newbie questions
 

picked up a buggy couple of days ago off of craigslist for 250. wasn't running and was sitting for 18 months. figured i'd throw a few hundred at it and could get it running i hope. don't know anything about this stuff but once i bought it i was hooked. it's only been a couple days but have been reading a ton of posts and tried to figure some of my stuff out but not sure but i think i have a trailmaster xrs. that's my first question, is that what i have and how do i check? once i get that info i'll be able to look more stuff up and try not to ask to many dumb questions. thanks in advance.

ur picture shows its a kinroad, not a trailmaster. its a gy6 150cc plenty of helpful guys here.

Thanks, was confused cause was told was a trailmaster.

For $250 that's a great price even not running.

upgrades
 

So besides getting it running and normal maintenance what upgrades would you recommend? I've read some posts about this but not sure exactly where to start. Thanks!

Getting it running first to see what you have to start with. Needs engine with good compression no internal rattles. Change the oil to 10W40 car engine oil and try getting it started off a fresh 12V battery. That alone might take some time & money. Most times with these gy6 buggies they had electrical failures with previous owners who then just left them to rot outside. You will get a lot of help from this site as well as Daniel Martins Youtube videos.

Let me know what happens when you try to get it running. If you have eletrical issues there are upgrades to an orange performance CDI, orange performance plug wire/coil assembly you might as well buy right off the get go. Also you need to replace the plug with a name brand one from Champion or NGKm so start with this cheap upgrade first if getting no spark. Google the part # as 150cc gy6 NGK spark plug or similar then go to walmart or the local autoparts store for it. Any other parts after that are pretty much special order from online GY6 suppliers like www.scrappydogscooters.com or www.shop.martinmopeds.com.

thanks! bought and waiting for a carb and battery which it didn't have. well, the previous owner had the carb taken apart and while i looked at it, there was some stuff missing so just went with a new one. also, got the intake manifold cause that was sun rotted pretty bad and cracked. i've noticed more stuff wrong with it like the linkage for the throttle, brake fluid resavoir, brake lines, maybe even the brakes, and some electrical but figured out it is the gas gauge so not a huge concern until i get it running. alot of the electrical looks "ify" but once i get the carb and battery i'll see if i can at least get it turned over or at least see where it's at as far as a spark or something. thanks for your post, that helps get me in the right direction.

No problem. Glad to help. Your buggy is nearly the same as mine, but a different manufacturer so a slightly different frame, and yours has external reverse. I bought mine in a similar non-running & tampered condition as yours, and had no experience with these Chinese GY6 150cc engines. There's tons of info online, so if you have tools and some mechanical know how these little engines are easy to work on.

Although you can use automotive grade oil I don't recommend it. Water cooled engines operate at 200 deg. and below. Air cooled engines run between 350 - 370 degrees. Automotive oil designed for water cooled engines has a thermal breakdown of around 250 deg. Oil for air cooled engines have a thermal breakdown at around 400 deg. You really want an oil designed for motorcycle, atv, or v-twin air cooled engines.

Wow, I did not know that SYCARMS! Most of the online research I did indicated people are using 10w 30 or 40 car engine oil. I trust your advice as you are a dealer.. I'm going to make the switch. Thanks!

Many people do. But all one needs is to push the engine too hard to where it overheats. The oil breaks down since it has dissipated all the heat it can handle. Cylinders then heat up causing the head to also heat sine it cannot dissipate any more heat as well. Piston gets too hot causing it to warp due to excessive heat. Rings now are mashed between the ring lands and will no longer expand and contract causing the engine to rapidly burn and blow out most of the oil until something seizes and causes the engine to stop. Now don't get me wrong, the same thing can be done with the proper oil since these engines heat up more and cool down slower in a buggy as compared to the scooter they were designed for. But with the oil used in water cooled engines you will reach that threshold 100 + degrees sooner, and run in the danger zone longer.

thanks for the info. i have some more questions. i looked online quite a bit for a diagram or video for installation on the carb. there was quite a few but didn't really show well where to put all the vacuum and fuel lines. i think i got it all figured out except where the float bowl drain hose goes to? (that's the one on the bottom of the carb correct?) i saw a hose in the front of the engine right behind the seats hanging out, is that where the float bowl drain hose goes? would've been alot easier for me if they left the carb on. :P anyways, i saw on the manual i download it was saying to use 10w-30. what oil do you recommend specifically? still waiting for the battery, hopefully will get it tomorrow then i'll try to start it up. got the intake manifold on and was curious about the airbox. saw quite a few guys have the cai with a cone or something similar. is that better then the standard airbox? i live in arizona with heat and dust so wasn't sure. being in the heat does that matter with the type of oil? i've looked at the websites you linked which will be a big help. i am thinking of just redoing all the electrical because all of the plastic clips on them fall apart when i touch them so was wondering if they sell a kit for all of the electrical or just have to buy seperately? didn't see a pkg deal for it. thanks again for all your help. i'll keep researching and look into more things and try not to overload with too many questions.

like stated above don't use the regular engine oil. Let me tell you years ago I use to use rotella 15w40 diesel oil and I swear with that oil the engine ran better and stronger. I have been using the royal purple air cooled but might try that rotella oil one more time.

Those red UNI air filters look to be excellent quality. Vendors sell them with a tpaered chrome intake tube as a "red neck intake", but you could save money by just buying the filter and using a 7" long hardware store PVC pipe for the intake.

