mentioned you can't do until it gets a little warmer. It takes a few times to get it warmed up. Don't be surprised if it runs for a few seconds and then dies. Then you do it again..and again...etc until it is warm enough that you can give it gas.

oh yea I saw it now.

Yes, we see the sort of behavior BuggyMaster described.

I have attached another pic of the starting point of another hose that doesn't go anywhere. I think it might be the valve cover one that BuggyMaster describes.

As mentioned, it doesn't go anywhere - should it? I'm not sure where the air box is.

------------------
The family member who owns the cart got it started and ran it Sunday. It blew smoke in quantity enough to put a haze across the neighborhood. I'm surprised nobody called the cops out.

Not sure what that was about, but he said he overfilled it with oil.
------------

Thanks for all the help - without going into details of our family dynamics, the go-kart was purchased by a family member who isn't competent to do the actual maintenance, so it has fallen on me to handle this. And while I'd rather not have to handle this, you guys are a big help. Thanks again.