[tony zambos]

Bob,
Welcome back.

[tony zambos]

A couple of questions. Will the engine rev cleanly on a stand? What do have for gearing? How old is the fuel and how much oil are you using? Is your brake draging? Is the carb throttle plate opening up fully?

[tony zambos]

Could you have the spindle nut too tight? I’d put wheels on it and take it to the track then see how free the hubs true with the wheels still on. I know some put are going to disagree, but I wouldn’t replace the grease with Tri-Flow. Maybe lithium grease. There must be grease experts on the forum. Hope they can provide a better answer.

[tony zambos]

Go with the suggestions above, for the short term. But some sunny, take the kart out into the driveway and give it a mock tear down. If you have a digital camera, take photos of how things are assembled. Make sure you have a tool for every nut and bolt. If this is a used kart, make sure that the hardware is all metric or SAE. Very frustrating when you’re thrashing in the pits and you’ve tried every tool and none of them fit.
You’ll also need tools for the engine. If you’re running a rotax, there are a couple of large size sockets to work on the clutch. Can’t remember if there was anything special on a Leopard. Add a torque wrech and a diital caliber ($12 at Harbor Frieght)
If you have any not or bolt that has safety running through it, you need safety wire and pliers.
As the amount track days increase, so will the amount of tools you’ll be taking.
And since no one else mentioned it, 100 MPH tape or duct tape.
Have fun and enjoy racing.

[tony zambos]

Mike,

Any luck yet getting your password from Jet Tech?

[tony zambos]

Matt,
This a link to John Savage’s article on carb prep. Page 4 has a diagram of the emulsion tube.
http://www.rotaxjetting.com/PDFs/Documents/The%20Preparation%20&%20Jetting%20of%20the%20Rotax%20Carb.pdf

Is there any fuel inside the floats?

[tony zambos]

Know you mentioned you took out both jets, but did you check it the emulsion tube for the idle jet was in?

[tony zambos]

Try pulling the carb off and dump the fuel out. Then blow into the fuel line with the carb straight up. Now turn the carb over and try blowing again. It should be harder to blow into the carb when it’s upside down because the floats are pressing the needle valve closed. Check the valve seat is screwed in all the way and the floats read “alto” when they there sitting in the bowl. The other method of checking the floats is to shake the carb and you should hear them rattle.

[tony zambos]

Mike,
Took me 4 or 5 days to get my password back and that was a couple of years ago. Remember that they are 5-8 hours ahead of us. Would assume that the response back would be dependent on their work load. John doesn’t sleep much, but gets in a couple of winks in here and there. Maybe John or Colin will see your post and speed things along. Also check your email junk inbox in the case that your response went there.
You probably are aware of these, but this the link to the JetTech video tutorials, http://www.rotaxjetting.com/Video.htm.
Two important parts to the JetTech software is accurately setting the barometer in your weather station, and calibrating your engine to the software.

[tony zambos]

Harry,
I can understand you wanting to be able to measure the output of a coil. To what ends and expense are you willing to go to? I can think of ways to measure the voltage, not sure about amps. Purchasing an oscilloscope or a tester from Fluke is going to be expensive. After you have purchased your tester(s) and you detect a marginal output, you now still have to purchase a new coil. Do you really want to know the output of a coil or do you want your engine to run? IMO – Purchase a spare coil and make sure it works before going to the track.

[tony zambos]

The amount of oil for the grear case depends.  100 cc for a new motor.  50 cc for an older motor with nylon gears.  100 cc for an older motor that has been upgraded with metal gears.

If you know exactly how many cc’s you’ve put in, that add to that to get to the 50 or 100 cc amount.  If you don’t know, drain all of the oil out, put the drain bolt back in, measure 50 or a 100 cc’s, unscrew the plastic vent  plug and pour the correct amount of oil into the case.  Reinstall the vent plug.  You’re good to go and no need to remove the mount.

 

[tony zambos]

You’re looking for a chassis that is not bent or cracked. I’d be suspicious of any chassis that has been welded.  Spin the rear axle and listen to the bearings.  Crunching noises means you’ll have to replace them.  With the kart on a stand, grab a front wheel and see if it moves up and down. If it does, you’ll to replace the spindle bearings or kin pins. Turn the steering wheel to see if it turns freely.  Make sure the brake pedal is hard and doesn’t go soft if held down. Hold the brake pedal down and try to turn the axle. It shouldn’t turn. Check the brake pads. There should be about a quarter inch of friction material, not including the bake plate. Check the brake pads for symmetrical wear on both sides of the rotor and that the top of the pads are worn about the same as the bottoms.  Spin the rear axle to check that it’s not bent.  Except for the bent or cracked chassis, everything else is repairable.

If you find a local guy with a good kart at a fair price, ask him if he would help you set started at his track.

Welcome to the sport.  Good luck and have a good time.