I to do prefer the pvc intake. Its like $3 dollars from home depot or lowes in the plumbing aisle. Cheaper, lighter in weight even though isn't much weight, stays cooler vs the chrome pipe, and with the pvc you can just cut it to the length you want even though you don't want to long, ive been told 6-8 inches is the sweet spot.

thanks guys. i might go the pvc route. so was wondering about the carb lines...got my battery today and would like to try and fire it up but not sure where some lines go on the carb. i've looked quite a bit for diagrams/videos. there are some good ones but i haven't found where the float bowl drain hose goes. you guys have pics of your buggy's or just your profile pic?

did more looking and found that it doesn't go anywhere, it's just for when you wanna drain it.

Do u have a vacuum style petcock ? If so then u would have 2 nipples coming off the petcock. 1 line is for vacumm which is teed into the manifold and side of carb, the other nipple is ur fuel line. Then the very bottom of the carb is a drain hose, and there's one more nipple on the carb that's a over flow that doesn't get hooked to anything. Me personally I hate the vacuum operated petcock and switch to a manual one, and another good cheap upgrade is a clear fuel line so you can see you are getting proper fuel flow.

thanks jman. yes, that's the kind i have and i got it all right pretty sure. threw in the battery and didn't get anything when i tried to start it. didn't crank. is that an electrical issue? left my meter at work so can't check anything so maybe i'll just wait till i get it. or do you have suggestsions on what to check. i've done some reading and i guess it could be quite a few things but they all say use a meter to check. how do you change to manual style petcock? what's the difference?

Check your fuse in the electrical box, and make sure and double check that terminals on battery are not reversed.

The manual petcock is very easy to change it just takes a big wrench to get the original petcock out of the tank then install new one. Use some fuel line tape on the threads. The manual petcock is nice because its doesn't rely on vacuum. Also I forgot to mention a inline filter for the fuel line is a nice touch. With this also u get to put a lever on the manual petcock letting you cut the fuel supply off when you have to take the carb off for any reason. For electrical there's tons of threads of guys including myself that have ran into electrical problems because these buggies weren't wired the greatest. Like tom said make sure battery is hooked up correctly first. Next check that fuse its in the electrical box. Next get your volt meter and a test light. Since your not getting any cranking at all you have to make sure you are getting power to your key switch. Another trick take a long screwdriver and just touch both terminals on the starter solenoid see if it cranks or sparks. Start there and let us know. If you want one of my threads show an entire re wire I have done on my hammerhead because I couldn't take the stock wiring anymore.

awesome, thanks for the help guys. i did manage to get it to crank, just wiggled wires and made sure the harnesses were tight. after that i wanted to check for spark but when i tried it didn't crank so guessing for sure electrical. i'm just going to redo all the wiring as it was sitting for a long time and i just would feel better knowing it's all redone by myself. it'd be nice to see that post you did of the rewire. i was gonna look online for what i needed. it didn't come with a cover for the electrical box so it's a mess of wires everywhere. haven't checked with my volt meter yet but will probably monday since i've been working long days. so until then i'll just read up on more stuff. i like the idea of shutting the gas off at the petcock so i'll go manual. bought the 15w-40 diesel oil but wont put it in till i know it will stay running. getting there slowly but will get there.

just click my name and search for my thread on hammerhead buggy, 2nd pages has pics of me doing the electric. I even mad my own electrical box, made its own power source, new thicker wires, and all new connectors. All the old was thrown out basically.

thanks jman. you did quite a bit of work to yours and looks about the same amount of work i gotta do. did a lil more looking at all my wire connections and found out my cdi connection was melted pretty bad. not sure if my pic uploaded, if not i'll try later.

Thats your voltage regulator plug. Also called rectifier

thanks beef. well looks like i'm going to replace all of my electrical, cdi, voltage regulator, ignition coil, starter relay, ignition, air filter, petcock, fuel lines, fuel filter. that's my next purchase so that'll keep me busy for a lil bit. after that if i get it started then brakes and tires unless something else comes up.

You might want to consider buying a new stator, and if so order a higher output 11 pole stator kit. I bought mine from Buggy Depot with the adaptor harness for an easy plug and play install. It also came with a new larger voltage regulator. If you do want replace your stator also order a stator removal tool, and get the kind with both thread sizes on the same tool just in case. It's like a $10 tool but impossible to pull your flywheel off without damaging it. Ask me how I know this....

The 11 pole stator ensures adequate battery charging and power for aftermarket light add ons.

SYCARMS can likely sell the same kit to you also.

hope this is a buggy you want to keep for a while. Only saying that because I spent a decent amount of $$ just on a rewire, but I also kinda went all out lol. All the other stuff ur mentioning will add up real fast.

Thanks gy6buggy.ya was planning on putting more lights so that's good to know. Jman, ya I was planning on throwing a few hundred at it at first.

The larger stator will rob the engine of power. If your stator is good go with some quality led lights they are bright and draw very little current.

sounds good sycarms. thanks!

well it's been awhile but finally threw some parts on that took forever to get here. got my wiring pretty much done and will crank every time. have the gas tank off so can't check to see if it will actually run yet, waiting for parts for the fuel sensor and gasket. i think what's next is tires and brakes then i can at least have a little fun for a bit but still needs some little repairs.

So got everything back together but when I put gas in,it looks like it's leaking gas under the engine by where the exhaust is. Any ideas? Leaks about as fast as I put gas in.

is it leaking from the bottom of the carb ? maybe the gasket didn't seat correct when you put it back together ?

Your fuel lines are routed wrong , the screw in the float bowl drain is open or missing ( if so equipped ) , or your float / needle valve assembly is adjusted or assembled wrong .

You will first have to determine where the fuel is coming from. As old kid said check the bowl drain, if float is stuck fuel will come from one of two vents. One being on right side of carb the other from fuel drain hose. Also check your oil for fuel. If you are using the stock vacuum pump under tank, sometimes if the diaphragm goes bad the fuel will flow around the diaphragm and through the vacuum side into the intake manifold. To check just pull the vacuum line off intake and look for traces of fuel in that line.