Newb with '85 LT50 - basic questions

[jfoust]

Good morning! I got what I consider a great steal - hopefully you guys do too! I went to meet someone from Craigslist to buy a power wheels ATV and he said "oh and I have this old Suzuki out back too if you want to check it out" so I did. Turns out it's a '85 LT50 that's been unloved and sitting in the back yard. Got the Suzuki and the power wheel for $40! So I brought it home, dismantled and cleaned the petcock and carb, checked the spark plug, and it fired up and idled. That was all I did, since it was midnight and my son's room is right under the garage where I was working.

Knowing NOTHING about this thing, I was wondering a couple of things...

1) What oil should I run in it? It has oil, but who knows how old it is! I'd like to change it out before getting into any riding.

2) Looks like I've got a bent wheel. Do I have to get the same old wheels, or does someone make a newer replacement? I'd like to get something that looks a little nicer, but really don't want to dump a bunch of money on wheels right now.

3) Which screw is which on the carb, and what should I start with as a baseline setting? I just set them both at about a turn and a half out for now and it idles, so it's at least good enough to get it running. Not sure about WOT.

4) The "starter" lever (choke?) on the carb is missing. I couldn't get the motor to crank until I stuck a screwdriver in there to pry the choke up, then it fired right up and stayed running. I'm guessing I that's the choke and it's usually necessary to get fired up?

Thanks for the help! My son is so excited about having a real ATV!
-Jeff

[triplendo]

Welcome to , Use a good brand of 2-stroke oil that is easy to get. I don't recommend the multi-purpose oil. On the bent wheel maybe you can straighten it, I don't know of any after market that small, but they would be high if they are out there. The idle screw is exposed on the left side and works as a stop for the slide. The air mixture screw is next to it but is sank into the body of the carb. start out at 1 1/4 turns out from the bottomed position. They are normally jetted lean so, yes you will almost always have to choke it to start until it's warmed up good. The choke lever and washers that go with it should be available from your Suzuki dealer. Check the intake and exhaust for resrtictors that are installed from the factory. They're probably not in it any more but it's a good idea to check. They start and run better with them removed. Enjoy it and be sure your son has a good helmet and eye protection!

[jfoust]

Thanks for the advice! I'll see what i can do about the wheel - I'm more concerned about getting the thing running reliably at the moment, but I guess I need to tackle that sooner or later! I'll try those settings on the screws and see how it runs.

I fiddled a little bit last night - it idles okay as long as you keep it choked, but as soon as you give it some gas it stalls out. Without the choke it will sometimes idle, but it's rough and usually dies quicker that way. The spark plug wasn't in terrible shape, but I'm going to replace it and see if that helps. There may still be some gunk in the jets - they were pretty funky! I just cleaned it out with some carb cleaner and elbow grease - it probably needs a good 24hr soaking.

Won't removing the restrictors pick up the speed? My son is 4, so I don't want to hit him with a hopped up quad right off the bat! I know it has the intake restrictor - I saw it when I was cleaning the carb.

[jfoust]

BTW, I went to Advance Auto to get some carb soaking stuff, and they had it in Large and Mega-Large sizes... Smallest one was a 1 gallon bucket for $25. I hate to pay $25 for something I hopefully just need one use for. The guy at the store said soaking it in gas is just as good - is that true?

[triplendo]

It sounds like your jets are still gummed up. You should be able to clean them with spray cleaner good enough. And keeping the restrictors in is a good idea for a 4 yr old.

[jfoust]

Hi again everyone. Thanks for the advice! We went on vacation and life got in the way and I just didn't have much time to mess with the LT50 again until the last day or so.

I dismantled the carb and soaked the heck out of the jets overnight, then rebuilt everything. It's idling great now after I dialed in the idle screw. The problem is that it's still bogging down and cutting off under power about half the time. Here's what I've done so far -

1) Gas tank had a little rust in it, cleaned it and the petcock
2) Replaced fuel line and put an inline filter in. The filter in the petcock was in really rough shape. The fuel line is just a replacement mower fuel line. It seems like it's slightly larger ID than the stock fuel line, but fits.
3) Bought the choke lever and all the bits associated with it and installed them
4) New spark plug. It's not an exact replacement NGK - I picked it up from the motorcycle section at AutoZone. It was the same thread size, same gap, etc.. I have an NGK that came in with the choke lever, just haven't installed it yet.

Any suggestions on getting it to run a little better?

[jfoust]

For anyone interested, I managed to solve my own problem with a little fiddling... First I dumped the inline fuel filter and that seemed to help a good bit. Then I ordered the proper diameter fuel line and that solved it. My son is up and running on the LT50 and it runs like a champ! Thanks for the advice and help getting up and running!

BTW, anyone know anything about re-covering a seat? This thing is ugly as sin, but running, and that's really all that matters, but I'd like to get it looking nice too!