Post by drtitus on Mar 10, 2013 15:56:43 GMT -5
Hey everyone,
I've been following the GY6 threads from the old scootdawg forum, and been really tearing my hair out trying to get my Torpedo starting reliably.
It is an Italjet Torpedo 150, which uses a water cooled 1P57QMJ. It starts mostly fine from a fresh/new battery, or from a weak battery and a car battery charger. If it sits for more than about 45 minutes it won't start again. It'll turn over and sound like everything's good but the engine doesn't fire. The thing which makes it really annoying is that it doesn't have a kick start! It means if I don't start my bike soon enough, or it doesn't fire within the first 7 seconds or so, I have to charge my battery again, or be near a mains outlet and jump it.
I have read all the stuff about the valve adjustment, and I tried setting my valves to 0.04 and 0.05 or whatever for the standard GY6. It maybe changed the way my engine ran ever so slightly, but the starting problem wasn't fixed. I then realised I had the "2 bolt valve cover" and identified my engine as the CFMOTO 1P57QMJ. I found the service manual on-line and it specified IN: 0.05mm and EX: 0.20mm which I've also tried. I like the way it runs now, but still, the starting problem is there.
I thought my other battery was dead, so I bought a new one and I found that the LCD clock was broken and constantly draining 11mA whether the key was on or not. I removed that from the circuit, and I thought I had solved it (easy starting with a new battery), but given one hard to start moment (whether it be a morning or cold) the engine won't fire. It drains the battery to a point it won't start unassisted.
I have been putting it on charge with a car battery to try and start it, and even then I have to leave it charging for 15 minutes or so to "top up" the battery before it'll start the bike. The battery has now swollen, and I suspect is performing badly. I don't want to get another just yet, until I know my bike will start well - it's very much a chicken and egg situation!
When starting the bike, the starter motor doesn't always turn, it sounds like it is "stuck" but this could just be because the battery is low in power. I haven't yet removed and checked the starter for dirt - it does seem to turn fine with a fresh battery. Do starter motors become electrically harder to turn as they age? Will a fresh starter motor be easier on my battery?
I have read that the CDIs are AC powered, and what it "feels like" to me is that it's not turning over fast enough to generate a good amount of power to run the CDI properly. (At this point I have the air filter off, and I can smell fuel) I have tried testing the spark plug against the frame, with both another plug in the engine to give compression, and without one, and under both circumstances it gives a spark. With a spark plug providing compression the spark is yellower - can a weak spark cause starting problems?
Should I get a new starter motor? I've put in new plugs, different plugs, changed the gap, adjusted the valves, put in a new battery.. I am starting to think it just needs lots of power!
It's driving me nuts, I'm almost tempted to put a solar panel and a dual battery setup into it, just to know I've always got enough juice to start, but I'd really like a more "elegant" solution. I've ordered replacement CDI and coil - do I need a performance CDI? Are they worth getting?
Should I just shell out for a good quality 9AH battery to replace the shitty swollen 7AH Poweroad that my bike just ate? What would you do next?
I've been following the GY6 threads from the old scootdawg forum, and been really tearing my hair out trying to get my Torpedo starting reliably.
It is an Italjet Torpedo 150, which uses a water cooled 1P57QMJ. It starts mostly fine from a fresh/new battery, or from a weak battery and a car battery charger. If it sits for more than about 45 minutes it won't start again. It'll turn over and sound like everything's good but the engine doesn't fire. The thing which makes it really annoying is that it doesn't have a kick start! It means if I don't start my bike soon enough, or it doesn't fire within the first 7 seconds or so, I have to charge my battery again, or be near a mains outlet and jump it.
I have read all the stuff about the valve adjustment, and I tried setting my valves to 0.04 and 0.05 or whatever for the standard GY6. It maybe changed the way my engine ran ever so slightly, but the starting problem wasn't fixed. I then realised I had the "2 bolt valve cover" and identified my engine as the CFMOTO 1P57QMJ. I found the service manual on-line and it specified IN: 0.05mm and EX: 0.20mm which I've also tried. I like the way it runs now, but still, the starting problem is there.
I thought my other battery was dead, so I bought a new one and I found that the LCD clock was broken and constantly draining 11mA whether the key was on or not. I removed that from the circuit, and I thought I had solved it (easy starting with a new battery), but given one hard to start moment (whether it be a morning or cold) the engine won't fire. It drains the battery to a point it won't start unassisted.
I have been putting it on charge with a car battery to try and start it, and even then I have to leave it charging for 15 minutes or so to "top up" the battery before it'll start the bike. The battery has now swollen, and I suspect is performing badly. I don't want to get another just yet, until I know my bike will start well - it's very much a chicken and egg situation!
When starting the bike, the starter motor doesn't always turn, it sounds like it is "stuck" but this could just be because the battery is low in power. I haven't yet removed and checked the starter for dirt - it does seem to turn fine with a fresh battery. Do starter motors become electrically harder to turn as they age? Will a fresh starter motor be easier on my battery?
I have read that the CDIs are AC powered, and what it "feels like" to me is that it's not turning over fast enough to generate a good amount of power to run the CDI properly. (At this point I have the air filter off, and I can smell fuel) I have tried testing the spark plug against the frame, with both another plug in the engine to give compression, and without one, and under both circumstances it gives a spark. With a spark plug providing compression the spark is yellower - can a weak spark cause starting problems?
Should I get a new starter motor? I've put in new plugs, different plugs, changed the gap, adjusted the valves, put in a new battery.. I am starting to think it just needs lots of power!
It's driving me nuts, I'm almost tempted to put a solar panel and a dual battery setup into it, just to know I've always got enough juice to start, but I'd really like a more "elegant" solution. I've ordered replacement CDI and coil - do I need a performance CDI? Are they worth getting?
Should I just shell out for a good quality 9AH battery to replace the shitty swollen 7AH Poweroad that my bike just ate? What would you do next?
..BAD TO THE BONE..
I will probably get a Motobatt charger with it so I can be sure not to void the warranty with improper care. I realise that jumping a scooter isn't good for the battery, but with no kick start, there are not many options.
The battery compartment is such that the battery is mounted on its side - SLA batteries don't seem to like this, and the clock drain can't have helped the battery's charge - it was probably not right from the beginning. This new Motobatt fired it up straight away with full force, and I rode home with a huge grin. When I got home I couldn't believe how well it worked. I waited an hour, then went outside and started my bike 10 times in a row, giving no gas, just to hear the battery doing an awesome job. This was unthinkable before. I couldn't notice any slowdown or audible difference after 10, and I stopped just so I didn't annoy the neighbours.
