kitty
Junior Dawg
Posts: 10
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Post by kitty on Sept 3, 2010 12:56:51 GMT -5
Hi everybody, as some of you know, I have been having scoot trouble. Sent it to a motorcycle shop, and they say it is the ignition coil. Can this be so? It's been hard starting sometimes, putting and sputtering when it does start. Sometime runs like a top. Sometimes it starts, sometimes not. Scared to ride it because towing is 150.00, plus 5.00 a mile in these parts, so it's been sent to the shop.
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Post by ce on Sept 3, 2010 14:40:03 GMT -5
That's as good as you can do, but it better run like a top after you get it back.
The coil and spark plug wire are sold as an integral unit for about $12, so if that's the problem, they should replace it.
If it's not, then hopefully they'll ferret about until they find something, fix it and you'll be good to go.
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Post by lshigham on Sept 3, 2010 15:09:01 GMT -5
It's perfectly possible, it's happened to me.
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Post by Gary on Sept 3, 2010 15:11:17 GMT -5
While the scoot is in the shop might be good to have the vlaves adjusted. Maladjusted valves can cause hard starting and poor idle. Gary
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Post by 260orbust on Sept 3, 2010 18:04:33 GMT -5
I wonder if the problems I have are due to a bad coil/weak spark? I was fiddling with it today and and hooked up a old spark plug I had. The spark color was sort of yellowish, isn't it supposed to be bright white? Then the part that connects to the plug fell apart! After figuring out how to get it back on the buttery soft metal broke. LOL So is the wire replaceable or do you have to buy a whole new coil?
I agree with you Kitty, when I first got mine I couldn't wait to hop on and go, now after being stranded twice I don't trust it to go around the corner.
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Post by Gary on Sept 3, 2010 19:34:02 GMT -5
If you sign up for AAA motorcycle coverage you get four free tows per year. The coverage cost like $70 per year. A good deal if you have a china-scoot!
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Post by earlwb on Sept 3, 2010 21:05:49 GMT -5
Yeah a coil can go bad. I had three of them go bad over time. First the ignition coils are a modified "coil on plug" or "COP" as they call them. They just use a spark plug wire instead of mounting it on the spark plug. A COP coil uses a high input voltage to generate the high voltage spark at the spark plug. With the high input voltage they can make the coil really small in comparison to the old 12v coils. But anything that causes the high voltage side to have a larger than normal air gap will quickly kill the coil. If the spark plug wire comes loose and creates a larger air gap the voltages can rapidly spike to over 250,000 volts or more. That causes the high voltage side insulation to short out or break down. When you check the coil, ensure the spark plug wire is screwed into both ends, the coil and the spark plug cap. There is a little sheet metal screw inside the hole at each end. You can snip a little off the wire to clean up the end for a good connection. Just as with the modern cars, you cannot simply unplug the spark plug wire and get it to spark to the engine block. That will probably instantaneously cause the coil to go bad. Sometimes the damage isn't too bad and the coil goes bad later on you. Also on the rear of the coil, it is common for the two input power wire bayonet connectors to be made from a soft metal and they get loose. You need to replace them if they are loose. They should go on snug and be hard to pull off without breaking the wire.
A new replacement coil comes with a extra long spark plug wire, and it is not screwed in snugly to the spark plug cap, it may look like it is, but it isn't. You can pull it out and cut the spark plug wire to length, and then screw it in. That was how I killed a coil myself in one case, before I figured it out. Also leave some extra length in the wire as the coil does not move but the engine pivots up and down as you go over bumps.
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