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10,536 Posts
I just bought a made in China, diesel heater. Should I keep quiet?
UK
UK
My Eternal Project, or the Scooter That Refuses to Live. Any Ideas?
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1,164 Posts
Alright, so I’m getting so close to just throwing in the towel on this thing.
Tonight I got myself some new tools to play with and attacked the scooter with them. First thing out was the plug. Well... this is the cleanest used plug I have ever seen. A quick wipe with a cloth had it looking like new.
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The scooter started, ran rough, quit, then didn’t start again for the rest of the night without starting fluid. Pulling the plug again revealed it to already have carbon deposits and even a splatter of oil.
Next, I moved onto the tank and to make sure it didn’t have vapor lock, I took the cap off and tried starting with a splash of starting fluid. It actually ran worse with the cap off.
Next, I checked the wires to the spark plug coil and the coil itself. The coil looks undamaged, as does its wires. However, it could still be shot. Took everything apart and put it back together, no change.
Finally, I decided to check its oil. Oil appears to be thinned with some fuel (possible flooded cylinder?) and has the consistency of something between oil and water. Ugh..
Tonight’s session didn’t get me anywhere closer and honestly it’s made me even more reluctant to buy a new CDI, coil, and plug.
Worst yet, I’m getting absolutely no bites on Facebook or Craigslist, so it looks like I’m either going to end up selling it for a massive loss or stick it through to the end.
Alrighty kids...you’re going to hear it from probably the biggest Chinese bike fan on here, but.. I wish I hadn't gotten this thing. lol
Tonight I got myself some new tools to play with and attacked the scooter with them. First thing out was the plug. Well... this is the cleanest used plug I have ever seen. A quick wipe with a cloth had it looking like new.
The scooter started, ran rough, quit, then didn’t start again for the rest of the night without starting fluid. Pulling the plug again revealed it to already have carbon deposits and even a splatter of oil.
Next, I moved onto the tank and to make sure it didn’t have vapor lock, I took the cap off and tried starting with a splash of starting fluid. It actually ran worse with the cap off.
Next, I checked the wires to the spark plug coil and the coil itself. The coil looks undamaged, as does its wires. However, it could still be shot. Took everything apart and put it back together, no change.
Finally, I decided to check its oil. Oil appears to be thinned with some fuel (possible flooded cylinder?) and has the consistency of something between oil and water. Ugh..
Tonight’s session didn’t get me anywhere closer and honestly it’s made me even more reluctant to buy a new CDI, coil, and plug.
Worst yet, I’m getting absolutely no bites on Facebook or Craigslist, so it looks like I’m either going to end up selling it for a massive loss or stick it through to the end.
Alrighty kids...you’re going to hear it from probably the biggest Chinese bike fan on here, but.. I wish I hadn't gotten this thing. lol
Joined
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14,577 Posts
I am sooooooooooooo ashamed of you giving up, that is not like you. Sit down and approach it like an IT problem. The answer is there you just have to find it, and then correct it.
Once it is up and running get rid of that POS quick.
Once it is up and running get rid of that POS quick.
Joined
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26,748 Posts
I second the "get rid of the POS quick". I swear the Chinese are working on us at every possible level. Getting us to question are abilities is just another dig.
You better find out why your oil is so thin. That may be the cause of your problems if maybe only a round about reason.
Hang in there Miss M. :thumbsup:
You better find out why your oil is so thin. That may be the cause of your problems if maybe only a round about reason.
Hang in there Miss M. :thumbsup:
Joined
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10,536 Posts
It was unfortunate that while Europe was working on ISO 90 ? standards of quality, that the US was slow to adopt, that now we import soooooo much ****, that would never come close to meeting any minimum standard of quality.
Yet my $14.95 electric shaver works fine. My $150.00 generator runs fine.
Miss M, think of how good it is going to feel, when you get the scooter running sweet.
UK
Yet my $14.95 electric shaver works fine. My $150.00 generator runs fine.
Miss M, think of how good it is going to feel, when you get the scooter running sweet.
UK
Joined
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1,164 Posts
Since I'm not getting any offers (not even lowball ones lol) I'm basically going to stick it out since there's nothing else I can really do.
Next thing I'll be looking to do is test compression. Perhaps something much more catastrophic happened than I thought (causing the oil to thin). If that checks out, I'll replace the CDI box. Sooner or later I'll have replaced everything but the engine! At least the parts for this thing are cheap and plentiful. A failing CDI would make sense given the scooter is running worse and worse despite my fixes.
Next thing I'll be looking to do is test compression. Perhaps something much more catastrophic happened than I thought (causing the oil to thin). If that checks out, I'll replace the CDI box. Sooner or later I'll have replaced everything but the engine!
At least the parts for this thing are cheap and plentiful. A failing CDI would make sense given the scooter is running worse and worse despite my fixes.
