Carter Talon 150 no power

[maddog0963]

My Talon 150 started loosing power some years back , It had set for a while with a bad battery, Got that replaced, drained the old gas, refilled it with high test, rebuilt the carb, checked compression it was good but it just want wind up like it use to. When it`s on a block it winds up great but when it`s loaded up on the ground it has no power. It seems like the longer it runs the better the power gets but not like it use to. I`m wondering if it could be the clutch I have not checked the fire to see if it`s burning blue ( I`ll have to pick up a spark tester ) but that`s the next step I guess. Any one else have any ideas? Could it be the clutch hanging up in high not shifting down to low? Do I need to adjust the valves on a regular basis, could that be a problem?

[PGH]

Check the rollers in the variator. if you replaced the belt, they might have twisted in the ramps and are preventing shifting in the CVT.

[maddog0963]

Ok.... So my son took out the Talon today and made it about half way around the track & it shut down on him. I pulled the plug & checked the spark.....Purpleish red...not good, replaced the plug, with same results...Where to now? I guess my power problem has finally give me something to test. Should I go through ohming out all my ignition coils & check for anomilies? or just replace the CDI?

[PGH]

Start by checking connections to the CDI and coil. If it still has weak spark, use the ignition troubleshooting section of the service manual to isolate the problem.

[maddog0963]

Ok....I have ran most of the test from the sketchy troubleshooting section in my manual the only thing I'm seeing out of spec is my trigger voltage is .759 vac where my manual says it should be 2.1 vac I'm using a digital meter with the record on it so I know the trigger is about a 10 ms shot , I'm wondering if my meter is just not recording that fast of a pulse. I have ohmed out the trigger coil & it is reading 150 ohms which is in spec. I noticed my ground wire, which by the way is in post 3 I think on my CDI is reading about 4.5 k ohms until I cut the ignition switch on then it reads zero but when in start mode it goes back up to about 4.5 k I did try straight grounding that lug to no avail. I will get the ohm readings on the CDI soon but I will try the ignition troubleshooting guide online here to double check the manual. Any more ideas?

Thanks Maddog

[PGH]

Trigger voltage is low and may be causing the CDI to misfire. If you do not find anything else, you can try cleaning the pickup coil before having to replace the entire stator assembly.

[maddog0963]

Why is the ignition troubleshooting guide on here show trigger voltage at higher than .05 volts and a lot of people are showing lower voltages than I have on my Talon. I'm not a hundred percent sure that my CDI isn't bad. I'm thinking of ordering the red CDI and the high end coil just to be sure. I've still got a few checks to make before then but I need to try to get back to it.

[maddog0963]

Well I thought I would update my info on this. I replaced the CDI & ignition coil and got blue spark again, had to blow some dirt out of the carb......I had bypassed the fuel filter making sure it didn't take away from my power, but I put the carb back on fired it up, took it out and damn near rolled it over with the power.....it's better than new!!! By the way, can't beat the deal right now on the package that Buggy Depot has going on the coil & CDI upgrade along with the air filter $99 right now ordered it Tuesday got it Thursday ( I live in the same state ) but I am grinning from ear to ear now Thanks for your help guys, I think I might have to upgrade to a joyner if I ever come across a good deal & some money

[maddog0963]

Well I'm back down again, I'm having issues with both fuel & ignition now. I think the carb is in need of a rebuild kit but most the kits I'm finding doesn't have the o-ring set that goes in between the choke & carburetor body I'm also thinking the manifold gasket has swelled out, also not seeing them in the rebuild kits. I do think I had created an issue by doing the testing with my meter probe sticking it in the CDI end of the plugs, this spread the clips open creating a loose high resistance contact. It created a shut down and sputtering I kept thinking it was the carb because I had test run it without the fuel filter but after moving some wires around it would fire back up but I still think I've got some dirt floating around in the carb and my gaskets can't take anouther tear down. Can I pick the o-rings up anywhere like a Auto parts store?