Honda Helix Clone fan/pump/overheating issues, top blown... By tomjmstar250 (Read 1,445 times)

[tomjmstar250]

Greetings,

I am writing after a year of trying to fix my JMStar20, a honda helix clone. The scooter got hot fast with fan never kicking in. I changed oil and flushed the cooling system and burped the engine as much as possible however the heat issue remains. Both top and bottom radiator hoses getting hot. I verified water pump working by loosening the clamp screw during the idle. I verified fan is working by direct connection. Fan never kicked in again however until I grounded directly with battery where it keeps running at all times. I added a switch so I can control it manually. So, the engine was hot but within the scale so I took it to work one day about 23 miles one way. Heat never went above the top mark however never came below ¾ either. I finally took the freeway and went about 65 mph where the scooter started to lose power and cut off. It smoked some black suite that smelled like unburnt gas. It did not shut off however and I managed to make it to work slowly. After work, it started and did not smoke that much so I did not call wife or tow service and decided to ride back home slowly. Heat went up fast and I stopped to let it cool down. Also the oil turned black. I made it home after stopping three times for ½ hr each.

After I went through some more on your website, I changed oil, flushed and burped cooling system and decided to adjust the valves. The scooter was sounding better when it was hot but now it won’t start cold. When I jump start it, it backfires and would not accelerate much. I think valve adjustment was a bad idea. My questions:

1. How to test if the engine head gaskit is blown without compression test, if yes, what is the least amount of parts I need to fix it.

2. how to make sure water pump is working or how to fix the heat/fan issue.

Please reply, we don’t get much scooting days in Minnesota and I spent a lot of money already. Thanks and … Best regards

[ellpee]

Hindsight may be 20-20, but it don't buy ya much when a problem arises. Initially, I'd have suspected a faulty temp sensor at the radiator that turns the fan on and off as coolant temperature changes. (Ballpark average, I think, is around 170 degrees.) Things you did at the front end certainly pointed to a problem with that sensor.

Sounds, though, like NOT fixing that may have caused larger internal problems with the engine that are beyond my paygrade. Reaching WAY back into my youth, I should think a blown head gasket would among other things result in a lot of smoke out the exhaust, either white if coolant or bluish if oil, and REALLY rough running especially with a one-cylinder engine, but that's a really rookie guess. Hope someone else here can help on that.

Silver lining, since yours is a Helix clone you might actually be able to find a shop to work on it, unlike me with my Chinese scoots in Tucson.

[cyborg]

Boy that's a handful,, could be one thing or a combination of things,,thermostat bad,,, or some obstruction in the cooling system,,, that's my call,,,one guy pulled out the remains of a mouse,,so it could be just about anything and it was factory too not left open so it was a Chinese mouse

[tomjmstar250]

Hi again fellow scooting comrades:
I need to change the head gaskit on my Honda scooter. Cheapest mechanic is asking $300 plus 80 for gaskit. I found the procedure on Youtube (could not create link without manually typing it) and head gaskit for $5.99 at the following site.  
.ebay.com/p/?iid=272683493334&&&dispItem=1&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F711-117182-37290-0%252F2%253Fmpre%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.com%25252Fitm%25252Flike%25252F272683493334%25253Fchn%25253Dps%252526dispItem%25253D1%2526itemid%253D272683493334%2526targetid%253D340521000207%2526device%253Dm%2526adtype%253Dpla%2526googleloc%253D9019674%2526poi%253D%2526campaignid%253D764892186%2526adgroupid%253D39783961149%2526rlsatarget%253Dpla-340521000207%2526abcId%253D978836%2526merchantid%253D116340312%2526gclid%253DCjwKEAjwja_JBRD8idHpxaz0t3wSJAB4rXW5XRKvz3FT5lttn7Y-ADp5Uc29y9V_CV9QrjeCvV9nRRoCj-jw_wcB%2526srcrot%253D711-117182-37290-0%2526rvr_id%253D1220297780579&chn=ps" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">.ebay.com/p/?iid=272683493334&&&dispItem=1&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F711-117182-37290-0%252F2%253Fmpre%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.com%25252Fitm%25252Flike%25252F272683493334%25253Fchn%25253Dps%252526dispItem%25253D1%2526itemid%253D272683493334%2526targetid%253D340521000207%2526device%253Dm%2526adtype%253Dpla%2526googleloc%253D9019674%2526poi%253D%2526campaignid%253D764892186%2526adgroupid%253D39783961149%2526rlsatarget%253Dpla-340521000207%2526abcId%253D978836%2526merchantid%253D116340312%2526gclid%253DCjwKEAjwja_JBRD8idHpxaz0t3wSJAB4rXW5XRKvz3FT5lttn7Y-ADp5Uc29y9V_CV9QrjeCvV9nRRoCj-jw_wcB%2526srcrot%253D711-117182-37290-0%2526rvr_id%253D1220297780579&chn=ps

I would greatly appreciate some elderly advise. Thanks and ...

Best regards

[ellpee]

I have no advice to offer, but will be watching this thread closely to hear how it goes for you. My nightmare is to ever have to actually crack open my engine for something like that. So if you have time to post howgozits, ideally with pictures, you'll be helping me and probably many others.

[cyborg]

Head gaskets are not all that hard to change,,, just make sure to mark cam location on the chain so it's easy assembling,,, get a decent torque wrench and take your time,,,

[cyborg]

As a side note,,, $300 to do the job isn't all that bad but the $80 gasket is a little much in my book