Delayed start after ride...Please Help!

[Haden]

Whenever I start up my bike and ride somewhere, I cant start it up again after i shut it off until i hold the starter for about a minute. If i stop at a gas station to get a drink then I come back after buying my drinnk and I cant start it until i practicly drain the battery by holding the starter and it eventtually sttarts up. If my bike is sitting for at least a couple hours then it will start up right away. I am trying to make this as clear as possible so somebody please help!

thanks,
Haden

[Sev]

Bike - make, model, year, miles, general condition etc etc

is it carbed?

How does it run once you get it going?

Have you done anything new to it recently? Any work on it or anything?


If I had to hazard a guess it'd be a fueling problem... carbed bike? Maybe clean the carbs, and get the choke adjusted. Do you use the choke when you get back on?

If it's a FI bike, then I've got no ideas short of changing the spark plugs and the air filter.


This post belongs in the garage forums.

[Haden]

sorry i didnt kno where to post this.

but anyways, when I say bike i mean a 150cc scooter
Its some asian brand,like this one
http://abacus-es.net/share/imgfetch/sco ... crate1.jpg
(btw im 14, thats why i have a scooter)
Its a 2005 with about 2000 miles on it
Good condition
Runs fine


I just changed the spark plugs, and if it was the spark plug then I would think it wouldnt start up right away after its been sitting for a while.

Got any ideas?



EDIT:: I dont know what carbed means..sorry.
And also it started doing this after sitting for the winter so maybe something is clogged or gunked up......I changed the oil and spark plug about a month ago

[Sev]

ARGH, I hate the chinese crap.

Does it have a choke on it (this is a 50/50 shot)? If so, you might need to use it even when it's hot...

Problem is that chinese stuff is rarely well built, the carbs are pretty cheap and as such don't flow fuel very well. You can try turning up the idle somewhat... or "giving it the finger" which is a rude way of saying rev the throttle a little while trying to start it. Really with a bike like yours you want the idle as fast as you can get it before the centrifugal clutch starts kicking in. Simply because that's the easiest way to get them to start reliably.

Not really sure what else to tell you, short of a little (or a lot) of tinkering it can be tough to get a bike like yours nailed down.


PS, do not be ashamed of the fact you're riding a skooter. You're riding, and that makes you cool in my books.

[Haden]

Lol im glad im cool anyways
I think i found the idle but it is really hard to get to in order to turn it up
Also, I ride dirtbikes so i know what a choke looks like and I cant seem to find one on my scooter

"Really with a bike like yours you want the idle as fast as you can get it before the centrifugal clutch starts kicking in."
--Do I need to buy a new spring for this or something?

When i give it the finger it sounds like the fuel is running thru it or something but it still doesnt start.

Is there anything that I should try cleaning?

If someone asked about these scooters i def would not recommend b/c me and my friend both have had problems with our scooters

Thanks for the help

[Nibblet99]

My money would be on running a compression test with the engine block warm, but thats just going to lead to burnt fingers

[paul246]

Sounds like a simple case of "vapour lock". You most likely are getting a small bubble of vapourized fuel developing in the fuel supply somewhere close to the engine. Its the heat radiating from the engine after shutdown that "boils" the fuel and forms the "lock". Once everything cools down the fuel vapour recondenses back to a liquid state and allows the fuel to flow normally.

Look for any fuel line that is routed close to the engine. If the engine is heavily shrouded under body work you may have to enlarge the cooling passages to allow more airflow. If possible, see if you can operate the scooter without the panels in place and see if there is an improvement. That should give you a clue as to the cause if it is vapour lock.

[big_ry_ry]

also for cleaning the carbs (Carburetor) you could use sea foam works great!


http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUpConsumer.htm


Also if you want to know more about carbs here is a brief intro
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question377.htm/printable

[Haden]

I already tried to use fuel line cleaner and that didnt seem to help so I guess ill just try to look for a feul line and see if i can get cool air to it.

Thanks fo the help.

[flynrider]

I think Paul put his finger on the problem. In addition to miserable build quality, the cheap Chinese bikes also suffer from serious deficiencies in engineering.

One important factor in engineering a fuel system is to route the fuel lines so that resisual engine heat will not boil the fuel in the lines. The obvious result is vapor lock when trying to start it hot. The OP's symptoms seem to confirm that diagnosis. Continually running the starter will eventually draw down some cooler fuel from the fuel tank and the bike will start.

Two things, Haden.

One, check out the fuel lines running from the fuel tank to the carb, after you've been riding for awhile. Feel the lines for a hot spot. Your best bet will be to do your own engineering and reroute the lines so that the are not exposed to so much engine heat.

Second, do not run your starter for a minute at a time. Starter motors are generally designed to crank for 15-20 seconds max. You have to let them cool down for a minute or two before cranking again. If you keep cranking away like you have been, your starter motor will burn out soon. Frankly, I'm amazed that a Chinese starter motor would survive a full minute of contiuous cranking. Maybe they import those from Japan