I'm sure this has been discussed, but i couldnt find it anywhere on here. I just purchased a tao tao ata 125d for my son. Assembly was a snap and the unit fired right up. Idles great as well. I noticed that, while at idle, the headlights and taillights are very dim, but get brighter as the engine revs up. My daughters jetmoto 110 does not do this. I just want to make sure this is not a sign of an impending problem with the mag or stator. Is this normal for this unit?

 

Sorry to jack my own thread but one other concern I have. The new one has manual choke at the carb. My son is 5. My daughters 110 has the choke lever on the handle bar. Is there an easy way to convert so there is a choke lever on the handlebar instead of at the carb?

 

I don't think this is right. On a lot of buggies and some motorcycles the lights run directly off the stator (which is AC voltage and unregulated), and the result is lights that are really dim with reduced engine speeds. Again I don't think your quad is wired that way. Here is how to prove it:

Turn on the ignition, but don't start the engine. Turn on the lights. Do they light up (dim is OK)? If so, your lights are powered from DC (the battery and/or the battery charging system). If they are completely out, and glow dimly when cranking the starter, then your lights are powered with AC voltage directly off the stator.

I'm assuming your lights are DC powered (probably a safe bet). The first thing that worries me is if your battery is being recharged after you start your quad up. Start the engine with the headlights off. Connect a voltmeter across the battery terminals and measure the DC voltage across the battery terminals at a fairly fast engine speed (like 3000 RPM). You should measure 13.5 to 14.5 volts on the battery terminals. If you measure 12.6 volts or less then your battery isn't getting recharged.

You can have fun riding your quad around the countryside with funny headlight wiring, and fix it later at your leisure. But if your battery isn't getting recharged then you're going to have more problems very soon.

Check the charging system (and focus on that if required), else we can start looking at the headlight wiring.

 

Did some checking last night and the headlights must be AC off the stator because they will only turn on when the engine is running. If I turn the key on with the engine off, the lights will not turn on. The rear brake light will work but not the headlights.

Given this, is the dimming at idle normal?

 

Maybe, but I'm still suspicious. I've seen wiring diagrams from weird brand ATV's distributed in europe with AC powered lights, but Tao Tao is pretty generic in the US, and generic quads run their lights off DC. I really don't know the answer.

Does your owners manual per chance have a wiring diagram in it? On second thought I guess that's a dumb question....

I would still check the charging system to be sure. If it is not working you don't want to ignore it.

 

Welcome to the forum drknute3!

Have you checked the volt output with a volt meter?

Lynn, is it possible that the battery has around 12 volts? and when the engine revs up its putting out 14+ volts and brightens the headlights? May not matter since the headlights only work when its running? All of mine have lights that work when the key is on.

 

drknute- look at the bright side (no pun intended ), atleast you have lights on your Taotao. I can't get any of the 3 headlights to work on my new ATA-110D, but I haven't dug too deeply into it yet either (kiddie machine, no real need for headlights). The taillight does work, as does the amber running light setting for the cyclopse light and as you say, thy do dim/brighten with engine RPM. I just attributed it to the juice box sized battery, but I'm learning every day!

Joel

 

Perhaps, but the original post said "very dim" at idle. The battery won't let the voltage drop below 12 volts, so the headlights would be dimmer at idle compared to 14+ volts at high RPM, but wouldn't be 'very dim'. We also know that the battery is able to provide a good strong 12 volts since the starter motor is able to start the quad.

And with the ignition switch on the headlights should light up to normal 12 volt brightness, but according to drknute3 they don't come on at all.

Another way to tell if the headlights are AC powered is to measure the voltage right on the headlight teminals. Measure both the DC voltage and the AC voltage and see what you get.

 

I know on my son's Yamaha [different animal I know] the headlamp won't work until the engine runs. It runs directly from the generator/stator. At idle it's very dim but, brightens right up at a low rev. Like mentioned, my son is 6 and has no real need to light up anything, he just thinks it's cool...lol.

Lynn, if one were to replace the stock light [lit by the generator] with say a 12 volt fog/driving lamp, would that have to go off the battery or just wire it to the original wire? I know the wattage would have to remain the same. What about wiring a lamp to the battery? I know most of these machines [Chinese and brand name] have very limited electrical systems. It's just a FYI question.

 

The battery sits at about 13.6 volts when running and it always has cranked over very well so I think the batter is charging just fine. The rider, my son, is 5 but we do go for little drives at night after I get home from work. this time of year, that means its dark. I think all is well and the headlamps are just wired to the stator instead of the battery. Not a big deal, but was just a concern given that my daughters 110 has headlamps that are a constant brightness and can be turned on without the engine running. Thanks for all the advice.