Post by lackthereof on Dec 20, 2010 6:06:58 GMT -5
If leaving your scooter out in the rain could make it not start, then mine would be dead by now. I live in Seattle and use a 49cc scoot as my daily commuter. It lives outside, gets rained on all day erry day, and is ridden down streets that regularly have an inch of standing water. The only water-related issues I've seen are momentary belt/clutch slippage on takeoff. To be fair, I have ALL of the stock air box and ductwork in place.
As for "it won't start", that's not a lot of info. But on any engine, always start with the basics:
If the answer is yes to all three, it should be starting. Try using starting fluid (ether), available at any auto parts store.
-rear brake adjustment-
The rear brake can be adjusted with a nut at the end of the cable, somewhere near the rear wheel. But don't sweat it, the rear brakes on these things are pretty much worthless anyway. I can adjust mine so tight it drags, and it STILL won't lock the rear wheel under any conditions. So I leave it loose and just use the handle as a way to trigger my brake light.
-bog from a stop-
It's normal for anything with a carburetor to bog or stall on takeoff when the engine is cold. That's why most passenger cars with carburetors have a fast idle when the engine's cold or on choke, to keep them from stalling. Our scooter carbs are much simpler than a car's, though, and we don't have a separate cold idle setting; all we get is half a minute or so of extra-rich mix. So yeah, just take off gently and carefully while the engine's warming up. It should only take a few blocks to get it to behave.
If it continues to bog or stall once the engine's warmed up though, something's wrong. A beat or two of hesitation is normal for our engines, but anything beyond that (and definitely stalling) warrants investigation.
It's not likely to be a valve adjustment problem - misadjusted valves don't usually cause rideability issues unless they're WAY off (i.e. holding a valve open all the time or barely opening one at all). If it only bogs on a quick snap of the throttle, but behaves fine on a slow, gradual opening, it could be an accelerator pump problem. If it bogs no matter what, maybe your slide isn't closing all the way, maybe some other carb malfunction is throwing off the mix, maybe your spark is weak. Or one of a dozen other things that don't immediately spring to mind.
As for "it won't start", that's not a lot of info. But on any engine, always start with the basics:
- Is there compression? I certainly hope so, a lack of compression would be obvious the first time you stepped on the kicker.
- Is there spark? Pull out the spark plug, hold it against something metal, and crank the starter. Watch for spark.
- Is it getting fuel? Crank the engine with no spark plug and stick your finger up close to the plug hole while it spins. Does your finger now smell like gas?
If the answer is yes to all three, it should be starting. Try using starting fluid (ether), available at any auto parts store.
-rear brake adjustment-
The rear brake can be adjusted with a nut at the end of the cable, somewhere near the rear wheel. But don't sweat it, the rear brakes on these things are pretty much worthless anyway. I can adjust mine so tight it drags, and it STILL won't lock the rear wheel under any conditions. So I leave it loose and just use the handle as a way to trigger my brake light.
-bog from a stop-
It's normal for anything with a carburetor to bog or stall on takeoff when the engine is cold. That's why most passenger cars with carburetors have a fast idle when the engine's cold or on choke, to keep them from stalling. Our scooter carbs are much simpler than a car's, though, and we don't have a separate cold idle setting; all we get is half a minute or so of extra-rich mix. So yeah, just take off gently and carefully while the engine's warming up. It should only take a few blocks to get it to behave.
If it continues to bog or stall once the engine's warmed up though, something's wrong. A beat or two of hesitation is normal for our engines, but anything beyond that (and definitely stalling) warrants investigation.
It's not likely to be a valve adjustment problem - misadjusted valves don't usually cause rideability issues unless they're WAY off (i.e. holding a valve open all the time or barely opening one at all). If it only bogs on a quick snap of the throttle, but behaves fine on a slow, gradual opening, it could be an accelerator pump problem. If it bogs no matter what, maybe your slide isn't closing all the way, maybe some other carb malfunction is throwing off the mix, maybe your spark is weak. Or one of a dozen other things that don't immediately spring to mind.
