Yerf Spiderbox won't start

[holtman]

I'm officially over my head. My son just bought a 2007 spider box with money that he had saved up. Probably should have done more research, but once he saw it, he really wanted it. It seems to run well, but after a day or so of light use, they shut it off, then it wouldn't start. It's not turning over or anything. After looking dumbly at the various wires on the engine, I'm to the point where I'm about to call a guy I know that works at an alternator shop to see if he could look at it.

To me, since it WAS working, it seems maybe a wire rattled loose? Any ideas on what the most likely problem(s) may be? And if I should attempt the fix or seek professional help?

My kids are chomping at the bit to get it working again, so I have to act fairly fast.

[drillpvt]

I always start with the simpelest things first !
1 : Battery , check to see if it has a charge IE battery tester !
2 : clean battery terminals and tighten
3: fallow the red wire from the battery to the stater relay ! once again clean if needed and check for tightness !
most of the time its one of these things.
Others will tell you other things to look for but try this first !
Hope it was helpful

[metalstudman1]

Look at the brake pedal relay switch- it's under the drivers seat- verify that the spring is still attached to the brake linkage and wires are plugged in, the switch can get dirty and not function. If it's connected then spin the switch plunger to get it to make another connection, you can verify it's working by using a test light. It has power going in and when the plunger is pulled power will passs thru it. You can just plug the 2 wires together and by-pass it too.

[holtman]

thanks for the suggestions guys.
drillpvt: I should have posted what I have tried so far.
1. I put the battery on a charger and when it wouldn't start, it tested @ 12.8v, which I think is okay, yes?
2. The terminals on the battery have a slide on connection, not a bolt-on, does that make any sense? So, I think they are okay, but I'm no expert. However, they were working great one minute and not the next.
3. I did loosen the wires that run to the starter relay and clean them up a bit, then retighten, but no difference. I did not mess with the connection on the charger however.

Metalstudman1: Okay, I haven't checked that and will. BUT, I will say that we've been able to start the kart without the brake pedal depressed, even though it says that you have to have the brake on to start. I noticed that there are two wires connected to the switch and two that are loose, but being a newbie, I wasn't sure of the significance here.

[satoys]

Look at the on/off switch and starter button at the steering wheel... I was going crazy looking at all mentioned above, looked under the steering wheel, wire hanging loose ! Re-attached and started right up. May have to squeeze the terminals tighter anyway.

[metalstudman1]

There shouldn't be any loose wires at the brake safety switch. The 2 wires coming from the electrical box/frame to the safety switch can be plugged into themselves to by-pass the switch all together, check them for a good connection. You say your battery connection is and then isn't working- have you tried crimping the connections a little bit? If you jump the soleniod and it cranks then your issues are in the start switch/kill switch, push start button or the brake safety wires. To jump the soleniod: use insulated pliers and touch both battery cable terminals on the soleniod at the same time (it will spark!!) If nothing/no spark happens then your battery is suspect or it's connections.

[holtman]

Hey guys! Just an update...I wussed out and took it to a local guy due to lack of time and my son's lack of patience. Looks like I've got a battery that's shot as he hooked up a lawnmower battery and it started right up. I know I've seen some instructions on putting a lawnmower battery in the cargo cage. Going to try to find those to see if I can make it work! At any rate, I appreciate all the helpful suggestions!

[GX150]

A 14Ah Bike Master BTZ14S sealed battery fits the tray. You can also use the two following Walmart batteries: 14LA2 or 12N9

[holtman]

FYI - A final update for this post. The battery was bad, installed new lawnmower battery and repositioned (I'll try to get pictures on here) with new wires. Now starting! Thank you for all of the suggestions.