Hello from Cat. Need input please.  By  catzcandu (Read 1,473 times)

Thank you, Alleyoop. I see you work hard answering on the boards here and it is an absolute pleasure to know a helper like you. Everyone here should feel very blessed.

The reason I asked for the manual is because I needed something to follow to get the skin off as quickly as I can and down to the parts to work on. I am outside and sleeping in my broken van in a target parking lot after loosing my job. Getting hit on my Honda last year and left in the ditch knocked into a coma (in a coma for a week, even though my helmet was on) has not helped either, plus I now need two hip replacements. My van is in a Target parking lot with no money left for insurance, so Florida has just suspended my license last few days... the custodian at the mall here is a terrible guy and will tow either of my vehicles if he figures out they are down, so I will probably walk the scooter off the property first, which is hard for me with my hips needing surgeries. Although I am a very enabled female and my first job was production mig welding for JI Case company, and running a 15 ton crane at Alcoa Aluminum in Bettendorf, Iowa... today I am 59 years old and have no help and only a few dollars left.

So I need to find something to follow to take off the retro skin and study it first.

Here is the story on the scooter. I bought the 2012 TaoTao CY50-b with 4950 miles on it a few days ago and it started fine, looks rough, as the skin was scraped and cracked around the seat and seat hinge was broken off, it had not been ridden much and looked like it had been stored outside for awhile. But it started right up three times and test drove okay and I only paid $200 for it, so I figured I could deal with a few problems. Along with the title the seller gives me a nearly new car battery and jumper cables and says the battery should be replaced soon. I have a charger so I got to the battery and saw it was fairly new but the ground wire was jimmy rigged attached to the terminal, so I fixed that and it took a charge nicely and during the next problem it was strong enough to turn the starter about 30 times and not deplete so I think that problem is solved.

I also cleaned it up as it was really dirty and bad looking. I ended up taking the flat panel off inside the seat and saw the carborater, and maybe this has something to do with the big problem I will describe in a minute. I put gas in the tank and filled it.

I drove it wheelchair scooter speed down the sidewalk for 3 miles to where my van is parked. It felt like the brakes barely worked and I had to hold down the left grip handle the entire time, but I got there and there were no symptoms with gas or stalling except that it was on high idle.

Then it rained hard.

The next day I tried to start it and it was VERY hard to start compared to the test drive. Finally it started by turning the handle for more gas about 20 times. It started and died within 20 seconds. I could only get it to do this much and this is what it has done for 20 tries now.

If you know what it is or could be, I also need to know what tools I need or where to go to read that.


Wow, thank you for reading all of this. My life may depend on getting this thing fixed.. so I am very grateful.

This is off topic, but I hope helpful.

If I recall correctly, Walmart has a policy of allowing 'travelers' to park overnight in their parking lots and not hasstle them.

If you can find a way to get your truck towed or somehow moved to the local Walmart, at least you might gain a little peace and security while you address the scooter's problems and sort out your next steps.

A thought anyway.

With all those miles on it I would first adjust the valves before adjusting the carb.
Here is good video of how to get at them and adjust them. If you do not have feeler gauges you can cut around a soda can and use that the cans are close to .003 inchs in thickness. Adjust them bot to .003 inchs or the thickness of a soda can.

Then see if it starts better and runs if not then need to adjust the carbs fuel mixture.
HOW TO ADJUST CARB:
itistheride.boards.net/thread/12/4ts-carb-tuning
 
Alleyoop

50cc scoots set both valves to .003 inch's, for 150cc scoot you can set them both to .004 inch's which I do and some do the intake .004 inch's and the exhaust .005 inch's. The 250s+ intake .004 inch's and the exhaust .006 inch's.

Plug gap .27 to .32 I set mine to .28, but may I say if bought brand new they are usually already gaped correctly.
Alleyoop

Here you can see it on the LEFT side of the picture. BUT yours may not even have a fuel filter so JUST FOLLOW the fuel hose from the CARB BACK to a Petcock or to the Gas tank and if there is a fuel filter you will run into it.
Alleyoop

Turn the fuel ratio mixture screw CLOCKWISE until it stops, THEN turn it COUNTER CLOCKWISE 2 turns and see if it starts better and stays running. It is a fuel delivery problem that you have If you could put up some pictures of the carb area and hoses or a VIDEO of it starting and running it may help see something that is not right. I ALWAYS SAY PICTURES AND VIDEOS ARE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS.

It could be as simple as the IDLE SPEED is set to low and will start and die right away. But without hearing it what and how it acts it is hard to say. So to help us help you and get this thing running take some video and pictures of what we are dealing with.
Alleyoop