[tony zambos]

Drew,

Ask the club or a member of the club that also has a Leopard where to get the homologation papers.  Below is the link to Italian Motors site, but I only see the My09 version.  I have a copy on my pc but not aware as to how to attach it to this posting. It’s a blank form, not signed.

You can PM me with your email address and I can send you the homologation paper.

http://italianmotorsusa.myshopify.com/products/leopard-my09

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0051/3282/files/leopard_09.pdf?1285030459

 

[tony zambos]

Brian,

the best choice would be to contact the organizer or tech inspector of the club or series you want to participate in.  Would like to say only for a national or Rmax series you would have to run the new cylinder along with steal gears, new clutch, new air box plus an 8.5 insert in the carb and the specified jets.  But I can’t.  Safest way is to check for yourself.

[tony zambos]

Joe,

If no one has PM’ed you, try Jim Perry at CKT, http://cktracing.com/

 

[tony zambos]

Jackie,

You might want to move this thread over to the SHIFTER Forum.  And maybe Swedetech can answer your questions.

 

[tony zambos]

Double check your current armature for flaws. A cracked brush seems unusual. Also remember that the replacement brushes come with new springs, or they used to.

[tony zambos]

Joe,

Think your issure is that battery was designed for a UPS, not as a power soure are a starter. I tried batteries from a battery store, not good results.  The price is great.  Able to start your engine, questionable.  Wasn’t designed to be rattled around in a kart. Very short life cycle.  Comet lists an orginal replacement battery.  It will only be heavier on your wallet.  But it will turn over you engine and it will last.

 

[tony zambos]

The brushes don’t break or wear out.  It’s the braded lead.  Russell has a good set of brushes.  Get those and when you install the brushes, use silicone caulk on the leads to cut down the vibration.

A harder brush will wear the armature quicker.

[tony zambos]

Dustin,

Welcome to the sport. I suppose anyone on the forun can give you a list of things. But I’ll start.

Make sure your gear is ready. Besides the kart, your personal equipment, helmet, suit, gloves, shoes, rib protector and neck brace if you track requires one.  For the kart, make sure it’s safe. Know what needs to be saftety wired or clipped.  That’s mainly the steering components, spindles, tie rod ends, steering wheel, king pins.  You don’t want to be drilling bolts or nuts at the track. Make sure the brake pedal is NOT soft or goes soft. Make sure all the bolts are tight. Tie wrap the brake pedal to the front nerf and try to turn the wheels. they shouldn’t turn. Bring just about every tool you have used to work on the kart including a tire pressure gauge.  Consider having an air tank if one is not available at the track. But if put 20 lbs in each tire the night before, you should be good for most of the day since you’ll be letting out air as the day warms. Bring tie wraps plus electrical and duct tape, chain lub, gas and oil plus a measuring cup for the oil, rags or paper towels. Eventually you have to put together a box of spare nuts, bolts and washers. Bring a spare battery for you gauge or any other electronic device you might have.

Past the pit wall is out of my domain.  But find out a how novice kart should be marked. At some tracks, an X on the back number place will work.  I’ve heard that you should hold a consistant line around the track and the faster guys will pass you cleanly. Finally, bring  water and sun block.

No need to pack a good time as you’ll find one at the track.

P.S. A Safety tether might be needed from the brake master cylinder lever to the brake pedal.

[tony zambos]

Joe,

Follow this link to download the M3 manual.

http://www.aimsports.com/support/manuals.html

The RPM lead does not have a real connecter.  Loop the lead in one hole and back out thru the two holes on the side of the gauge.

 

 

[tony zambos]

When you run the RPM wire, kept it away from the water sensor lead to prevent interference.  You could safety run 25 degrees warmer.  Bring some masking to block off the radiator, if your track approves, and block off part of the radiator.  Keep an eye on temp and pull off tape as necessary. Or set the alarm function in the M3.

 

[tony zambos]

Joe,

TIP:  One of the best tools you can bring to a track is a note book and a pencil.  At least per sessson,  keep track of max RPM’s, gearing, chassis set up and lap times.  Purchase a weather sation to track barametor pressure, temperature and humidity.  Once you’ve those settings, when the weather conditions are similar, I’ ve an idea for jettng.

You didn’t mention the type of gauge you’re using.  Recommend a Mychron 3 or 4 to capture RPM’s and lap times to begin with.  A water sensor would be nice to have so you can tell if the engine is running at the right temp. You will then have the oportunity to load that information into Race Studio and be able to review the data between weekends.

[tony zambos]

What were your max rpm’s on both days and did you run the same gear ratio?  You can tune with plug temps, but the main jet will get more results.  Hotter plug on cold days and a cool plug on a hot day.  Check your power valve blade for smooth operation.

[tony zambos]

Bare engine is 37 lbs and the complete package is 64

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