lubricating my chains

[dirtboy]

Hi guys & girls !

Can u help me... I'm a new junior in the dirt kart world, can u please tell me how best to clean & lubricate my chains after each meeting. Ive been told to soak them in the left-over petrol/oil mix for a day, then leave them in a container of gear oil for the rest of the time.
Any suggestions would be appreciated... cheers dirtboy

[Kart 11]

I have never heard of that. I just clean my kart completely and get all the oil off the chain and then make sure before I start my kart up I put fresh chain lube on the chain. I have never had a problem with chains breaking.

Might be good to ask Tom about this he will soon be on. As this is new, I would be keen to see what he thinks.

[tom]

Nice one Kart 11, that just reminds me i spend too much time on the computer and not enough time out in the shed making the kart go faster..

I think the most important thing with your chain is to stop as much dirt from getting on it as you can. Make sure the front is well covered, and also try to stop dirt flinging from the inside of the rear wheel into the sprocket and chain from the side.

I'm in the process of making a guard that covers just the front and outside sections of my gears to try to eliminate most of the dirt getting in there in the first place.

Secondly make sure you oil your chain ASAP when you return to the pits. If your chain is still warm it will pull the lube into the links better.

After the meeting, you should be trying to get any grit left on the chain completely out of the links. If you just soak in petrol or solvent you won't be removing any dirt, just the chain oil. To remove dirt you will need to clean the chain in soapy water. I use an ultrasonic bath, but if you just put it in one of mum's tupperware containers with soapy water and shake it till your arms get tired you will get rid of most of the dirt.

Blow the water out of the chain, and put it in some gear oil as suggested, or better yet, if you can find some duckhams heat it up and drop the chain in there.

If you don't have duckhams, make a mix of parafin wax and gear oil with some graphite or titanium dioxide or similar and put your chain in that mixture once it's melted.

Be really careful to return your mum's tupperware container before she catches you, and don't use one of her good pans for your chain boiling mix!

Note i refrained from saying you should put your chain in the dishwasher, because although it does an excellent job of cleaning the chain, it's not worth the hassle if you get caught...

[dirtboy]

Hi Guys,
great, thanku very much for the advice..!

Being new to this I /we (my older brother now races a KT, really appreciate all the help we have been getting this season.

My dad is great with all his help but no expert, so, it is our responsibility to service the karts after each race, with his help.

He tells us to ask as many questions as we can, so we take in the information & learn.

So far this season we have had a good year, we have completed most races & even passed a few ppl, & had a few spins (with help!)

I will try a few of your susgestions but I best leave the dishwasher alone.

thanks once again....dirtboy...#21 J Open, Angus