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Post by freedomscoot on Oct 22, 2011 14:23:05 GMT -5
 Hey guys, Well....my Tao Tao T3 only has about 100 miles on it, so I realize it is not broken in yet and will not be at optimum performance levels yet...but THIS is ridiculous! I filled the tank yesterday with 93 octane and took an 11 mile ride on country roads....and much of it on back roads, so it wasn't WOT the whole time... I get home and discover I had used nearly a quarter of a tank! 45 miles per gallon for a 50cc scooter? Even for being not broken-n yet...this is crazy! The scoot runs like a dream, otherwise. What is wrong?  HELP! |
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Post by Diesel Discordian on Oct 22, 2011 14:33:21 GMT -5
Ethenol 93 octane? With 10% ethenol added for the so called value? Most gas stations, that is all they sell now.
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Post by yensid77 on Oct 22, 2011 16:36:02 GMT -5
have you emptied a tank yet, my gas gauge shows empty at half a tank.
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Post by mainepeace on Oct 22, 2011 18:31:52 GMT -5
I agree with yensid... check the gas gauge first. You should not get that bad a gas mileage on a stock 50 without it leaking like a sieve all over the driveway. I bet the float just needs to be adjusted. If you take off the fuel sending unit on the top of the gas tank under the seat bucket (turn 1/4 turn with a screwdriver or vice grips) you can remove it. Most likely the float arm just needs to be bent a bit down so that it registers the right amount. It's a "generic" float sending unit and actually only travels about 3/4 of the way down the tank, so you can adjust it up or down to your liking. i.e. so that it shows F with a full tank but E when you have a bit of gas left, or that it shows E when you truly have an empty tank.
Greg
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Post by freedomscoot on Oct 22, 2011 19:00:07 GMT -5
The gas gage is accurate- I had fixed it already + checked the gas level with a manual fuel measuring device (a.k.a a stick).
Ethanol might account for a 10-15% loss...but not a 50+% reduction in mileage. (I had never checked my mileage before, 'cause I've mostly been doing little short rides since getting the scoot. It was just a co-inky-dink that I filled the tank before taking this "long" ride, and discovered how bad the mileage is).
Wonder if my belt could be slipping or if there could be a problem in the variator? Some of you may remember me mentioning previously, that it seems like the scooter has a hard time taking off...have to give it full throttle, and it barely moves- and doesn't seem as fast as when I first got it.......
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Post by inuyasha on Oct 22, 2011 19:04:10 GMT -5
Hi
My first few tanks seemed to go very fast and with not many miles as well
Now that im at a little over 1300 miles it lasts forever
Been getting between 90 and 100 mpg and thats riding moderately hard half to 3/4s throttle
I would give her a little time to get broken in and see how she does then
Take care and drive safely dear friend
Yours Hank
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Post by mainepeace on Oct 22, 2011 19:04:20 GMT -5
Perhaps the mixture is a bit off, too rich perhaps? Pull the plug and see.
It's also possible the clutch is slipping.
Greg
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Post by tvnacman on Oct 22, 2011 19:17:15 GMT -5
a cheap belt that is worn will cost you . I agree with pulling a plug to get a read . I would wait till about 2000 clicks . Maybe pull the cvt cover check out whats going on in there , see what kind of belt you have and size . check your wheels for drag .
John
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Post by mike6736 on Oct 22, 2011 19:41:08 GMT -5
That drain screw sure got me today on my Magnum....I got about60 miles on a whole tank on gas and found the drain screw just a little loose...That wil never happen again....
Mike
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Post by hitmusicinc on Oct 22, 2011 20:14:20 GMT -5
check your manual and see what your compression ratio is to determine if you should use 87 octane vs 93
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Post by skuttadawg on Oct 22, 2011 22:11:08 GMT -5
Both of scooters said empty at half tank . MPG will vary on your weight , road conditions like hills or flat , your speed and how it runs and what type of gas you use . E10 you losse 10 percent vs non ethanol gas . Taking off fast wastes alot of gas and you do not need to be @ WOT all the time . If your scooter is not upgraded then it has to work hard to go WOT , where a stronger engine does not have to work as hard to get desired speed and its not maxed out all the time . TaoTao has a steel frame which is heavy unlike those Taiwanese that use aluminum . When your dealing with a small engine all contributing factors mean more than those of a torque monster .
Any internal combustion engine running @ WOT will drink as much gas as it can so try throttling down and check MPG and a dip stick to test gauges accuracy .
You can put a half gallon jug on the rack to be sure you do not run out of gas on a long ride
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Post by larrball on Oct 22, 2011 23:22:42 GMT -5
When in the summer times i run a bit on the rich side along with a CVT and belt that keep's me in the power band almost from the get go and my MPG are not like most 50cc's-- 70MPG on a nice sunny cool day. I do my best to hit NON- ethanol fuel . (in MO it has to be 91 and above to meet the NO-E rule and not all gas stashions have it) I have too CVT belts that cause my CVT to ramp up and stay at different rpm's on the CVT's finale drive. My OeM belt AKA brando belt, top's off at 8-9,000 RPM on a flat WOT. Good for quick-fast stop light to light in town driving but not good on fuel mileage. <-- wanna race  My gates belt is a bit more forgiving as i ramp up but hold at 6,000RPMs <-- no racing, enjoy the ride. As it's cooled off i have adjusted my A/F mix a bit more on the leaner side and it helps with cold starts and runs on MY scooter. Sound's like your belt/cvt might be broke in and now at the top of the RPM's? More rpm=more fuel. But because it's just a 15 min job, i'd take a look at you'r CVT and belt - clean it all up and note (take pic's) --just in-case you need them at a latter date. I doin't know if this is of any help freedom, but i thought i'd toss in my 2 cent's. At least it's cheaper MPG then the truck..lol |
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Post by TERRA NUVO on Oct 23, 2011 2:10:30 GMT -5
LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH
but your bike most likely needs regular gas, most are made for Chinese 90 which is regular 87
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Post by algears on Oct 23, 2011 4:50:00 GMT -5
I wouldn't trust MPG based on one 11 mile ride. Try calculating it by going through at least 2 full tanks of gas (to as close to empty as you can).
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Post by bullet on Oct 23, 2011 8:56:41 GMT -5
check your manual and see what your compression ratio is to determine if you should use 87 octane vs 93 I get better mpg on 87 vs. 93 |
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Post by freedomscoot on Oct 23, 2011 16:49:04 GMT -5
Thanks for all the suggestions, guy!! Some things I hadn't considered, and I will take a look at.
Larry, I will indeed take off the CVT cover and take some pics- been wanting to anyway, so's I can measure my variator weights in preparation for getting lighter ones.
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Post by 50seesee on Oct 24, 2011 9:39:22 GMT -5
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Post by bigr on Oct 24, 2011 18:42:08 GMT -5
That drain screw sure got me today on my Magnum....I got about60 miles on a whole tank on gas and found the drain screw just a little loose...That wil never happen again.... Mike My carb don't have that screw. My sons does. Hhhhhmmmmmm. But for some reason I get a gas smell. So I took the airbox off. Where the arose connects to the carb I found a small puddle of fuel in the hose connection. So I thought fuel blow back .. so I ran it shortly while disconnected but saw no blow back . At idle or at 4000 rpm. I don't run wot any at all. Any ideas.. |
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Post by bigr on Oct 24, 2011 18:45:32 GMT -5
Oh yea my scooter is a 150cc taotao
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Hey guys,
HELP! 
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