HELP! My boyfriend and I purchased 2 x 150D Tao Tao's last week and after putting them together the chain on one of them keeps popping off. My boyfriend re-welded the sprocket as the one from the factory was total crap and wasn't aligned properly which he thought was causing the issue with the chain, but that doesn't seem to have fixed the issue. The chain keeps making this loud popping noise and then pops right off. He's getting so frustrated and I'm wondering if it could be the chain itself? Does anyone know the model of the chain I would be looking for? Has anyone had this issue?
Help would be much appreciated

Jessica

 

both sprockets are aligned, correct? how worn down are both sprockets?
how much play/slack does the chain have when it's on?

do you have one of these are the rear axle?
if so, that's your chain tensioner. allow 3/4"-1" of up/down freeplay/slack in the chain in between the 2 sprockets. use chain lube. after tightening, compress the rear suspenion, either by 2-3 people on the rear or by ratchet strap, and watch the freeplay. you don't want it too tight or it'll put undue stress on the chain and break under a load. sorry i don't know what particular size your chain is. maybe someone with a quad like yours will know.
Gig'em Aggies!

 

Is the one on your ATV staying on? What does the place you bought it from say about it? I'm interested in this ATV so I am curious.

 

I had a similuar problem, but mine was the chain would slap against the gaurd. I didn't know it had an adjustment until I purchased the manual. My fix was to cut a notch into the gauard. I knew this was wrong, but I told myself that I would rather repace the gauard than buy an new chain. Look for the chain tensioner.

 

does the chain fit all the way in the sprocket??

 

I had same issue on daughter's eton viper plus chain always needs adjustment. I replace factory chain with better one from Honda dealer. Problem solved

 

Make sure the jam nuts are tight so that the axle is not walking around in the carrier, there should not be any movement side to side or up and down. Have seen quite a few where the nuts were installed loose and it immediately caused a bearing failure. Raise the rear wheels and spin the axle to make sure it's not bent, anything ugly enough to throw the chain should be fairly obvious. Transportation companies have ruined more than thier fair share of axles and swingarms on our machines by ramming them with forklifts.

Some other things that are worth checking ..... make sure the manufacturer installed sprockets and chain that matches each other. I have seen 420 chain installed on 428 sprockets, have seen a front 420 sprocket mated to a rear 428, so just make sure they coincide with one another. Have also replaced a rear sprocket that was machined off center, so it's something to watch for too.

As another poster indicated, you could have the axle out of alignment. It's not an exact science, but you could carefully measure from a common point on the left and right side to determine if the axle is square to the machine. You can sometimes bind the axle at an odd angle if you incorrectly adjust the chain, and this would be a quick way to determine if you are in the ballpark.

Good luck !!

 

Jessica,

i own the same 150 atv and have had and still have the same issue!!! i adjusted the "chain tensioner" (pic shown by other poster) and tighten the axle bolts. i left almost no play in the chain and it worked for the whole weekend without any popping or issues. then at the end of the weekend i hit a tree stump and almost rolled it! the chain is loose again and the tensioner is stripped.

my general recommendations are 1. GO OVER THE ENTIRE ATV AND TIGHTEN EVERY BOLT!!! (FOUND THREE BOLTS MISSING AFTER THE FIRST WEEKEND OF RIDING) 2. make sure that the sproket and gear are aligned as close as possible by adjusting the axle/chain tensioner. 3. become familiar with how to adjust the chain tensioner, because you will probably have to do it often. 4. i am buying another chain to see is a slightly smaller chain will avoid the issue.

over all though, i am pretty mechanical and i have spent hours trying to figure it out, and i have not been able to find the solution to this issue yet!!!

*****for anyone looking for replacement parts for these atv's, there are a couple shops that sell the parts on e-bay!!! just google the part you are looking for ie "clutch springs for tao tao 150" and i have had great luck finding the parts i have needed at very reasonable prices!!!

best of luck to all with these machines! if anyone finds a cure for the chain issue drop me a line email-justice3436@yahoo.com

Dave

 

enforcer,
have you tried Belville washers? or even lock washers? the last quad i had that had the tensioners, i replaced the nuts with lock washers and teflon filled nuts. that seemed to help. like another poster said, a name brand chain will hold up better, probably.

 

Also to Enforcer:

You said:

No play? That is very bad. Don't do this. Look very carefully at how your suspension works. The chain "play" changes when you hit a bump and the suspension compresses. On most quads the chain tightens when hitting a severe bump and the suspension compresses. It's a fact of the suspension geometry. If you don't allow slack enough in the chain for that inevitable tightening, the chain will literally break something. It might be the chain that breaks, the chain adjustment stuff, or (god forbid), the F/N/R transmission case.

The longest length chain path occurs when the engine output sprocket axis, and the swing arm pivot axis, and the rear axle axis all line up in a straight line. If any of them deviate from a straight line (like when the quad is just sitting) the chain path is shorter. That is why you must leave some slack in the chain in order to accomodate the worst case condition where you've hit a big bump and the suspension gets compressed.

Check it out: Give your chain some slack (perhaps 1" up down deflection with the quad just sitting there), and then measure it again when your entire family (and maybe you too) has climbed onto the quad. Measure the slack. You'll see what I mean....