I bought my daughter a Tao Tao gokart from a friend. In no time the valves were rattling and it was very hot to touch. Next thing I know I feel pressure blowing out from where I assume the head gasket is located. I ordered her a new engine right away. She's been dying to ride this thing. Engine came in a box leaking oil and a big dent so I returned to sender. Now to my question (sorry) we have a few Chinese quads we've accumulated over the years. One is a Falcon 110 that looks identical. Mounts are same and it would bolt right in the others place. Problem is the 125cc is 5 wire and the 110cc is four. Is this a situation were I can just add the extra wire and run it where it needs to go or am I just out of luck? If I'm just out of luck would the gaskets and internal parts swap out with the 125? I imagine the piston and cylinder are larger but as far as the gaskets etc could I used the 110cc to fix the 125cc? Are there manuals out there? Thanks in advance for any help. I spent a grand just to see the smile on her face when riding it and it's all been frown looking at it and not being able to ride it.

 

Using second hand gaskets is a waste of time. Replacements should be dirt cheap anyway. I found out the hard way that, although based on Honda engines, some Chinese cloners alter how they space the studs etc, so buy gaskets for a Tao-Tao 125. You could change from a 5 wire set up to a four but you need to know a lot about Quad electronics to be sure you get it right. Lastly if the old engine overheated, it must have done so for a reason. Find out why, before blowing another engine. A lot of Chinese manuals are available from the makers website free of charge, but are of poor quality and often the wiring diagram is a separate file.

 

I'm pretty mechanically inclined. Would my best bet be to replace gasket on 125 or try to figure out how to wire in the 110cc?

 

Skills with auto electrics are different to mechanical skills, and Quad/motorcycle electrics are a branch on their own. I would find out what went wrong with the 125 rather than trying to fit the 110.