110 Tao Tao ATV will not START!

[AllTimeLow]

Hi all, I am new to this forum and wanted to see if I could get some advice. Santa left a 110 Tao Tao for my son last Christmas which was delivered with problems on Day 1. Long story short, starting it has been my main issue. I replaced the battery, (three times in the last year) new carb, new remote starter, and plugs. The first time it ended up being the battery and the second time it was a faulty remote starter. Now I cannot get it started again. It will turn over but just doesn’t want to start. Choke is open and if I give it gas it will bog down when starting so I think it’s getting gas. It has been sitting for a few months and only has about 5 hours on it. I have disabled the tether and the remote starter thinking that one of those is causing it not to start but I’m not having any luck. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks, Pete

[Weldangrind]

Welcome, Pete!

Have you cleaned the carb? Have you checked for spark?

Also, buy a replacement CDI (or two) on eBay for troubleshooting purposes.

[AllTimeLow]

Thanks, I'll check the carb and spark but I figured the carb was okay since I replaced it earlier this year.
Would you suggest using a higher octane fuel in these little ATVs? I'm running 87 with a Seafoam mixture.

[Weldangrind]

Higher octane will only make a low compression engine harder to start.

Let us know what you find when you check for spark.

[FLASHLIGHTBOY]

too bad you can not give some more info .. no spark ... no fuel ... 2 different problems .. 2 different solutions

[AllTimeLow]

I finally had some time to work on this, I checked and I have spark. I also have gas in the fuel line. Could this be an issue with the carb?

[FLASHLIGHTBOY]

ok.. you have spark.. and you think you have fuel.... is this high test gas,...?? is it old gas from last year?? your carb MAY be plugged.. you can remove the carb and search on YOUTUBE how to clean the jets... the idle one is the one that gets plugged and will nto let fuel into the motor... you need a small piece of wire to clean this jet.. you have to push it all the way thru the jet... not just blow air... you can also check before you do this.... remove the air fliter... and see when you are trying to start the motor.... is the fuel being blow out of the carb????? back into the air filter...??? if fuel is coming back out the mouth of the carb.... then your Valves need adjusting for sure... as this is compression from the cylinder blowing back out the intake and causing the fuel to be blowed back rather than sucking it into the motor... I have noticed this before for the cause of poor starting.. as I said ... post your results.. to help us help you

[Weldangrind]

Spark is good news; that rules out a lot right there. Before we move further, what type of plug are you using?

Per FLB's recommendations, I'd thoroughly check the slow jet and main jet passages. Remove the jets and ensure that they're clear, and use a single bristle from a wire brush to push out debris. I also use whatever aerosol carb cleaner is cheap and blast all of the passages.

Also per FLB's recommendations, the valves might need adjustment, and you should check them even if the quad starts. Let us know if you need guidance.

[TheGageinator]

. . Spray some starting fluid directly in the carb. If it starts then you found your problem. Clean the carburetor. Drop the bowl and remove the float, needle, and jets. As easy as that . .

[Weldangrind]

I don't recommend starting fluid, but if you choose to use it, be very careful and only spray a small amount.

[TheGageinator]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

I don't recommend starting fluid, but if you choose to use it, be very careful and only spray a small amount.

yes, you dont need to try and run the atv off starting fluid. just use a tiny bit to see if the atv will fire up.

[Weldangrind]

Agreed. I'd hate for some new rider to not realize the danger and empty a can of starting fluid into a carb.

Boom.

[AllTimeLow]

Thanks to everyone that has replied, I was able to squirt some carb cleaner into the air intake and I was able to get the atv to start for a couple seconds. Now that the issues seems to be with the carb I tried to take it off but I am not able to remove the top cap where the throttle cable goes into the carb. I didn't want to force it open but I don't seem to have a choice. Is there a trick to disconnecting the throttle cable?

[TheGageinator]

the top cap just rotates left like most things to loosen. sometimes they tops are very tight and you may need to use some pliers or something.

looks like this when unscrewed. ignore the arrow. it was for something else

[FLASHLIGHTBOY]

I have had were the throttle body was stuck intot he carb... a person put it in wrong and jammed it solid.. I took off the whole carb & cable... take it off at the throttle housing on the handle bars.. and saw that it was stuck for good... I just put a new carb on... handed it back to the customer so he could see it.... he was floored