Trying again: 150cc craigslist scooter

[fratermus]

Got the new eBay stator in. Aaaaaaaaaand one of the wires isn't soldered down.



By looking at other pics it looks like it should be soldered where the coil to the right is anchored. On my OEM stator the white wire dives down somewhere I can't see to tell if it's soldered in. And the loose wire doesn't seem long enough to reach, anyhow. Maybe that's why it's not connected...

I emailed the eBay seller for their input. I will wait to hear back from them before I try to force it over to the apparent solder point.

[Weldangrind]

Odd.


I can't see where it should be going. I hope the seller cooperates.

[fratermus]

Yes the seller saw the pic and shipped a replacement the same day. I should have it Monday, and will install it Tuesday (lord willing and the creek don't rise).

[Weldangrind]

Do you have to return the defective unit? If not, maybe you can repair it when you have a good one to compare with.

[fratermus]

The seller shipped the replacement and didn't require me to send in the bad one:



I will mess with the broken wire one and see if I can get enough slack to solder the white wire back down. Keep it on the shelf as a spare, I suppose.

The good stator is installed and produces a nice dancing spark like I am used to seeing. Scoot is up and running again! I could be imagining things but it seems to be idling a bit better.

While I was in there I put an "upgrade" fan in it. Didn't weigh it but it is lighter and the vanes appear to be more aggressive. In Texas any extra moving air across the engine will be welcomed:



I've got some errands to run tomorrow but will try to get it inspected and registered if time allows.

[tortoise]

Originally Posted by fratermus

put an "upgrade" fan in it . . any extra moving air across the engine will be welcomed

Performance fans typically flow LESS air (reduced parasitic drag) . . review.

[fratermus]

Originally Posted by tortoise

Performance fans typically flow LESS air (reduced parasitic drag) . . review.

Interesting. I didn't take any IR temp readings before the change. Maybe I'll take some now and swap back at some point and compare readings.

Most of the reviews I saw were positive but no one mentioned taking measurements.

[fratermus]

Here is a victory photo with spanking new plate:



I rode it about 10miles to the inspection point then to the DMV. I think I have found an objective downside to letting the RPM stay down in the 4.5k range with the 12g sliders. The area was slightly hilly and the scooter lost RPM on the hills. I think at 4K RPM it doesn't have enough torque to get the contra to drop the gearing.

I do have a roller weight tuning kit now and likely start playing with it. I think 10g sliders are in my future.

[fratermus]

A couple of interesting developments. Got a refund from Dairyland insurance when they combined the scooter liability with my road bike's full coverage. The NC by itself was $400/yr and after adding the scooter it dropped about $20. I guess they count on me crashing the cheap scoot 50% of the time. :-)

Turbo fan test: I did a test route then tested the heat at the valve cover (it was accessible) with the 'turbo' fan. Average 156F in a few different spots. I did some other stuff, swapped back to the OEM fan and tested: 158F average. So too close to see a difference with my unscientfic method. I'm calling it a wash for now.

Did a couple of roller weight test runs and noted RPM:
12g sliders from before = 4.5K WOT
test kit average 10g rollers = 5k WOT
test kit average 8g rollers = 6k WOT
test kit average 6.5g rollers = 6k WOT <--- interesting

I assume the RPM should have gone up with the 6.5, but maybe my machine is not running optimally (fuel/air?) or something else keeping it from going over 6k. Pickup is noticeably stronger at 6k.

I also installed the new keyset. Ignition was trivial, the glovebox was a pain to get to. I can't get the seat release to pull far enough yet; might have to tweak the bracket.

[Ron B]

so hows the scoot doing?

[fratermus]

Good, I've been putting a lot of miles on it until recent rains.

I have been investigating a puddle of oil under the carb. Looks like I got carried away when I started ripping out unneeded components. In think one of them was an OEM oil catch can that was holding and returning oil to the valve cover area.

I tried using a longer run of tubing with a filter at the end to see if that would hold the excess while running. I revved it out on the stand and it seemed to work fine, but when I rode it at WOT it puked out the filter. So I think I will try the hamster bottle catch can mod as described on prodawg.

[tortoise]

Originally Posted by fratermus

puddle of oil under the carb

If originating via the valve cover vent . . usual suspects are too much engine oil, or excessive piston ring blow-by. Consider experimenting with adding 1 tablespoon (½ ounce) of 2-stroke oil per gallon of gas, unless you are already using 1 ounce per gallon of Seafoam. The supplemental top end oil may, or may not, reduce blow-by.

Material Safety Data Sheet comparisons . . .

Seafoam per MSDS:
Pale Oil 40-60%
Naphtha 25-35%
Isopropyl Alcohol 10-20%

Berryman's B12 per MSDS:
Toluene 40-50%
Acetone 20-30%
Methanol 20-30%
Methyl Ethyl Ketone <5%
Isopropyl Alcohol <5%
2-Butoxyethanol <5%


If origination is unclear, another scenario . . .

[fratermus]

I may have also messed up when I was deleting the PCV (?) setup. I watched some YT vids on vacuum line simplification and may have misunderstood. I routed what I took to be the crankcase vent (in the right in this pic):



... back to the airbox snorkel running from the filter to the carb, not realizing oil could get in that line. I think the oil was pooling in the snorkel and dripping out of the tube/snorkel interface onto the top of the case. Which would imply a leak there. [also, I just rewatched t , and he ran from the PCV port to the air filter, not the snorkel. Perhaps that would result in less vacuum pulling on it.]

I pulled that end of the snorkel, observed oil in it, cleaned and replaced/tightened. I have not run it since I made that observation as it's been raining and I have been researching.

I'll drain and refill the case with a known amount of oil so I will have a good baseline. In the meantime I ordered a catchcan. I will also try the oil additives you recommend. I assume that would show improvement if the problem were with the piston rings.

[fratermus]

Next day off is Tuesday, so I will work on the oily issue then. I am suspecting overfill since I tend to fill to the top of dipstick crosshatches, and my recent reading suggests GY6 engines like about halfway up the crosshatches.


Thanks for everyone's input and interest.

[Weldangrind]

What did you find on Tuesday?