[KDS4444]

So those scratches on the piston don't seem all that serious to you? Gosh, I hope you are right! Although if so, then my problem, whatever it was, still remains... Do you think, then, that the problem all along has been something inside my crank case? This would explain why my rear tire wouldn't move after the second breakdown, I guess, since if the clutch bell somehow got "locked" to the clutch proper it would have become very difficult to turn the wheel (which, as said, it was). The symptoms certainly seemed to fit with a lean seize, but maybe not?



Okay, now I have to go back down to the scooter and have a more serious look at that clutch and figure out why it was staying engaged. If nothing else, I have at least given my cylinder and piston a thorough cleaning and overhaul and new gaskets, perhaps forestalling possible future problems there! (though let's be honest, it's a 19-year-old machine, and things are gonna give out on it from time to time— but it's all I got to drive!).


...Sometime later...


I think I have the clutch thing figured out. I had removed the bell and was looking at the big nut that holds the rest of the clutch together. It seemed to have circular wear marks on it. I thought this was strange. And when I screwed the bell on tight, it seemed like this is where the bell was coming into contact with the rest of the clutch.


Well, it WAS where the bell was coming into contact with the clutch: because I had not screwed that nut on super tight when I had finished replacing the springs on the clutch shoes, and that nut was slowly coming loose inside the crank case, pushing it up against the bell.


I feel a little like an idiot here, but bear with me as I tighten that nut down, reassemble the clutch/ variator, re-seal the cylinder, lube it up, and see if it runs. Oh, and return the air jet to factory specs. Of course. Wish me luck!