Need help with a couple of 49cc Chinese scooters By mechanicmomma (Read 200 times)

[mechanicmomma]

I have 3 of the 49cc Chinese scooters…2 for riding and the other for parts. One of them I had to rewire the whole thing because someone just decided to start cutting all the ground wires and several other wires throughout the harness. Besides the frame, it was in pieces in a big box. So I got all the wiring figured out, put a new battery on it, switched out the metal fuel tank for a plastic one, swapped out the spark plug for an NGK, and swapped the petcock out for a fuel pump. I got it going, and my ol man has been riding it everyday for the last 3 months everywhere with a few issues there at the end before it quit running about a month ago. The last couple of weeks before it was out of commission, he had to start hitting it with a spray of starting fluid in the carb for it to start. He didn’t have to do it every time but bout every other time he went to start it, he would have to hit it with starting fluid. Then the last week or so, he had to hit it every time he went to start it. Then the starting fluid wouldn’t even get it goin. I cleaned the carb which is the original carb that came on it, but that didn’t help. Then I figured out that it was the electric choke that wasn’t doin right. I don’t really know what I did cause I just took it out and fiddled with it a bit to make sure the needle moved up and down. Then I put it back on and it started a couple of times and ran for him. But that was all. It hasn’t started since. It’s got spark, the cdi box is good, the ignition coil is good. I tested everything with my Fluke meter. So I am at a loss. It’s bout to drive me insane. Can anyone plz help me? I would really appreciate it. I’ve only been working on small engines for bout a year or so just by trial and error and a whole lot of reading. I will make another post on this thread shortly bout my other 49cc scooter and the issues I’m having with it. Thanks y’all for any tips and advice!

[guzzijohn]

Hi, I’m glad there are some live folks on here. The various forums I use for motorcycles, snowblowers, tractors etc. are fairly active. Looking at post dates shows sparse activity. That seems the case on China Riders too. Your problem is surely carburetor plugging. An old friend and fellow racer from decades ago runs a small one man cycle repair shop. 60+% of his business is carb related. You need to learn more about how carbs work and what gets plugged up with our less than wonderful modern gas. The smaller the engine the smaller the little pilot/low speed/idle passages are and the quicker they plug when not run. My buddy stocks rubber parts for 80-90% of Japanese carbs as they are adversely affected by the alcohol in the fuel. When seasons change and stuff gets stored you either drain everything or have heavily stabilized gas left in tank. The automatic choke needs to work or richness and fouled plugs will occur. I put a manual on mine as I’m suspicious of their reliability. I could ramble all night but need sleep. Good night

[mechanicmomma]

Hey! Thx guzzijohn for replying to my post! I was beginning to think nobody gets on here which is bout my luck beins I just found this forum...lol. Can you tell me some other forums that ppl are more active on plz? And does your mechanic buddy have a website, by chance? Thx again!

[guzzijohn]

I’m hooked up to China riders and 49cc scooters.com. None are as active as my brand & model specific motorcycle forums. But keep on surfing(truckin) as I’m constantly finding new info on many things-appliances, keurig coffee machines, snowblowers etc. I found info on a friends very odd & old sears leaf shredder on the Tractor forum. I read your autochoke post and wonder if you tested it with voltage. My buddy Tommy at The Cycleshop doesn’t have a site and is probably closing this fall after being in the business for 40 years. He’s very tired of it and the motorcycle industry is in decline. He gets contracted occasionally to repossess inventory of closing dealerships nationwide. It is interesting to recall the incredible boom of the 60s through the 90s but it seems humanity has lost interest in cycles with today’s cell phone electric bike age. Part of the problem with bikes is the upkeep. There are tens of thousands sitting moldering away as the cost and lack of knowledge condemns them to dust and cobwebs. Most buy them as toys whereas some like me commuted my entire 34 year career as a mechanic. Tommy got in a early 80s 900 Ninja today for refurbishment. The guy was the original owner and had only put 14,000 on it over 40 years! Just letting them sit over the winter takes some preparation. Anyway enough bs for now. Ask questions, send pix and I’ll try to help. These machines can be a curse of sorts. I put a post on CR and Facebook to swap stuff for another scooter project. A guy replied he has a Tank 150 and a little 50 I can have free. Bye,GJ

[mechanicmomma]

That's awesome bout the 150 and 50 for free! So how do I test the autochoke with meter? I read somewhere that you can check to see if an autochoke is good by sticking it in the freezer. Is that true? Now I have another issue. I have smoke coming from the exhaust side of the carburetor and it's not idling very high at all. I adjusted the valves, but I don't know for sure that it was at TDC because it just didn't look or feel like it was even after making sure it was lined up and it pushed my little screwdriver out. It will run. It was pouring fuel out of the exhaust the whole time it was running, but now it's just smoking. And when I went to take the valve cover off, I heard a bunch of air spewing out like there was a bunch of pressure. I've never heard that before. What does it mean? Thank you for all your help. I truly appreciate it.