Buying a used Gas Scooter

By: Robert Thomson

Tips for Scooters

If you own a scooter and cannot get it to start-up, you know how absolutely frustrating this can be. If you find yourself in this attitude keep with us for useful tips and insight.

Initially you need to calm and focus on the problem you are having so you can narrow it down to something certain. This will help you know just what answer to pursue.

In order for a scooter to operate efficiently and typically, there are really only 3 foremost things required. These are spark at the accepted time, the accepted air and fuel mixture with proper exhaust flow and finally sufficient engine compression. If you can master and learn to maintain these, you will be in good shape.

Compression Check:
If you have just purchased a scooter one of the first things you need is toachieve a entire inspection before you commence running it. You should commence with a compression stop as this is relatively easy to achieve. begin by checking the quantity and condition of the engine oil. If the oil is very muted you might want to change it. Only do this if absolutely required because you might find out later that the engine is hurt and then you will have wasted new oil in the change. If the oil level is low, then minimally add an appropriate quantity.

Once you have inspected the oil, hook up a good battery orobtain a new one if required. Now you must to inspect out the spark plug and turnover the scooter for approximately 5 seconds. This will help circulate the oil. Let the scooter sit for about 15 seconds and then turnover the scooter again for about 5 seconds. Be sensitive not to turnover for more than 5 seconds and not pausing as this will initiate the starter to boil and will wear the starter out. The majority of scooters demand a minimum of 100 psi in compression to operate right. To correctly check this number the engine desires to be warm and the scooter desires to be operating. a compression gauge and open the twist-grip completely. turnover the scooter until the needle on the gauge stops stirring. This should take around 5 seconds. Make a observation of the gauge reading. In general 100-125 psi is good, 125-150 psi is very good, and 150 or more psi is brilliant. If your analysis is below this reach you may have something out of spec with your valves or piston rings. You might try adding one teaspoon of oil to the engine through the spark plug hole. After this, try the compression check again. If you get a higher reading this time, this is an indication that you might have bad rings. If you get about the same reading as the first check, you probably have bad valves.

Spark Check:
Now its time to check for spark. There are a few tests to accomplish this. The simplest way is to take out the spark plug and place it back in the spark plug cap. Next, ground it to the engine. You can do this by placing it on a non-painted part of the engine. Make sure you have metal-to-metal contact. Now in a somewhat dark area, try to turn over the scooter. You should see a spark at the tip of the spark plug. If the spark is blue, it means it is a nice deep spark. A pale spark is less good and a golden one is weaker still. Most scooters have a relatively weak starter system compared to automobiles so even a golden spark should be ok. Now that you know you have spark, you need to make sure it is happening at the right time. Almost every scooter manufactured after 1980 has an electronic ignition If this is the case, this is good news. These systems cannot be set and seldom go out of time. If your scooter has points, this is another issue. On these, in order to get the timing proper you will need to follow the timing procedure mentioned in the manual. generally, just before the piston reaches the top of its stroke, the spark occurs. There is small waiting stop between the spark plug fire and the fuel-air mixture ignition. This is why the spark occurs slightly early. Most spark systems have a spark advance built in so that as the engine speeds up the spark time is adjusted accordingly. This helps make sure the mixture ignites at just the right time.

Starting Fluid:
Next you need to check the starting fluid. haughty there is enough compression, spray in a little starting fluid and see if the scooter will fire up. If so, wonderful! This lets you know you have both enough compression and the right spark. Let your scooter run for just a short time on starting fluid. If this succeeds it means you have a good gamble of making your scooter to work suitably. Be sensitive however. You do not want to run your engine very long on starter fluid as it is hard on the engine.

Fuel/Air mixture:
The finishing thing to check is the mixture of fuel and air. It's important to have the right mix of each. Too much or too little of either will be a quandary. If the scooter has not been used for more than 3 months, sludgy deposits left over from evaporated gas may be manifested. Try to determine how long it has been after the scooter was last operated. If it has been more than 3 months, the fuel system and the carburetor should be cleaned out. Detach the fuel line and empty out all the old gas. Now add new fuel and make sure it flows efficiently through the petcock on the bottom of the fuel tank. If vacuum controls the petcock, then you may have to draw a vacuum on the line to get the fuel toflow to start. In these instances the minor line on the petcock is the vacuum line. Is the flow of gas good and steady? If so, great! If not, you will need to remove and cleanse the petcock. The gas flow should cease when you release the vacuum.

Next you should detach the carburetor and thoroughly cleanse it. There are a lot of very small air and fuel passageways in the carburetor that have to be clean in order for your scooter to run suitably. With care, dismantle the carburetor. This can be fairly simple on a 50cc scooter or fairly complicated on a Riva 180-200. The Riva only has limited access and 8 single hoses running to the carburetor. The carburetor has very small passages which may get clogged. The scooter won't activate suitably if the carburetor is not fully clean, so be patient and thorough. I recommend employing about a gallon of carburetor dip which you can acquire at your nearby supply store for about $11 dollars.

Initially take out all rubber and gaskets or they may get flawed. This is important. Make sure these are removed before proceeding. Now saturate the carburetor for about twenty minutes and use compressed air to blow it out. It is crucial for you to get the passageways and jets clean. ensure the jets are clean particularly the starter jet. Occasionally carb cleaner won't unclog these small jets. If this happens, make use of a guitar/piano wire, copper electrical wire or a tiny drill bit pin vise to finish the job. Be sure that the hole in the starter jet is not enlarged or the tuning will be changed. Put everything back together, looking for any cracks in the gaskets or rubber carb boots. If they are old and cracked, it's a good idea to get them replaced.

If there is an electric choke, make sure that it works. The resistance between the wires should be around 10 ohms or less on the assembly. Take the choke from the carb and the wires should be plugged into a 12V source for about 15 minutes. The choke body should be tender to the touch. Now measure again. The length should have improved by around 1/8th inches.

In our next series of articles we will cover how to inspect your gas tank for problems. We hope you find this information useful.

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Tiger Motion Inc. DBA Neo Scooters is a team found at Gas Scooters, electric Scooters, Electric Mopeds. You can find more information at www.neoscooters.com.. Visit Buying a used Gas Scooter.

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