How dumb can I be?

[Kenneth Brown]

I broke the pull cord on my daughters go cart a few weeks ago. The cord winder thing-a-ma-jig is attatched to the cover with rivits. I figure no problem just drill it out and fix the cord then screw it back on. Well it seems to go fine till I try it out. The cord only comes out about 3 inches but whenever I tested in my hands it had full extension. I figure the screws must be too long so I shorten them. Nope, still no worky. Off comes the cord winder. I spin the motor by hand about half a rev and it abruptly stops with a loud clank. UH OH. I spin it backwards and it makes almosta full rev and then clank again. I bought this cart with a disassembled motor. It was only about 3 weeks old and a kid took the motor apart trying to "make it go faster". I had put it all back together and had it running so I was fimilair with the insides. I tore the side cover off and pulled the cam,lifters and pushrods trying to find what was wrong. Nothing. I could watch the piston go all the way up and not contact anything so I was at a loss. Something in my mind told me to pull the tin cover off the other side. I'll be darned. Two of the rivits had fell inside and attatched to the flywheel by the magnets. Now I know what was stopping it. I did all of this trying to keep from puling the blasted tim cover and messing with the throttle linkage. Look what it cost me. It'll take about 2 hours to put it back together and re- time it all,set the valves,plus hook both chains on and tighten them. <br /><br /> SOMEDAYS YOUR THE DOG, AND OTHERS YOUR THE FIREPLUG!

 

[kenimpzoom]

Re: How dumb can I be?

Been there done that!!<br /><br />Only one thing to do....<br /><br />DOH!!!!

 

[LubeDude]

Re: How dumb can I be?

Beleive it or not, thats how most of us know what we know. Having been there and done that. Its all a learning experience.<br /><br />Boy, thats dumb having the cover riveted on anyway. Dosnt that type of stuff just Pi*s you off sometimes?

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: How dumb can I be?

Very true Lube dude. My dad had a garage when I was a kid. A guy on a go cart ( I seem to think theres a pattern here) broke down outside the house and got mad at it. My dad bought it for $10. Me and my brother rode the fire out of it for about a week, then the motor blew up. I found a motor down the road for $50. My dad agreed to buy it if I worked for him for a month as repayment. I figured sure why not. I cleaned more parts and crap jobs than should be allowed by law. After my month was through he offered to keep me on. I said no way for $50 a month. He paid me 25% for every job I did by myself, and 10% of all jobs in the shop. I made a killing. A couple of years later business was too slow to be profitable so he had to shut it down. He had customers that were loyal to him and still wanted there cars fixed so he offered it to me. Every day after school I worked till about 9 fixing cars. I paid him back 40% of whatever I made to pay for upkeep and electricity. We both made out good. I've been in corrections/law enforcement for about ten years now but still shadetree on the side. Its always nice knowing how to do something rather than paying somebody else.

 

[ndemge]

Re: How dumb can I be?

Just last weekend I was up in my brother's shed, and my nephew, 8th grade... was working on his gocart. Same thing, cord broke and was inside the cord-winding-thing-a-majig.... <br /><br />Rivited on! He was taking it all apart to get to it instead of drilling the rivits. I was going to let him tear into it rather than sugesting the easy way out by drilling the rivits. Who'da thunk, he would have learned MORE if he did it the "quick" way <br /><br />PITA learning expereince Kenneth...