Yerf Dog Spiderbox GY6 Issues

[bullittben]

My son's Yerf Dog has had a few issues. It seems as I correct them, I find more. The battery has seemed to be weak, so I have been keeping it on a float charger. Even with the battery charged, sometimes it would turn over quickly, sometimes slowly, but never wanted to start. If you shook the cart, sometimes it would turn over quicker. I cleaned the battery terminals, but finally found that the start and on/off switch were part of the problem. I removed the entire stock wiring harness and made my own with a keyed ignition switch from a lawn mower. I mounted it on the back near the engine just to shorten the wires and narrow down my problem areas. At that point it would turn over fine, but still wouldn't start when cold without a snort of WD-40 in the carb. Once warm, it would start right up. Idle speed has always been erratic. I decided to check the valve clearance based on my reading online. Sure enough, the intake valve had no clearance, so probably wasn't closing. I noticed during this process that there was very little compression when turning the engine over by hand. After correcting the valve clearance, compression felt much better and the engine started immediately. I though I was home free. Unfortunately, when the engine warmed, it shut off and is popping back through the intake when I turn it over. The rubber intake is cracked, and I haven't replaced the air filter since we got it, so I ordered those hoping that it was leaning out and possibly the enrichment circuit was helping it when cold. Does this sound right?? Any other ideas?? Is it just because the weak battery can barely turn over the engine with stronger compression?

[olderthan]

batteries do get weak after a while-i pour out the old acid-water combo and put new
acid in mine yearly-cracked intake and dirty filter will cause problems for sure-i run uni-
filters on both mine cleaning and reusing them saves alot in the long run

[bullittben]

So what does anyone think about the spitting back? Lean? I'm curious to try again with the engine cold to see if it runs ok till it warms up. I'll post an update later today. Has anyone found valve damage from too tight of clearance? Thanks again!

[olderthan]

lean due to cracked intake

[bullittben]

I was hoping to hear that! Can't wait for my parts to get here to see if that's it! Thanks

[bullittben]

Well, I recieved the new parts, but was surprised to find that the original intake was actually aluminum covered in rubber other than the part that fits over the carb. Obviously an intake leak was not the problem. The sorry replacement I bought was all rubber other than the mounting flange. I was convinced at that point that the main problem was the increased compression was causing trouble with the weak battery. I hooked up a 12 amp hour battery (the original was only 8-10) and found that it still wouldn't turn over very well. It hesitates at top dead center on every revolution because it doesn't have enough ummph to turn the engine over consistently. The battery seems to be fine and the voltage stays above 10.5-11 volts while turning the starter. That was always the main thing to watch when I used to test and replace car batteries. I'm thinking the starter is bad. Maybe that's been my starting problem all along. It was erratic before, but the increase in compression made it a consistent problem. Anyone ever had a starter problem??

[metalstudman1]

I've never had a starter go bad but plenty of soleniods. Does it still have one since you re-wired it?If it does- when you jump across the terminals does it still turn over slow?

[bullittben]

The reason I rewired it was because i could see a difference if I shorted the solenoid vs using the original push button. With the new ignition, i get the same thing with the ignition switch or by crossing the solenoid.....still slow. We have a local guy who is great at rebuilding starters and alternators. I'm gonna take the starter to him to have him test it before I do anything. If it's bad, I hope I can have him work it over instead of buying a cheap replacement. I'll post an update. Thanks

[bullittben]

Do these engines have any sort of compression release? I haven't heard anything about it, but most engines do. I'm assuming there is no way that is my problem if I properly aligned everything when adjusting the valves. My dad is telling me to back off the valve adjustment...... I just don't think that's it. I'm taking the starter to my local guy today. Hopefully he'll tell me that it is dragging badly.

[bullittben]

Alright, the starter is fine, the battery is fine, but the engine can barely turn over. Am I really the only person who has had this happen? How about the starter clutch?? Do I need to remove it? I have specs in the Yerf Dog Manual about servicing it. Could it be binding up somehow?? I feel like throwing this Chinese motor in the lake.

[bullittben]

OK, a little digging on the internet yielded confirmation that I do have issues with the starter clutch. I have heard a clatter from the back of the buggy at low speed, but thought it was a rattle somewhere. Apparently that is the sound of the bolts being loose in the starter clutch. That means I need to work on it for sure. Does anyone know if it would be possible for issues with this to create drag when trying to start the engine??

[olderthan]

yes it could cause dragging