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Post by johnny3d on Oct 9, 2017 3:43:41 GMT -5
I moved out to South Dakota a about four years ago. The scooter started running a little rough, so I attempted to adjust the carb a little. I thought perhaps the altitude chance (from sea level up to about 3500ft above sea level) was causing the air fuel mixture to be off a little. Well... I only made a slight adjustment and then it... well... never started again.
I tried to fix it, but to no avail. It would turn over, but no spark. I ended up replacing the spark plugs, the CDI, the ignition coil, and the ignition cable. However, still no spark. After trying to figure it out and failing to do so over and over, I lost hope, pushed it into a corner of my garage, and threw a sheet over it. I tried for a while to see if I could find a mechanic that would work on it and get it working for me, but I couldn't find anyone willing to work on it.
Fast forward about three years to today. I was cleaning out the garage today and decided to move the scooter to my garage workshop instead. I got to thinking about making another attempt at fixing it.
So... my question is, how would you suggest I proceed with trying to figure out how to fix it? Do any of you happen to know of a mechanic that would work on it in the Spearfish, South Dakota area? Should I even bother now that it has been sitting for a few years?
I figure I'll have to get a new battery for it. I considered buying a new Stator, CDI, Ignition Coil, and Ignition cable and just replacing everything having to do with producing a spark...
Anyway... thanks for your time and I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say about it.
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Post by kevinharrell on Oct 9, 2017 5:37:04 GMT -5
Fix it. You already changed out all the ignition parts, so, there is something that you are overlooking.
All you need to do is take it apart again, unplug and replug all the connections, and put it back together. You will find nothing wrong, you will not knowingly change anything, but, for some unknown reason it will work again.
Sometimes this method works like magic. What have you got to loose.
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Post by johnny3d on Oct 9, 2017 21:05:54 GMT -5
Maybe... I had taken it apart and put it back together about 15-20 times before without a positive result. That's pretty much how I ended up putting it up in a corner. Felt like I was simply wasting my time because I didn't know enough of what to check or what to do to fix it and couldn't find the answers. It's especially frustrating when it feels like it "should" work and for some unknown reason it simply doesn't.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Oct 10, 2017 7:55:42 GMT -5
the ignition system on these scoots are pretty simple.
you have a pulse pickup located inside the engine with the stator.
the CDI.
the coil.
the plug.
that's it.
there are some safegaurds, like a sidestand cutoff switch, but these can be simply unplugged to bypass them.
if all of the items you replaced actually work, then the only options you overlooked are the cutoff switches and the pulse pickup.
also, seeing as the scoot sat for 6 months, personally i would squirt some mobile1 into the cylinder (not much) and turn the engine over a few times before i fired it up.
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Post by spandi on Oct 10, 2017 10:15:36 GMT -5
This is rather elementary, but is the battery holding a charge and is the kill switch functioning as it should? (the initial problem might have been carb related, but after sitting so long who knows?)  |
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Post by maxtera on Oct 10, 2017 15:19:59 GMT -5
I say fix it. I had a 2007 Jonway and as you know they are a clone of the Honda Reflex. I had the same issue with mine when I first bought it in Feb 2017. I had did everything you mentioned and mine would turn over but not start. Frustrated, I put the spare carburetor on and it started. I later found out that the starter enrichment valve on the carburetor was the culprit. I had either replaced or checked out every electrical component except the SE valve and it was the bad part.
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Post by spandi on Oct 11, 2017 21:51:03 GMT -5
I say fix it. I had a 2007 Jonway and as you know they are a clone of the Honda Reflex. I had the same issue with mine when I first bought it in Feb 2017. I had did everything you mentioned and mine would turn over but not start. Frustrated, I put the spare carburetor on and it started. I later found out that the starter enrichment valve on the carburetor was the culprit. I had either replaced or checked out every electrical component except the SE valve and it was the bad part. hmm, I think you might have hit the nail on the head. |
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Oct 12, 2017 9:56:41 GMT -5
i don't see how a malfunctioning SE valve would prevent your scoot from starting.
they either have fail open or closed.
if they fail open, this is the normal position for starting.
if they fail closed, then choking the intake will start the scoot.
the only other possibility would be a shorted turn, and this would cause an excessive current drain on the system.
i doubt if this would be enough to cause a no start, but it seems it would prevent WOT.
SE valves can definitely cause idling and running problems though.
i found a way to disable mine, and i had no problems starting my ride down to about 50 or so degrees.
i didn't ride in colder temps.
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Post by maxtera on Oct 12, 2017 15:26:21 GMT -5
I'm by no means a mechanic, so choking the intake was not something I knew at the time, as a step to take in order to start my scooter. All I'm saying is that what he listed as the steps he took and the results he got were the exact same as mine. Luckily, I had a spare carb and when I put it on, my scooter started right away. To further confirm my results I bought a new SE valve and put it on the spare carb, with the hopes of selling it on eBay, when it didn't sell I decided to keep it. And the next time I had the scooter apart prior to my selling it I changed out the carburetor again and just as I suspected the scooter started up. So based on that, I deduced that the SE valve was bad. Some of my more mechanically informed scooter rider friends said that it could also be the stator but I was lucky and got it right, for my scooter, the first time. Good luck.
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Post by chewbaca on Oct 12, 2017 16:19:11 GMT -5
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Post by johnny3d on Oct 13, 2017 0:17:31 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice, guys. I think my next step is to buy a Spark Plug Tester like Chewbaca recommended. Then I'll test and find out for sure if it is a no-spark situation or not. From there I should have a better idea of how to proceed.
In the event of that I should need to buy some parts for the scooter, do you guys have a recommendation for a site for me to order parts from? I'd prefer quality/tested parts over no-name but extremely cheap parts if possible since I really want to avoid the same feeling of spending money on parts and not actually fixing it like I did last time.
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Post by lostforawhile on Oct 13, 2017 8:42:01 GMT -5
if the scooter has been sitting that long with ethanol gas in the carb, then get a cheap carb on ebay and just replace it, did you check your petcock valve under the tank? they are dirt cheap and fail all the time. all your old gas needs to come out of the tank and carb anyway. did you ever actually check the spark? a weak spark will spark outside of the combustion chamber but not under compression. I'm having this issue now, and I suspect a weak charge coil on the stator, a new stator and the tool to remove the flywheel are only 25 bucks on amazon. did you check your valve clearances?
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Post by maxtera on Oct 13, 2017 23:45:44 GMT -5
In the event of that I should need to buy some parts for the scooter, do you guys have a recommendation for a site for me to order parts from? I'd prefer quality/tested parts over no-name but extremely cheap parts if possible since I really want to avoid the same feeling of spending money on parts and not actually fixing it like I did last time. I bought my parts from either Partzilla.com or BikeBandit.com, Partzilla is a little cheaper in price and they have free shipping when you spend $149 dollars. I had a 2007 Jonway and all of the body panels, the windshield, taillight assembly, luggage rack and even the foot pegs are interchangeable with the Honda Reflex. You can also try the Japanese company Webike, if you want to get Jonway parts specifically although I only bought my shorty windshield from them. |
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