TM 150 xrx won't start
 

I bought a brand new Trailmaster 150xrx back in November and gave it to the kids as a Christmas present. It's all stock and we haven't made any upgrades yet. We live in eastern Kansas so it was a typical cold Midwest winter. It ran great for about the first month then it became harder and harder to start. Once started and warm, it ran great but slowly, over 2 or 3 weeks, it got to the point where it would die if we ran it on a long (about ~200 yards) straight away and then let it idle down. I could keep it running by feathering the throttle but just barely. When we floored the gas again it would run fine until the next idle down.

The buggy sat for a couple weeks in my shop with no heater in there so it was cold. We fired it up and it had the same issues: hard to start and died when idled down after running awhile. Then the kids were riding it and it started losing all power and the more we pushed the throttle the faster it would bog down and almost die. Shortly after that it died and wouldn't start.

I cleaned the carb really well thinking that the fuel got gummed up for sitting those 2 weeks. That didn't work. I replaced the auto-enricher a couple times to make sure I wasn't unlucky and got a couple bad ones and that didn't help either. I replaced the spark plug because the plug was black. I've gone through 3 brand new carbs and none of them have worked. I checked and it's getting spark and fuel but now it will only start and run for maybe 1 second then dies and won't start again until I remove the carb, take it apart, clean it and put it all back together. I checked the intake for cracks but I never found any. I bought an all aluminum intake and put it on just for good measure.

I've read several posts regarding the fuel/air mixture adjustment and I've tried the suggestions but to no avail. I'm beside myself as to what the problem could be. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Got a spare coil or CDI you can try? I've had similar issues with a buggy and swapped these 2 items before and it solved the problem. You should always have spares of these anyways, and they're cheap to buy.

No I don't have any spares. I thought since I was getting spark that it meant the cdi was working properly but this is my first buggy so I'm still learning. I'm going to order one right now and see if that works. Thank you!

I found several cdi's and coils. Most sites had them for abound $8-$12 each, one site had them for $46 each and another site had the cdi for $123. I have no idea which to get. I like the idea of the performance parts but I'm not sure which ones are good and which ones aren't.

A weak coil can still spark just not strong enough.

If it is still sparking I'd say skip the cdi for now. It could still be the issue but less likely.

I'm also in the school of thought to keep a few spares of just about everything on hand. Matter of fact I keep one spare on the buggy when I go ride with any tools needed. I hate walking miles to the house and back out in the woods to a stranded buggy to get it.

I've started compiling a bag full of tools to take out too. It's a good idea for sure. I'm going to see about getting those parts today so I can know for sure if that's it or not. I'll let you know if it works. Thanks again!

Have you tried adjusting the valves? On my Trailmaster 150 it was getting very hard to start, so i changed the carb, and adjusted the valves.

Like neo stated in this thread, a bad coil can still spark but still be the issue. Coil's and CDI's are known to go bad, sometimes without any warnings. That's why it's always good to have spares of these. I keep several for each of my buggies in a small supply box with the toolbox when I go riding for those just in case moments. I would rather do this than not be riding for the rest of the time I'm out.
I usually bring a lot of other items like stuff for tires, hoses, spark plugs, wiring, connectors, master links, carb kits and parts, etc... you get the picture. Over a decade of riding mini buggies I started to collect extra stuff, and it has saved others and myself from being down on some trips. This is just things I've learned to do. I've also learned that the mini buggy community is very helpful and I have tried to do the same when I can. Sometimes it will take searching and reading to locate a similar issue and fix, other times it may take someone a while to respond to one's problem. But usually you'll get help from this community.
The thing about this hobby is you have to not mind having to tinker or fix things. Stuff is going to break along the way, and there can be a small learning curve. So just be prepared for this. And with this being your first buggy, welcome and have fun. :cheers: