Over the years we have worked with thousands of Trailmaster go kart owners to help them solve mysterious issues with their go karts. We have gained so much knowledge from our own experience, and the experiences of concerned customers. Many customers have needed our assistance to learn how to adjust their choke cable for various reasons.
Now, we can speak with confidence when we diagnose an issue, even if it’s just a phone consultation. If you call and tell us that your kart is having a hard time starting, or that it starts fine but dies out right away, our first solution will be to adjust the choke cable. Keep in mind, this tutorial relates specifically to how to adjust a trailmaster go kart choke cable.
What is the choke cable?
The choke cable on your Trailmaster Mini or Mid sized go kart is going to be a black raunchy button that sticks out of the dash and can be pulled out or pushed back in like a plunger. The cable runs along the frame of the kart, behind the seat and attached to the carburetor. When the choke cable is pulled out, it activates the choke lever on the carburetor (this can also be done manually with the black lever on the air filter box if you’re trying to pull start).
How does the choke cable work?
When the choke lever is activated, it rotates a butterfly valves inside the carburetor that shuts off the air supply- instead of gas and air mixed together in the proper ratio, the engine will receive a much higher portion of gasoline to help it fire a bit stronger. The engine needs this additional fuel to get things moving and warm up.
Properly use and adjust the choke cable on your Trailmaster Go Kart
These engines can be a little but cold natured meaning they take a bit to warm up well. We recommend leaving the choke activated for about 30 seconds while the engine runs. Then, push the choke lever back in to restore the normal function of the carburetor- this will allow the proper amount of air to flow into the engine. Let the kart run for another minute or so to finish warming up before you start driving it.
Adjust your Trailmaster choke cable so your kart will start!
Now, you can imagine how the choke cable might make your kart difficult to start. The engine needs extra fuel to give it enough power to turn over. That can’t happen when you are not actually be choking the engine. If the butterfly valve only shuts halfway, the choke is basically ineffective. In order to solve this problem, we need to make sure that the choke lever is actually fully operational. This means it can close the valve completely!
Why start with the choke cable in diagnostics?
Keep in mind, there could be a variety of issues going on. Generally speaking, we can narrow it down and troubleshoot much faster with a few simple questions. The very first thing we want to look at when your kart isn’t running right is the choke cable. This tutorial will also help if your kart shuts off after a few minutes. We start here because it is the easiest task to perform and the most common issue.
If your choke cable is out of adjustment, it can make you kart hard to start. It can also cause the choke to stay on while driving. Naturally, your engine won’t run right when it is choked all the time. What a simple fix! Below you’ll find a video tutorial, but here are the basic steps:
How to adjust your choke cable
- Locate the choke cable on the backside of the carburetor/air filter box.
- Loosen the outer jam nut and slide the cable out of the bracket.
- Run the inner jam nut toward the end of the cable a few turns.
- Insert the choke cable back into the slot in the bracket, then pull the cable tight toward the rear of the kart.
- Tighten the outer jam nut back down to secure the cable in place.
- Test the choke lever on the dash by pulling it out: you should see it move the choke lever at the carburetor, and there should be enough tension on the lever to slightly retract it back into the dash when you let go.
- Repeat the process if the choke cable is still loose, or is too tight to operate.
Check if it worked, try next steps:
Once you’ve completed the choke cable adjustment, crank your kart for a quick test. If everything runs smooth and the issue is resolved, that’s excellent. If you’re still experiencing a difficult to start kart or bogging down, or if your engine shuts off after 15 to 20 minutes, you need to continue on to the next steps.
It can sometimes be difficult to diagnose an issue with a go kart engine if you’re not a trained mechanic. And reading blog post online doesn’t always give all the details you need. It is impossible for this article to address every possible issue or possibility- so we’re sticking with the most common issues that we see.
