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Post by moorso on Sept 24, 2012 19:43:30 GMT -5
Hello all. My first post on this board and I have question I am hoping you might help me with. I am looking at a used 2006 Shanghai Meitian 50 cc scooter for sale. It runs okay, but has a hard time starting. Sounds like the starter is going, I'm no expert but that's what it sounds like. You have to hit the start button several times before the starter engages the motor. So my question is, would a new starter for these chinese made scooters be readily available? I dont want to spend a few hundred dollars only to find out I cant get a replacement starter for it, if that is the problem. Also, the headlight needs replacement. Would that be tough to find? Appreciate any help / advice you might have.
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Post by derbi on Sept 24, 2012 19:51:37 GMT -5
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Post by moorso on Sept 24, 2012 20:07:59 GMT -5
Wow, thanks for the information. I am assuming for now the entire headlight assembly needs to be replaced, but not sure. Tires on this scooter look very good, the body is dinged up a bit and it has 1600 miles on it. As I said, after several tries with the starter switch it will start. She is asking $400 but knows thats too much. Probably with a $100 starter replacement with labor to install , sounds like $200 would be a reasonable offer. What do you think? How many miles can you expect out of one these scooters?
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Post by derbi on Sept 24, 2012 20:21:03 GMT -5
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Post by mainepeace on Sept 24, 2012 21:19:20 GMT -5
Should be able to swap the headlight bulb only.
With the hard starting, does the start fail to turn, or does it make a whining noise before it engages? If the former, you can try cleaning the switch or replacing it. If it makes a whining noise then it is probably the bendix. The bendix can take a bit of grease on the inside so it will extend properly. Or you could replace it for about $15. If the starter doesn't turn fast it could be either a bad battery or the starter motor itself, or a bad relay.
Greg
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Post by meitianman on Sept 24, 2012 22:41:25 GMT -5
i have a meitian 50cc scooter myself, ive always had to "bump" the starter button a few times to get it to engage and with 30,000km on it its still the original starter and bendix, just oil it once in a while.
head light bulbs can be a bit of a pain as the one in mine was not the standard bulb sold on the scooter websites, so i took the bulb down to a polaris atv dealer and had them match it up. i think the replacement cost me about 3 bucks give or take.
200 is a good price if it runs ok once its going, no smoke/knocking etc.
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Post by moorso on Sept 25, 2012 5:11:50 GMT -5
Thanks a whole bunch guys. You have been very helpful. The starter whines when you hit the startup switch. You have to hit it several times and "get lucky" to have it start. Maybe it does need some lubrication to get it to extend properly. I didnt notice any smoking or knocking when I took it for a spin. She had the center stand taken off and you can see on one side where it had been dropped with some minor scuffing. Tires look very good and like I said once that starter engaged the engine did start right up. I think I will offer $200 and see what happens.
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Post by moorso on Sept 25, 2012 8:27:40 GMT -5
Welp, she accepted the $200 offer. Now I wonder what kind of a mess I got myself into now...lol. Hopefully with some help, I can get it more streetworthy and a little better looking. Thanks again for giving me the confidence in this scoot to pick it up.
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Post by moorso on Sept 25, 2012 8:28:46 GMT -5
i have a meitian 50cc scooter myself, ive always had to "bump" the starter button a few times to get it to engage and with 30,000km on it its still the original starter and bendix, just oil it once in a while. head light bulbs can be a bit of a pain as the one in mine was not the standard bulb sold on the scooter websites, so i took the bulb down to a polaris atv dealer and had them match it up. i think the replacement cost me about 3 bucks give or take. 200 is a good price if it runs ok once its going, no smoke/knocking etc. 30,000 km for a mainland chinese scooter seems pretty good. What kind of oil do you use to lube the bendix?
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Post by meitianman on Sept 25, 2012 10:43:04 GMT -5
honestly when i do a oil change i pull the cvt cover off and just use a drop or two of the synthetic oil i run in the engine. i check the belt etc every time i do the oil change just because its only about 10 8mm bolts to get the cover off anyway. i have had to rebuild the engine once at about 24-25,000km because it siezed up on the way to work, but all i really did was put a jug/piston in it and a few other bits i had laying around. dollar for dollar its been about the most dependable vehicle ive had.
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Post by moorso on Sept 29, 2012 18:53:53 GMT -5
So, I did buy the scooter and got it up on the bench today to start stripping the body parts off, figuring out what I got and how its all put together and to start work on the carb and starter. First thing I notice, there seems to be a lot of cracked or borken body parts. Both sides, and front and back. I dont know how many times the scooter was dropped or how clumsy the previous owners were , but there is black duct tape in places to help hold the broken pieces together. Its that ABS plastic of course which is fairly brittle. So one of my questions is, has anyone dealt with trying to repair cracked or broken plastic body parts? Fiberglass on the inside maybe? Trying to figure out what is salvageable and fixing as far as the body goes. Second thing I noticed is that there is about a foot long rubber air intake tube going to the air filter and it has a 90 degree bend at the end and didnt seem to be connected to anything. Was this maybe connected to something and then disconnected? I'm new to these scooters but there also was a hole in the cover of the cvt case(?). This hole was covered up with black duct tape. Made no sense to me. Any help is appreciated. I'll get some pictures and post. I'd like to clean the carb tomorrow and get the starter out and the bendix cleaned up and greased. I've heard white lithium grease is the thing to use and its a spray? Dont know what the headlight problem is. Tested for voltage with the bike on across the bulb contacts and didnt get anything. Must be a short somewhere in the wiring I guess. Any thoughts on a good and quick way to find the problem? Thanks. Heres a picture of the air intake tube and the hole in the cvt cover? Spark plug...looks a little black. Too rich? Few pics of the body cracks and engine.
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Post by mainepeace on Sept 30, 2012 16:34:52 GMT -5
You can weld the plastic to keep it together. Plastic welding is difficult on these body panels as very few solvents will dissolve the plastic properly. Lots will remove the paint though. Replacing the plastic is the easiest route, but it can easily exceed the cost of the scooter. I have some junk panels I'm selling and might have some for your scooter. The long rubber tube is the intake. You can just remove it. You have to clean the carburetor anyway so you will have to rejet it for proper running. Yep, spark plug show way too rich. Greg
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Post by moorso on Sept 30, 2012 17:28:43 GMT -5
Do I need to reinstall the rubber air tube? I suppose if I dont then there will be more air to the carb and therefore I need a larger jet?
Would the end of the tube in the first picture ever been connected to something?
I might try to fiberglass or epoxy on the inside of the panels. If that doesnt work I might get in touch to see what you have. I gotta believe one of the previous owners or both dropped this scooter more than once. Pretty well dinged up but the black duct tape and black paint covered it up pretty good.
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Post by mainepeace on Sept 30, 2012 17:44:48 GMT -5
The other end of the tube attaches to the hole by your feet on the footrest platform. I've always wondered in the past what those holes were for. Many times they get lazy and don't attach them (or they fall off). You are too rich anyway so taking off the tube will lean it out a TINY bit. Not enough to rejet. The rubber tends to collapse after a few years so its better to leave it off rather than have a restricted intake due to a kink in the hose.
Epoxy won't stick unless you really rough up the surface. There is some epoxy that comes with fiber in it (like fiberglass) and that tends to stick better than JB weld. Strongest welds I've seen are from melting the plastic using a soldering iron. You have to repaint the entire panel afterwards as it will discolor.
Greg
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Post by moorso on Sept 30, 2012 18:15:48 GMT -5
What should I do with that small vent or vacuum line that is attached to the rubber hose? I assume there is a small vacuum that is pulled there for something?
I was a little surprised to see as much rusting around the carb as there was. Nothing like what I had on the 2 honda elites. I still havent been able to get one of the retainer screws on the bystarter out, even after several applications of pb blaster. I'm about ready to strip the head on that so I fandangled a way to bend the retainer around so I could get the bystarter out without removing that screw. Short of drilling it out Im about out of ideas.
I did get the carb yanked out of the there, drained the bowl and drained the gas tank. Put a new in line fuel filter in and debating changing out the fuel lines with some 3/16" tygon tubing I picked up that I plan to use on the hondas. Next weekend I should get the carb all cleaned up. I need to go after the tank fuel filter too before I forget and figure out whats up with the headlight problem.
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Post by mainepeace on Sept 30, 2012 18:29:30 GMT -5
Bystarter on the Honda, auto-enricher on the Chinese scooters. Same device, different name.
Just hook the hose up to another attachment nipple on the intake. There should be one between the intake box and the carb.
You'll have to drill it out. Or cheaper to replace the carb. We have some cheap take/off carbs and some new ones for sale on my website. Best to start with something you know works.
Greg
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Post by moorso on Oct 1, 2012 6:14:31 GMT -5
Bystarter on the Honda, auto-enricher on the Chinese scooters. Same device, different name. Just hook the hose up to another attachment nipple on the intake. There should be one between the intake box and the carb. You'll have to drill it out. Or cheaper to replace the carb. We have some cheap take/off carbs and some new ones for sale on my website. Best to start with something you know works. Greg Assume this is the carb I would need? eshop.mainelyscooters.com/qmb139/carburetor/151-222.htmlAlso assume you have special pricing for fellow Mainuhs ;D I would also need a new plug...the one in there looks pretty cruddy on the contact end.
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Post by moorso on Oct 5, 2012 14:37:30 GMT -5
Greg....I just ordered this carb from your website.
QMB139 50cc 4-stroke Carburetor, Type-2
The one on the bike is a cvk 50....and it was a piece of crap.
Hope I ordered the right one. Should I put a different jet in it? I dont need to do a performance improvement, but if you think I should have a certain jet in it, I'm open to suggestions. Thanks.
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Post by meitianman on Oct 5, 2012 16:36:37 GMT -5
it should fit, website says it comes with a 91 jet which might be a bit large if it does not have a bbk on it. with these carbs there is a c-clip on the needle so you could lower it and change the a/f ratio a bit that way. if the jet is to big you will know fairly quick, plug will look dark/sooty and you might smell it in the exhaust a bit as well.
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Post by moorso on Oct 5, 2012 17:43:52 GMT -5
Thanks meitianman. This scooter was running rich to begin with. I'm not sure what I'll have after changing out the carb or how to lean it out if it still needs it. Maybe drill some 2" holes or something in the airbox and put on some sliding covers for adjustment?
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Post by carasdad on Oct 5, 2012 18:04:36 GMT -5
Bystarter on the Honda, auto-enricher on the Chinese scooters. Same device, different name. Just hook the hose up to another attachment nipple on the intake. There should be one between the intake box and the carb. You'll have to drill it out. Or cheaper to replace the carb. We have some cheap take/off carbs and some new ones for sale on my website. Best to start with something you know works. Greg Assume this is the carb I would need? eshop.mainelyscooters.com/qmb139/carburetor/151-222.htmlAlso assume you have special pricing for fellow Mainuhs ;D I would also need a new plug...the one in there looks pretty cruddy on the contact end. Yer a Mainer...'Maniac' too?...I was stationed there at NAS Brunswick....beautiful state...until you hit a Moose on I95? in a 1992 Geo Metro....just south of Augusta... Trooper told me I was lucky to live....roof of car was rolled back like a sardine can lid. I laid over across the passenger seat cause I knew at 70+ mph..there was no avoiding that one. @ Greg...btw..BoothBay brand Sardines are one of my fave tv snacks with crackers. Send me a case?... ;D
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Post by moorso on Oct 5, 2012 18:18:23 GMT -5
Yer a Mainer...'Maniac' too?...I was stationed there at NAS Brunswick....beautiful state...until you hit a Moose on I95? in a 1992 Geo Metro....just south of Augusta... Trooper told me I was lucky to live....roof of car was rolled back like a sardine can lid. I laid over across the passenger seat cause I knew at 70+ mph..there was no avoiding that one. @ Greg...btw..BoothBay brand Sardines are one of my fave tv snacks with crackers. Send me a case?... ;D Boothbay has a brand of sardines? You must be kidding. yeah, stay away from accidents with moose (meese?) Its a losing battle. You're lucky to be alive. Very lucky, someone was looking out for ya that day. Yep, a maniac. Spent all but 4 years of my life in the state, the other 4 in New Hampster.
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Post by mainepeace on Oct 5, 2012 18:49:24 GMT -5
Never heard of Boothbay Sardines.
Got the order for the carb. You should order the Type 1 so I'll ship that one instead. The stock jet will be fine.
