1) Remove all four wheels. Just in case it fires up and decides it's going to rev to 15 grand, it's much easier to hit the kill switch with the car at your feet as opposed to 150 yards away and smashing into a playground full of munchkins.
2) Pull the spark plug out and flip the vehicle over (upside down) now grab the pull rope and yank the snot out of it (don't over pull and long-arm the pull rope, but you want that piston and rod spinning about as fast as possible). Is gas shooting out of the plug hole?
If yes, leave the spark plug out of it over night with the car sitting upside down. This will allow for any fuel trapped in the crankcase to drain out, you will want the piston to be a BDC (Bottom dead center) this will allow fuel to drain out the exhaust. Put something under the front shock tower to elevate the front.
3) If no fuel is spraying out of the motor while yanking on the rope, put the vehicle back onto it's wheels and dry any wetness off the plug hole.
4) Put the plug back into the plug wire, but don't insert the plug into the hole, you are going to check for spark.
How to check for spark.
Ground the plug onto the head and give the pull rope a tug, you don't need to yank the piss out of the thing, just get the piston to cycle 5 or 6 times. Do you see a spark?
Yes spark is visible, skip next few steps.
No spark is present. Check to see if the kill switch is springing in and out when you push on it. If it doesn't move it's probably loaded with dirt and is grounding the coil not allowing the spark to be sent to the plug. If it springs in and out continue to next step.
Stick a #2 Phillips screw driver into the plug wire leaving a 1/4 inch gap between the screwdriver shaft and the head. Are you getting spark now?
If yes skip ahead. If no spark is detected go to an auto parts store and buy a spark tester and try again. If you're still not getting spark, replace coil and retest. Don't discard any parts until a cure is found for the condition. Nothing worse than tossing good parts in the bin only to find out they were in fact still serviceable.
Here is a vid I did last year on this subject.
[ame=
[MEDIA=youtube]Qc-61hs7iZo[/MEDIA][/ame]Starting procedure.
I'll start at the beginning, is the primer bulb filling with fuel when you try to prime it? If so continue on.
1) Pump the fuel bulb as many times as you want, it will not flood the engine even if it's pumped 2000 times.
2) If no fuel is reaching the fuel bulb, be sure there is fuel in the tank (I got myself with that one once) Be sure the "Clunk" (fuel filter) is submerged in the fuel without any kinks in the fuel lines both inside and outside the tank.
3) Make sure the tank lines are routed properly, if the lines are on backward no fuel will pump into the carb. The bottom line is the feed line and the top is the return. You want to have the bottom line connected to the "Clunk".
Fuel bulb filling? If yes go onto next step, if no replace fuel lines.
4) Put carb needles back to factory specs (Both the hs and the ls needles) I have no idea what those specs are as I haven't ran a stock carb in years and I don't tune by counting needle turns, I tune by ear. I believe stock is 1 1/2 on the ls and 1 1/4 on the hs? Some will chime in here I hope.
5) Pump the fuel bulb as many times as you like, as stated above it will not flood motor. It is a fuel bulb to fill the carb, it's not a primer. It does not inject fuel into the motor the way a primer on a lawnmower does.
6) Flip the choke lever to the downward position and pull pull rope until the motor pops. This usually takes 1-3 pulls. Once you hear it pop, move the choke to the upward position and pull recoil again until it starts. This is usually accomplished in 1-3 pulls. If it doesn't fire on the 6th pull, there is no reason to continue pulling as it's not going to start. All you will end up doing is destroying the recoil.
Pull the spark plug to see if it's wet. If it's wet spray it off with brake cleaner and either use compressed air to blow it off, or use your lungs. The latter will take longer.
Pull the recoil w/o the plug installed and see if fuel is spraying out. If it is, invert vehicle again and yank on the pull rope to unflood the crankcase. I've seen cement saws that had to have this procedure done 5 or 6 times because customers leave the choke on and keep pulling the recoil. (I'm a small engine tech for Home Depot) Don't fret and don't give up, it will run, eventually. If you are yanking and yanking and it still won't start I'll bet this is the reason. Pull that crappy stock pipe off too, I've seen those get plugged with fuel and cause the same effect.
Ok, so it's not spraying gas with the plug removed and the plug is dry every time. Is your idle screw (the big silver screw) adjusted in such a fashion that it's just slightly opening the carb butterfly? If unsure where to put it, have a buddy hold the throttle on the transmitter about 1/2 way. If you have no friends, turn the gain up on the transmitter. Just be sure to turn it back down before you start tweaking needles.
If you get it to run via buddy's help or transmitter tweaks, but as soon as you hit the brakes it dies, then the idle set screw (big silver screw) is out too far. Have buddy let off the gas to allow it to idle then turn in the idle screw until it just barley starts to raise the idle and stop there. Adjust throttle linkages accordingly.
Well this should get you started (pun intended) in the right direction... Have any more problems, let us know.
Trip..
