Maintenance schedule for 4-stroke karts?

bryant

Member
Any car manufacturer has a maintenance schedule of things to check, what intervals, etc. Many have a "normal" schedule and a "high wear" schedule, which is maybe similar to casual vs. serious karting (e.g. changing oil and tires every race). I haven't seen anything like this for karts.

I've had things break like the fuel line/drop into the gas tank, and was told this was a normal wear item to replace. I've had a sprocket round off and cause problems on track. I've had a random clevis pin break off. Other than changing oil, I've done nothing to the lo206 engine or carb, nor anything to the brakes such as a fluid flush. I worry that I'm just waiting for the next thing to break, and want to learn how to do a better job on preventative maintenance.

Is there a good checklist or maintenance schedule for beginners to follow?
 
Throttle cable is next .
Then anything that moves or is made of rubber .
Check your brake lines . Even the braided will rub through on the bottom and look good on top .
 
Twice a season chunk the chain in the trash and replace.
End of season through axle and all bearings in the trash and replace
 
Replace all non-ceramic bearings twice a year regardless of condition. Same with throttle cable. Keep an eye on the rear seat struts near the frame clamp. Its not uncommon for stress cracks to form around the welds from repeated movement. We like to replace the chain every few race weekends but we race north of 100 laps a weekend on a single kart.
 
We clean and lube wheel bearings, clutch, and chain weekly and change oil in gas powered motors after every main. Alky motors get oil changes after hot laps and heat race, and at home Monday. Fuel line gets changed about once a month, after it begins to stiffen even a little bit. Air cleaners are washed after every race night. Tires are thoroughly cleaned and ground on Monday before prepping.
 
Flushing the brake fluid once a year is a good thing. It gets rid of accumulated moisture that can rust the internals of the brake system. I've seen and had many wheel studs break. I will replace them this winter. Take a look at https://nogoats.net they have some checklists.
 
Flushing the brake fluid once a year is a good thing. It gets rid of accumulated moisture that can rust the internals of the brake system. I've seen and had many wheel studs break. I will replace them this winter. Take a look at https://nogoats.net they have some checklists.
No goats is just information taken from here, and put on a cheat sheet.
Can honestly say never broke a wheel stud
 
Oil is cheap maintenance.

Sprint racing:
I changed the oil every time the kart went on the track.
After practice, each heat and feature after flushing alcohol out of it
Rebuild slightest fade in performance or when I figured it was still running ok but was due.

Switched to dirt, eased up on it because we had a lot to learn about how to get around and our issues were how to get around not about engine.
 
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