Trouble starting/running

[Trev]

Hi All. Hope you can offer some guidance for me.

I've had my SSR Verona 150 (http://www.ssrmotorsports.com/store/scooter/verona150.htm) for about 5 months and it was running/starting great in the first few months, I ride it pretty much daily in Northern California. I had previously gone through the Big Guy PDI and replaced all the fuel lines, spark plug, fuel filter, fuse, etc, etc.

Over the past month or so I noticed that it would take two tries to get it to start which I wasn't overly concerned about at the time. The first attempt it would always turn over, but then die.

A week ago it failed to start one day at around 11am despite plenty of tries on the starter, attempted kick starting, etc. It just wouldn't turn over. So I pulled the spark plug and put in the one that came with it from the factory (only spare on hand at the time, but it was a NGK CR7HSA) and it started up on the second press. It was idling a little rough though and I noticed that when taking off from the lights I would get some disconcerting hesitation before the power came in. Top speed or fuel consumption doesn't appear to be affected, just idle and starting off.

Today it failed to start again at around 9am so I replaced the spark plug again with a brand new one but nothing. I just got home now after leaving it in the sun for the first half of the day and it started right up, though it was laboring a bit at idle.

I'm hoping I can get some diagnostic advice to find the issue and get it going.

[inuyasha]

Hi
Check your valves, having trouble starting is a sympton of improperly adjusted valves
Take care and ride safely
Yours Hank

[carasdad]

Ditto what hank said..classic valve symptom...:scoot:

[Trev]

Thanks guys. Would you know of any good guides on how to perform the check?

[Guest_3]

Trev, Here ya go.

PS, Nice looking scoot you have. :tup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0K-ytyjOFg

[Trev]

Perfect, thank you! Shall give it a go tomorrow.

And yep, loving my ride! Never looked back since getting rid of the four-wheeled cage, except of course for the bus rides past couple of days :)

[Trev]

Hi All,

So I adjusted the valves over the weekend. One was right down below .0015" and the other right around .002. I went out to .004 on both though I was having trouble finding much consensus on the proper gap. It ran after the adjustment was made, though took a few starts to get it going. The next day I got nothing, both in the mornings, and after its been sitting in the sun, the starter just cranks away but nothing, kicking also gets nowhere. Any more ideas? Did I use the wrong gap? Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated.

-Trev

[blueboy5000]

Adjust the top (intake) to .004" and the bottom (exhaust) to .005". That is the proper valve lash gap.

Make sure all wires are firmly connected to the coil and CDI.

Also, invest in a "test plug", or spark-window (which cost about 5 bucks) at any autoparts store, this allows you to visually check for presence of spark without removing the spark plug.

[Trev]

I tested the plug by holding it against the engine and it's getting spark. But I noticed that the plug was bone dry, and given I'd been turning the thing over and over I would have thought that there should be some fuel on it?

I took the fuel line of the vacuum pump/valve on the carb side and it sprays fuel while I hold the starter, so I don't think the pump is to blame. Any other ideas?

[Trev]

Just sprayed some carb cleaner into the spark plug hole and it started, ran for a second or two then died out.

[Trev]

Further tests. I removed the auto choke and checked its resistance. It showed 7 ohms across the terminals cold. I hooked it up directly to the battery and it extended a little over an 1/8th of an inch in 4 minutes.

Any other things that could be to blame here? I'm expecting a carb cleaning day soon, but would rather rule out any other easier problems that you can think of first.

[finaljudgement]

Try spraying starter fluid though the air filter. If it starts, you have a fuel issue. I had an intermittent problem like that and it ended up being a fuel filter.

Good luck.

Finaljudgement

[Trev]

Ummmm. :shrug:

With the choke out I was able to get to the fuel line at the carb, so I took it off, sucked on the vacuum line and sprayed a bit more fuel around. Reinstalled the choke just by pressing it in as well as the fuel/vac lines (although rather than passing through the little portal in the frame I just had them lying on top of the frame instead) and tried to start. It went. I just took it for a ride and there was no hesitation, still takes a couple of presses to get it going but there was no trouble once it was running.

The little tube the two lines previously went through is nice and wide and there weren't any visible line kinks or anything.

I'm utterly confused as to why it's running now, but maybe there was a blockage in the fuel line from the pump to the carb??

I was thinking of getting a "performance" orange coil and an iridium plug to try and get the starts more reliable. Any thoughts on this idea?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HDIP9I/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008O1N1JE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AGINYPD9X8MQG

Any ideas as to why I would experience these problems? I really was just pulling components, testing them and putting them back. Nothing seemed to be wrong!

Anyhow, it appears I'm riding again, WOO!

[finaljudgement]

I had to blow through my fuel line once to get my Goldwing going. It was a fuel filter in that case too. It might be that you had an obstruction and managed to blow it out.

Finaljudgement