DB won't start

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fishhog

New Member
#1
#1
My GF brought over a DB she was given to her by a friend of hers. She said it didn't run. I did a quick assessment and it looks like it's hardly been ridden.

Gas tank was empty and it didn't smell like old gas. So I put some new fuel in it and gave er a few pulls. It popped and idled... kind of then would die. It seemed like the clutch was trying to engage by trying to move forward and then make a squealing sound when it died.

So I'm sitting here at work pondering options, so I thought I'd throw it up and see if anyone has some input. :shrug:
 
Motovox

Motovox

#2
#2
fishhog said:
My GF brought over a DB she was given to her by a friend of hers. She said it didn't run. I did a quick assessment and it looks like it's hardly been ridden.

Gas tank was empty and it didn't smell like old gas. So I put some new fuel in it and gave er a few pulls. It popped and idled... kind of then would die. It seemed like the clutch was trying to engage by trying to move forward and then make a squealing sound when it died.

So I'm sitting here at work pondering options, so I thought I'd throw it up and see if anyone has some input. :shrug:
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Lubricate the clutch and clean the carb.
 
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Camjamsdad

Active Member
#4
#4
You remove it, wipe the bushing clean, apply a thin coat of lube and reassemble. You will need a snap ring plier. After the initial cleaning and lube you can get away with dripping a few drops of oil carefully in the gap between the shaft and bearing every other ride or so. I prefer gear lube out of all I've tried. Motor oil works good as well but I think get a little more time out of the gear lube
 
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Havasu Dave

Moderator
#7
#7
fishhog said:
Cleaning the carb was going to be my next option. Any recommendations on how best to lube the clutch?
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Jim Donovan, owner of Max Torque:

"Oil the bushing that is located in the sprocket at least every two (2) hours of driving time. Where do you oil it? Right where you see the snap ring on the sprocket at the end of the clutch. There is a bronze bushing behind the snap ring that needs lubrication. With the engine off, squirt several drops of oil while the bushing is warm."

Interesting read for those new to these setups: Fun Kart
 
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Camjamsdad

Active Member
#8
#8
Havasu Dave said:
Jim Donovan, owner of Max Torque:

"Oil the bushing that is located in the sprocket at least every two (2) hours of driving time. Where do you oil it? Right where you see the snap ring on the sprocket at the end of the clutch. There is a bronze bushing behind the snap ring that needs lubrication. With the engine off, squirt several drops of oil while the bushing is warm."

Interesting read for those new to these setups: Fun Kart
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Can't if your clutch is reversed.
 
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chazdaddy

New Member
#9
#9
If your clutch is reversed, like set-up with ProMod jackshaft, there is a way. I drill a hole in the clutch guard above the clutch. Like Jim with MaxTorque says, I put a few drops on the clutch after I ride while it is still hot. It will draw the oil into the bushing, works great.

For clutch mounted with the sprocket on the outside, like normal DB30 setup, I drill hole in the side of the clutch guard so I can oil it. Drill the hole a little above the end of the crank end, so you can drop oil down on the clutch. :thumbsup:
 
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fishhog

New Member
#10
#10
I pulled the chain off and got it to run.... kind of. Runs like crap! I'm going to pull the carb apart and clean it.

When doing my initial inspection, I noticed there are like 3 different springs as part of the throttle linkage. 2 of the 3 were not in their original location and 1 was "modified" and I'm not sure if that's causing my problem. The motor seems cavitate, meaning when it's running it's reving up and down. There's a black plastic part (Not sure what it's called) on top of the carb that I can manually move to increase/decrease RPM's. This is the part that's fluctuating and causing the motor to run erratic, which makes me think the jacked up springs may be a part of the equation. :shrug:
 
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davidlamb78

Member
#12
#12
I agree with Chaz. The black plastic is probably the choke lever. The sticker is probably on backwards from the factory. Take off the air filter and look to see if the choke is open or closed in the "on" position. If the choke is closed when it says "on", you're fine. If it runs better with the choke on, you're carb is probably jetted too lean. This is common for these motors. There are many threads that will tell you how to drill the jet. If it runs rough with the choke on, you need to turn it off. The choke is supposed to be used to start it when it's cold, and then turn it off after the motor starts and warms up for a second.
Parts for the stock carb can be hard to find, but I found the whole carb shipped to me for less than $15 on Amazon.com, and it was an easy swap. It's cheaper to buy the whole carb than it is to buy the parts. But be careful, you don't want to put a whole lot more than $20 into fixing this motor. That's my opinion, and it is shared by many on this forum.
The harbor freight predator engine can be bought for around $100, and it will add speed and torque to your ride. You'll also need a new clutch, but those are fairly cheap as well. You can usually swap the motor with basic hand tools found in most garages. Good luck!
 
TANKSAREUS

TANKSAREUS

#14
#14
Are you running the standard 3.5hp motor? They really do need the jets bored out they run so lean think they only fire every 8th stroke - rough as hell and hard to start.
Oh and the choke lable on mine was wrong way round:doah:
 
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fishhog

New Member
#15
#15
It's definitely not the choke. CamJam's description is it. I got it got run better by tinkering with it, but I am not convinced the springs are the way they should be.

I told the GF she needs to simply spend a little $ and do a motor swap, but she want's to at least give it a :scooter: first then decide.
 
GustoGuy

GustoGuy

Well-Known Member
#16
#16
fishhog said:
It's definitely not the choke. CamJam's description is it. I got it got run better by tinkering with it, but I am not convinced the springs are the way they should be.

I told the GF she needs to simply spend a little $ and do a motor swap, but she want's to at least give it a :scooter: first then decide.
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Put a Predator 212cc on it and you will really enjoy it. Add a Motovox front end too and upgrade the seat with a nicely padded one and it will be lots more fun than it ever was in it's stock form. It gets used much more in it's present form than when it was a doodle Bug. Its's now a Doodle Beast
 
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