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10,536 Posts
In the early days of idiot boxes ( CDI about 69 / 70 ) they would fail if they got wet, or if the humidity was high. The 350 Kawasaki dirt bike was the worst. The V4 Johnson and Evinrude outboard motors also had problems.
Now they we have reverted to old technology with the Chinese products, I can believe the idiot box could easily fail. We could test the early units, but there was no way to fix them.
A light just went off between my ears. My 6 hp Evinrude idiot box failed.
NAPA had one for much less $$.
UK
Now they we have reverted to old technology with the Chinese products, I can believe the idiot box could easily fail. We could test the early units, but there was no way to fix them.
A light just went off between my ears. My 6 hp Evinrude idiot box failed.
NAPA had one for much less $$.
UK
Joined
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26,748 Posts
That's good cmon but what would cause it to shear if that turns out to be the case. Just poor Chinese metal or something more catastrophic? Yeah, I try to learn something about these motorcycle engines and how they run now and then.:grin:
Joined
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1,164 Posts
Truth be told, I set a limit for myself on this one. If my latest laundry list of checks (CDI, coil, completely new plug, compression, valve clearance, etc) doesn't pan out, I'm calling it game over. I sometimes have a problem with getting into a sunk cost fallacy, but not this time!
This is especially true since I already have a replacement scooter lined up that very much isn't Chinese.
This is especially true since I already have a replacement scooter lined up that very much isn't Chinese.
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4,027 Posts
Hog: It's a designed weak point for a lot of smaller engines. If the engine meets a sudden stop (engine stalled abruptly, whatever..) the inertia of the flywheel can actually snap the crankshaft. Companies will use softer (even aluminum) flywheel keys to prevent this.
Honestly after doing a bit more research it may or may not have it - I'm really not "up" on these smaller scooters.
Understood MM, sometimes it makes sense to just cut your losses and move on.
Honestly after doing a bit more research it may or may not have it - I'm really not "up" on these smaller scooters.
Understood MM, sometimes it makes sense to just cut your losses and move on.
Joined
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1,164 Posts
The scooter I want to replace the CF Moto with is this Honda Elite 125. I'm not a fan of the massive windscreen, but that's nothing a Dremel can't fix. Those knobbies will also have to go, but at $600 I can't complain. It has an awesome pop-up headlight, runs well, has a clean title, and is allegedly ready for the road. I want to bring it home, give it a nice wash, and enjoy a comfy ride around town.
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I'm still hoping to hold on to the CF Moto for the Gambler 500, but there's always a chance I won't get to see myself taking it through mud, water crossings, and some jumps. Either way, weeding out the Chinese scoots will bring me down to just two projects (one bike, one car), and that's something I'm actually excited about.
I'm still hoping to hold on to the CF Moto for the Gambler 500, but there's always a chance I won't get to see myself taking it through mud, water crossings, and some jumps.
Either way, weeding out the Chinese scoots will bring me down to just two projects (one bike, one car), and that's something I'm actually excited about.
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10,536 Posts
The front window will cut down easily with a jig saw. And smooth the edge with a file. I have chopped a few.
UK
UK
Joined
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1,164 Posts
I know you are!
Though to a degree you are inspiring me to keep looking for new fixes.I probably won't make much progress this weekend as I can't find the darned CDI box on this thing. The wires the coil plugs into lead to a bundle of more wires that disappear into an area hands clearly weren't meant to go. So, it's time for some sleuthing!
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6,105 Posts
You have me laughing at an old memory, I was helping a friend ( 30+ years ago) work on his broken down Alfa-Romeo spyder and he told me that the problem was that I was cursing at it in English, it needed to be addressed in proper fluent Italian profanity or it would never work , he then gave me a demonstration
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1,164 Posts
Ah, see...I've been cursing at it in German and Spanish all this time!
Took another look at it this morning since it's super bright and sunny outside. I've located where the CDI likely resides. It's either on top of the fuel tank or in the dashboard. The coil's wire disappears into a bundle that leads to the front. In fact, a whole slew of wires seem to go up front.
I've been thinking about this a lot, and I do remember something that sounded like electrical arcing in the dashboard a few days before the scooter died. I'm beginning to think that maybe the CDI is damaged and is getting worse and worse over time. So my next step from here is to take apart the dashboard and see if the CDI is chilling out in there.
Took another look at it this morning since it's super bright and sunny outside. I've located where the CDI likely resides. It's either on top of the fuel tank or in the dashboard. The coil's wire disappears into a bundle that leads to the front. In fact, a whole slew of wires seem to go up front.
I've been thinking about this a lot, and I do remember something that sounded like electrical arcing in the dashboard a few days before the scooter died. I'm beginning to think that maybe the CDI is damaged and is getting worse and worse over time. So my next step from here is to take apart the dashboard and see if the CDI is chilling out in there.
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