Honda Elite CH80

[rideslikenacho]

Have an old Elite CH80 my son is interested in getting to run. I picked it up just for parts for the other one I have but its mostly intact. Pulled the plug and spun the engine over with a drill and it does get spark. However with the plug in, the engine won’t spin fast at all, just like one turn then nothing, then another turn then nothing just real slow. So I pulled the exhaust and left plug in thinking maybe its hydrolocked but same behavior with plug in. Checked the plug and its the right size as well. Any ideas?

[aeroxbud]

If you have a good battery. I would perhaps make sure the bike and started have got a good earth.
Possibly tight valves?

[rideslikenacho]

Dropped the engine and pulled the cylinder cap off and everything inside actually ‘looks’ pretty good given it’s been sitting in the bushes for so long. Trying to find my feeler gauges to check the valves. That said they do open and close as expected.

[GrumpyUnk]

Likely poor grounds and other connections limit the available amperage to operate the starter motor.
Another likely possibility is corrosion/dirt on the armature where the brushes ride. That would also limit the amps available to the starter.
You can take the starter motor apart to clean the armature and brushes. Be aware to keep the brush holder in position relative to the case as the magnets are glued(?) to the case i.d. and will affect rotation if disturbed.
Most times cleaning the armature, and also the bushings at either end will awaken a sleepy starter and make it functional again.
There is no compression release AFAIK, so the starter must have good conductors feeeding along with good connections of the cables to chassis ground, the relay in and out, and the battery terminals. You can jumper across the relay large terminals using an auto jumper cable to check the relay operation.
You can set the crank and cam at TDC and check the clearance. Any clearance at all should work. Just the slightest of motion prodding the follower/rocker arm back and forth should be enough to start and run. The clearance is difficult to detect, that minimal.
Mess around with the starter, relay and cables, then squirt some brake cleaner, choke cleaner, carb cleaner, gasoline or starting ether into the inlet of the carburetor and crank it over. Likely it will cough sputter and run for a few seconds. Hopefully.
The float bowl likely will be full of decayed gasoline and need cleaning, along with the pilot and main jets. I use a wire brush strand(one) to poke through the pilot jet until I can see light. The main is a lot easier to clean, and take a look at the emulsion tube also...
tom

[rideslikenacho]

Sept 2, 2024 9:18:21 GMT -5 GrumpyUnk said:

Likely poor grounds and other connections limit the available amperage to operate the starter motor.
Another likely possibility is corrosion/dirt on the armature where the brushes ride. That would also limit the amps available to the starter.
You can take the starter motor apart to clean the armature and brushes. Be aware to keep the brush holder in position relative to the case as the magnets are glued(?) to the case i.d. and will affect rotation if disturbed.
Most times cleaning the armature, and also the bushings at either end will awaken a sleepy starter and make it functional again.
There is no compression release AFAIK, so the starter must have good conductors feeeding along with good connections of the cables to chassis ground, the relay in and out, and the battery terminals. You can jumper across the relay large terminals using an auto jumper cable to check the relay operation.
You can set the crank and cam at TDC and check the clearance. Any clearance at all should work. Just the slightest of motion prodding the follower/rocker arm back and forth should be enough to start and run. The clearance is difficult to detect, that minimal.
Mess around with the starter, relay and cables, then squirt some brake cleaner, choke cleaner, carb cleaner, gasoline or starting ether into the inlet of the carburetor and crank it over. Likely it will cough sputter and run for a few seconds. Hopefully.
The float bowl likely will be full of decayed gasoline and need cleaning, along with the pilot and main jets. I use a wire brush strand(one) to poke through the pilot jet until I can see light. The main is a lot easier to clean, and take a look at the emulsion tube also...
tom

Understood however I’m just trying to turn the engine over with a drill. With plug in it won’t turn but a half turn at a time… not enough to fire up. Without the plug it spins freely.

Also the allen head oil drain screw was stripped out but I got it out. Any aftermarket replacements for that?

[FrankenMech]

With the good compression you obviously have I would suspect a weak drill motor. It takes a fair amount of power to overcome the compression on an engine.

One could always slot the oil plug with a Dremel tool. Otherwise Amazon has oil plugs for a gy6 or elite 80 if the application is similar. I do not know what engine the Honda uses.

[GrumpyUnk]

I would try getting a replacement plug from a Honda dealer. If not stocked, they likely can order one from their warehouse(or Japan!). The alternative is to scout around Honda dealers boneyards where failed equipment is likely stacked up to be cannibalized for parts. Other bike dealers also likely have their own parts piles.
To rotate the crankshaft I would expect you would likely need a 1/2 capacity drill, the ones with the side handle to help prevent drill rotation. Getting the factory starter to work should not be difficult. If you just want to test compression, or just see if it will run, you can jumper from the battery to the cable termination on the starter. Expect a BIG spark. It will damage things if you keep doing it.
tom

[rideslikenacho]

The 1/2 drill is probably a better option to spin it over with. Mine just may not be strong enough for this engine. Cleaned the carb recently in the ultrasonic cleaner and nothing is clogged so should be good there. Checked and it definitely has good spark. I’ll order up a new drain plug and get some fluids in it then try again with a stronger drill.