Adding lights to a go-Kart?

Nickathome · Post by **Nickathome** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 5:34 am

Off the wall question for you electronic guru's. My kids have an old go-kart that they play with, and my oldest approached me about installing lights. Easy enough to do, however I'm not sure how or if you can run lighting via a pull start engine. The thing has a kill switch, so was thinking of wiring the lights through that. They'd be on as long as the engine is running day or night which is fine. Just not sure if this setup will work, or if the engine will produce enough juice to run lights. I know I'll need some kind of regulator because a neighbor's kid's go-kart had lights but did not have a regulator and the brightnees of the lights went up and down with speed. I prefer to have them a constant brightness. Can this be done? Will I have to rig up a battery system and regulator to get what I need? Not sure what to do at this point., Any and all info appreciated.

cuz · Post by **cuz** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 7:52 am

Depends a lot on the engine make and model and whether point or transistor ignition and the capacity of it's magneto. A lot of those engines were used to fill multiple roles and you may even find an add on magneto or alternator made for that engine when used in a battery system. The small battery is the stabilizer in those installations.

Get the make and model of the motor and go to it's manufactuer's web site and look up it's parts and accessories list.

jjefferson · Post by **jjefferson** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 8:21 am

Alot of the gocart engines are old snowblower or lawn tractor engines. You could easily cross reference the engine to the snowblower or lawn tractor and buy the light kit for that engine.

Jim

Nickathome · Post by **Nickathome** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:43 am

Actually, even though the go-kart is old, the engine is not. I tried farting around with the orignal 5hp motor well, the one that came with the go-kart when it was given to me, but it leaked like a seive, and I grew tired of replacing seals that never seemed to stop the leaks. So, I trashed that engine and bought a brand new 6.5hp Tecumseh from Tractor Supply about two years ago.

I like the idea about looking up the engine manu and seeing if there are any parts/ accossories.

cuz · Post by **cuz** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 10:31 am

You didn't say wether it was a vertical or horizontal shaft and 2 or 4 stroke but here's a good start

http://www.tecumsehpower.com/CustomerSe ... sories.pdf

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 6:59 pm

Nick, does it have anything electrical other than a kill switch? If not, it most likely doesnt have a stator. You'd need a stator, regulator, and a flywheel with magnets to charge the stator, if it doesnt have one. Im sure you could order these parts from a techumseh dealer. Pull the flywheel off and see if the mounting bosses are present for mounting a stator, and if they are drilled and tapped.

The ignition module wont have the oomfff needed to run a light, and even if it did, the circuit you'd need to regulate the high voltage would probably be a custom, and expensive job.

Another option would be to rig up a small alternator.

Nickathome · Post by **Nickathome** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 3:41 am

The engine is a horizontal shaft 4 stroke. It has no other electrics added to it.

Seems as though it might not be worth the trouble to install lights if I have to add a bunch of accessories. I searched last night for a website but couldn't find anythin gof any value to me. I'll check the site that is listed here thanks.

Post by **Monkey Man** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 1:27 pm

How's about cheap LED lights you buy from the local auto store, set them up with a re-chargable ni-cad or sl-a battery pack and just charge it when not in use, I have led lights on things that will run for 20+ hours on a single charge with the new X-Cree style leds output just isn't a worry either and red tail-lights are a really cheap from the bike store........

Regards - MM

Adding lights to a go-Kart?

Adding lights to a go-Kart?

Engine

Engine