Overheating?

[quicksilver]

How long do you think that the engine can take a overheating situation before damage can be done.

After riding home tonight , I made a stop and when I went to get back on the bike, I noticed that sweet smell of antifreeze. After turning the key, I also noticed the temperature Gage was pegged to the top of the Gage. During my 1/2 hour ride, I don't recall seeing the fan light go on.

So what do you think? Could I have done damage?

[leo]

i'm kind of embarrassed to say this but the red light on my scoot stayed lit for about 50 miles.
i just purchased the scoot and i didn't know what the light was for
all the miles i now have came after that.

i've run my engine bone dry of coolant at 55 MPH until it died, still no problems.

i'll probably have to shoot my engine with a 120mm cannon before it bites the dust.

your experiences will no doubt be different.

[skuttadawg]

Most change the coolant with name brand automotive to be safe as the put crap in them for shipping , and antifreeze is cheaper than an engine and good piece of mind . I would buy premixed since is has distilled water instead of tap water . Some radiators may need to burp as they can have air in the hoses .

The engine oil and gear lube in the gear box should also be changed with name brand automotive oils instead of trusting the shipping oil that many come with . After 1,500 to 2,000 miles depending on break in method , then you can use synthetic oil and well help it run cooler a tad . You have to wait until the rings have seated before going with synthetic oil .

Running too lean and riding it lean at WOT will make it run hot and damages many untuned scooters . They are lean for speed restrictions ( on 50s ) and emissions . Many have a carb where the air/fuel screw is covered so you can adjust it unless you drill the cover off . Many replace the carb with one they can tune along with a larger main jet so it gets a sip more gas .

Automotive oil and antifreeze will work fine . Some of the stuff labeled " motorcycle " and " 4 stroke " is marketing with a price mark up

[quicksilver]

I've been on top of my maintenance and discovered stuff on my journeys with the bike.

As for the problem occurring, I haven't had a look to see what the problem is. I'm hoping that the problem is that a wire came off the radiator fan sensor. This is the only conclusion that I came up with since the light and fan didn't come on.

Other then BS type of stuff, I feel that the engine is very sound (excluding this experience).

When I get home tonight, I'll know for sure what the problem is.

[quicksilver]

Well I'm not scooterless for the weekend. After taking off the lower left panel and checking for loose or non-connected wire on the radiator thermo switch, the wires were still connected.

The next step was to check for broken parts or burst hoses. When I went to take off the radiator cap I happen to notice that the cap wasn't on correctly. I guess the last time I checked the level, I didn't turn it all the way. This leading to not holding the pressure back causing it to boil over.

I checked the engine oil and no signs of antifreeze. Thank god! I'll keep an eye on it to be sure. After filling it up, burping and running the engine to temperature, the fan came on at the right temp.

Next thing is to try it on the road.

[one1]

May 23, 2012 23:49:51 GMT -5 @leo said:

i'll probably have to shoot my engine with a 120mm cannon before it bites the dust.

If that's on the CF Moto CN250 I'm liking this report

[leo]

May 25, 2012 23:01:59 GMT -5 one1 said:

If that's on the CF Moto CN250 I'm liking this report

it is indeed about the cfmoto 250.
when you pull japanese bearings out of an engine you know for a fact cfmoto put quality parts into them.
'nuff said.

[chromestarhustler]

i dont think i have pulled anything but japanese (koyo) bearings out of scooters even the dog ass cheapest brands, one replacement cam i got had c&u bearings on it, kinda helps that they are about the a few places makes them and they are cheap enough not to even bother with setting up the precision machine tools and such to turn these out when you can buy them and use your machines to turn out more scooters.

[leo]

2 posts in a row attesting to the quality parts inside chinese engines.

[chromestarhustler]

i dont think there is any dispute on the quality on the engines, they are built with a little less compression than there taiwanese and japanese cousins. but if a honda and yamaha owner will swap our in in place of their engine we know the engines are good, its just everything else, our plastic bodies are pretty crappy, we get some problems with electronics, some models come with sub par fuel pumps, our hoses and the sheer variation is kinda a hassle, especially when a replacement part is needed. as they say on the ruckus forums the gy6 is a great engine to swap in, its everything else about our chinese scooters that suck.

if you buy a chinese scooter, pdi, replace a few less than stellar parts they run and run a long time. my scooter buddy bought tons of chinese scooters thinking we would wear them out chuck them and get another one out of the garage, to date we havent worn a single one out, lost one to theft, sold a few and wrecked a few. I burnt out a engine when the oil plug fell out after an oil change i didnt tighten it enough. we ride 11 monthes out of the year in albuquerque.

