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Post by ericcruz on Sept 23, 2013 17:13:47 GMT -5
Not long ago my scooter wouldn't stay running because the valves were out of adjustment. About 500 miles & less than 2 months later they needed to be adjusted again. After checking the lock nut that tightens the adjusters in place, both were tightly secure & adjusters were still in same position. Can anyone tell me if it Is typical or common for a 2012 TaoTao CY50-T3 scooter with QMB139 engine to need a valve adjustment this frequently or is there a problem somewhere else causing the valves to lose adjustment this often?
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Post by ericcruz on Sept 22, 2013 14:37:55 GMT -5
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Post by ericcruz on Sept 11, 2013 2:18:22 GMT -5
I bought a 2012 TaoTao CY50-T3 in July w/ approx 7500 km, rode about 60 miles & kept dying due to adjusters on rocker arms needed reset. Took several attempts to get it just right & discovered the bolt holes were stripped on the engine casing that secures the chrome tubing plate to the head just below the valve cover. That's when I realized how soft the engine case actually is. Put another 1000 miles on it & the valves started pinging loud so I tried re-adjusting rocker arm adjusters several times again with no luck yet & started wondering if valves need re-worked. Considering tapping out all the bolt holes to cut new threads & install permanent bolts into the engine case so I can fasten the valve cover w/ nuts & lock washers to eliminate stripping any of remaining bolt holes. I'd really appreciate any thoughts on this approach & if it sounds like my guess on the valve re-work is spot on, entire bracket assy w/ rocker arms & adjusters need replaced or keep trying to adjust the rocker arm adjusters.
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Post by ericcruz on Aug 9, 2013 16:49:54 GMT -5
It pertains to being unable to figure out why the original stock carb reached the end of it's life after only 1-1/2 yrs unless the shop missed something with it's diagnostics. Vast majority of the time a carb can be repaired or restored with a complete rebuild kit over & over for many years. However this is the 1st scooter I've owned even though I've rebuilt small engine carbs including a few street bikes for 20+ yrs.
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Post by ericcruz on Aug 9, 2013 10:19:25 GMT -5
Why would a 1-1/2 yr old stock carburetor need to be recycled or disposed of if it's been properly cared for & never abused?
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Post by ericcruz on Jul 31, 2013 14:53:37 GMT -5
I wonder if anyone here has tried to make a gasket as opposed to using a pre-fab replacement or silicone? When I removed the cover that protects the variator & clutch, the gasket came off in pieces and forgot to buy a replacement with the new variator. After much consideration, I decided to make one using roofing felt paper (already had a new roll sitting in the corner going to waste). It was easy to cut out, punched out the bolt holes using an ink pen and the shape looks identical to a manufactured replacement. I've done this before on a lawn mower carburetor mount & the gasket out-lived the remaining life of the mower for the next 5 yrs.
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Post by ericcruz on Jul 31, 2013 13:59:53 GMT -5
Try tapping lightly on the side of the reservoir as you attempt to unscrew the reservoir cap making sure the tool is the proper size & fully seated. If that doesn't work try using a Craftsman Easy-out.
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Post by ericcruz on Jul 31, 2013 13:53:04 GMT -5
I'd be inclined to assume there were no PDI's performed and the assembly team's only concern is slapping it together & making sure it starts & rides away. These guys were most likely trying to scratch out a living & only source of feeding their families.
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Post by ericcruz on Jul 31, 2013 3:03:36 GMT -5
I bought a DLH High Performance Variator Complete Set so I can replace the stock variator. The set comes with 9 rollers consisting of 3 different weight sizes i.e. (3) - 5 grams, (3) - 7 grams & (3) - 9 grams. Since the variator holds 6 rollers, do I need to buy 3 additional matching weight rollers or do I use 2 different sizes i.e. (3) - 5 grams, (3) - 7 grams and stagger them inside the variator?
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Post by ericcruz on Jul 30, 2013 1:11:21 GMT -5
It seems a quickly worn out drive belt is a common issue with new scooters & mine was no exception over the weekend. Felt lucky cause it was original stock & scooter is 1.5 yrs old w/ 7.5k+ miles. When I pulled the cover off, it looked like the belt snapped & wrapped around one of the pulleys. Since I've never changed one, I'm unsure if it's relatively easy or more to it than meets the eye & don't really know where to start. I've heard talk about replacing it with a gates belt, replacing the variator fan & inspecting the pulleys & clutch. Seems like a huge waste of time & money if I burn up a new belt and a bigger problem lies eleswhere or overlook addt'l preventive maintenance. Also seems to makes sense to go ahead & replace the rollers with quality upgrade if I need to dig into it but don't know anything about them or what type to invest in.
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Post by ericcruz on Jul 30, 2013 0:31:02 GMT -5
Will a bad switch cause the brake light to stay on constantly? Something just didn't seem right & couldn't figure it out. I performed a basic bench test on the switch & it kills the circuit when it's pressed in. The odd part was both wires connected to the switch were hot with juice regardless if the switch was on or off. I had to run a jumper wire from one of the terminals directly to the socket in order for the brake light to turn on when the brake lever is pressed.
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Post by ericcruz on Jul 25, 2013 20:44:48 GMT -5
It sounds like it's basically throttling down. When it starts out & reaches about 10mph (speedometer didn't work when I bought it), it feels like it's holding back on some of the power & much slower to build up speed. When it finally tops out it pings loudly until I let off the throttle. It took several attempts to adjust the valves and don't believe they're set right. Now I'm in a worse prediciment because I stripped the 2 screws that hold the valve cover air tube onto the front of the motor. Had considered using loctite or JB Weld on the screws & coating the gasket on both sides with hi temp silicone but I doubt it'll provide an air tight seal that it needs.
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Post by ericcruz on Jul 25, 2013 0:44:09 GMT -5
Couldn't figure out what went wrong & was ready to give up on my T3 if it hadn't been for this site & other's experience shared here. Thanks a heap scootnwinn! The valve adjustment worked like a charm and I'm back in the saddle again - woohoo!! It took a few trys & finally got it close enough to stay running however it's pinging pretty good when it finally levels out at top speed. The only difference is if I take off going uphill it doesn't respond like it should and feels like something is trying to hold it back. Does anyone know if I need to adjust the air/fuel mixture screw carb?
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Post by ericcruz on Jul 24, 2013 23:54:42 GMT -5
Missed the freedom that only 2 wheels can provide on OR off the road. The 50cc's feel much safer w/ speed restriction especially when age & disability are a significant factor. If texting & driving was born when I owned a couple of mid-sized motorcycles, I'd be nothing more than a memory today!
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Post by ericcruz on Jul 24, 2013 23:27:01 GMT -5
Styrofoam containers!! My grandmother stored personal belongings i.e. metal, glass, plastic AND paper products in square 1/2" thick styrofoam boxes in the late 70's & remained unopened in basement storage until she passed away in '03. Had the task of sorting her entire estate & was shocked to discover everything in the containers hadn't aged at all.
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