[unclebuggies]

Overall, I think the Chinese products are downright great, considering you can get something that goes highway speeds for less than 2 grand brand-new.

[quicksilver]

In the bike that I have, its the horizontal engine, a Yamaha clone. It,s interesting that even after a stupid mistake like I made, it keeps on ticking. Must be a Timex.

Took it out today and it didn't faltered at all. I'm impressed as to the engine itself. The rest of the bike is a different question.

[chaz12]

The engines are pretty impressive on these Chinese scooters. I am a shade tree mechanic and kept mine going 5500 miles. They take a lickin and keep on tickin if a person keeps on top of the maintenance. Mine still runs like new. Very dependable for $1700 new.

[chaz12]

Here is my $1700 scooter bought in 2008..

Attachments:

[linhai300]

ow to get started;

(1) Put scooter on center stand and remove carb/radiator plastic cover under the seat.
(2) Place catch pan under the drain bolt location, remove allen head bolt, then remove radiator cap. [DO NOT LOSE COPPER WASHER ON BOLT]
(3) After coolant is drained take water hose and flush radiator well with clean running water, can even do it two or three times. If you have an air compressor you can even blow out all water completely
(4) Replace allen head drain bolt with the copper washer , a little silicone gasket maker is good to use too, secure tightly.
(5) Fill radiator completely with coolant, a long funnel is nice and doesn't make a mess. [USE ONLY COOLANT FREE OF NITRATES, BORATES, SILICATES & SPECIFIED FOR ALUMINUM BLOCK ENGINES] One can mix their own coolant on a 50/50 ratio but it is a lot easier to use a 50/50 premix (I use Prestone)
(6) Start scooter and let run until thermostat opens and you see coolant start to circulate (this only takes a few minutes) Re-fill until full as the coolant will generally go down, immediately put on radiator cap securely after re-filling
(7) Fill radiator plastic reservoir tank to about 3/4 full with same coolant after putting on the radiator cap
(8) Let idle until the temp gauge comes up to about the 1/2 way mark and then shut off scooter (the fan may or may not come on, doesn't matter)
(9) Go watch TV, read a book, but let scooter sit until it's bone cold.
(10) Remove radiator cap and re-fill with coolant, start engine, let circulate, fill again if needed, put radiator cap back on.
(11) Fill plastic reservoir tank again to about 3/4 full, put on rubber cap and watch temp gauge and see if fan cycles on and off.
(12) DONE!

If for some reason it seems to want to get warm and fan not cycle on and off then repeat steps number 9,10 and 11 again.
You can even run the scooter around the block and see if the fan comes on and off and how the temp gauge reads.

This has always worked for me first time and every time.


________________________________________
These are the basic operating temperature ranges for the 250 scooter thermostat and radiator thermo switch:


Thermostat

Nominal temp. designation....165 deg F
Begins opening......................157-163 deg F
Fully open...............................176 deg F

Fan Thermo-switch

Starts to close (continuity)....... 208-216 deg F
Starts to open (no continuity).. 196-210 deg F

Hope this helps

[linhai300]

around town when i ride mine never really get above the 1/2 mark i do ride alot on long runs with the club i belong to and it has risin to the 3/4 mark i really dont think the temp guages are that accurate the yamaha machanic told me if it get's up around the 3/4 or above the old rock saying if you don't smell whats cooking dont worry about it .i know when i got mine i flushed it all blew radiator out changed everything i could think of t-stat water pump cover and 1 hose i live in florida n it get's damn hot here someone made the comment call sunright ive called them more than 5 times to get parts n tech questions and no one calls back i did find on the body parts for the linhai 300 80% of the YP250 Majesty will work on the linhai

[linhai300]

just curious why they say put 50/50 mix how come you can't do all anti freeze without the 50/50 mix just curious

[OverReved]

Jul 29, 2012 14:30:28 GMT -5 linhai300 said:

just curious why they say put 50/50 mix how come you can't do all anti freeze without the 50/50 mix just curious

Reason you put antifreeze in there is multiple.
On top of raising and lowering the freeze and boiling points of the coolant in combination with the radiator cap, It also provides anti corrosion protection to the metals in your engine, and lubricates bushings and seals on a water pump.
Using straight water will cause accelerated corrosion of the metal parts and Using just straight antifreeze will actually do the same thing as the water:corrode the metal parts. A 50/50 mix is a good base mix to give corrosion prevention and freezing protection.

[EPAhater]

Hey Linhai300 where di you find that info? It looks familiar?