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Post by carasdad on Oct 5, 2012 19:13:41 GMT -5
Never heard of Boothbay Sardines. Got the order for the carb. You should order the Type 1 so I'll ship that one instead. The stock jet will be fine. Never heard of them?..got 2 cans in the cupboard..took a look..they are just using the name Boothbay...those commies..can says Ontario Canada...
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Post by moorso on Oct 5, 2012 21:12:30 GMT -5
Never heard of Boothbay Sardines. Got the order for the carb. You should order the Type 1 so I'll ship that one instead. The stock jet will be fine. Thanks Greg. Whats the difference between type 1 and type 2?
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Post by mainepeace on Oct 5, 2012 23:04:06 GMT -5
Type 1 is 18/19mm and Type 2 is 20mm. Otherwise no difference except the jet that it comes with.
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Post by moorso on Oct 6, 2012 7:29:25 GMT -5
Type 1 is 18/19mm and Type 2 is 20mm. Otherwise no difference except the jet that it comes with. Greg- what is the stock jet size with the type 1 carb? meitianman - would you mind answering a few questions? 1) there is no kill switch, is this common on chinese scooters? 2) there is a 3 position light switch on the right handlebars. As I understand how it is supposed to work, one position is all lights off, one position is tailights and low beams on and the 3rd position is all lights on? My switch doesnt seem to do anything. When the ignition switch is on, the taillight stays on no matter what the light switch position is. 3) I am trying to figure out why I have no power to headlight. Doesnt appear to be a bulb problem because I took some connectors apart up font and there is no power to the light whereas there is power to the tail light connector. 4) Does your hi beam lo beam indicator work on your scooter? 5) Does your instrument panel light work? 6)Have you ever had to take some switches apart to clean them to get them to work? 7)I wonder if there is a good procedure for testing all these switches that someone has used successfully in the past. You can see I have some electrical issues and I have to work through. I guess the previous owner had no choice but to sell because without a working headlight you couldnt take it on the road.
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Post by carasdad on Oct 6, 2012 8:01:53 GMT -5
Type 1 is 18/19mm and Type 2 is 20mm. Otherwise no difference except the jet that it comes with. Greg- what is the stock jet size with the type 1 carb? meitianman - would you mind answering a few questions? 1) there is no kill switch, is this common on chinese scooters? 2) there is a 3 position light switch on the right handlebars. As I understand how it is supposed to work, one position is all lights off, one position is tailights and low beams on and the 3rd position is all lights on? My switch doesnt seem to do anything. When the ignition switch is on, the taillight stays on no matter what the light switch position is. 3) I am trying to figure out why I have no power to headlight. Doesnt appear to be a bulb problem because I took some connectors apart up font and there is no power to the light whereas there is power to the tail light connector. 4) Does your hi beam lo beam indicator work on your scooter? 5) Does your instrument panel light work? 6)Have you ever had to take some switches apart to clean them to get them to work? 7)I wonder if there is a good procedure for testing all these switches that someone has used successfully in the past. You can see I have some electrical issues and I have to work through. I guess the previous owner had no choice but to sell because without a working headlight you couldnt take it on the road. Switches on those things are notorious for messing up..as they are the old 'wiper arm' type..and get loose spots in them. Fortunately..you can get inside them to make sure the wipers are making contact..and if not...adjust as needed. 3 position switch is...off..low and high beam.
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Post by meitianman on Oct 7, 2012 2:42:19 GMT -5
Type 1 is 18/19mm and Type 2 is 20mm. Otherwise no difference except the jet that it comes with. Greg- what is the stock jet size with the type 1 carb? meitianman - would you mind answering a few questions? 1) there is no kill switch, is this common on chinese scooters? 2) there is a 3 position light switch on the right handlebars. As I understand how it is supposed to work, one position is all lights off, one position is tailights and low beams on and the 3rd position is all lights on? My switch doesnt seem to do anything. When the ignition switch is on, the taillight stays on no matter what the light switch position is. 3) I am trying to figure out why I have no power to headlight. Doesnt appear to be a bulb problem because I took some connectors apart up font and there is no power to the light whereas there is power to the tail light connector. 4) Does your hi beam lo beam indicator work on your scooter? 5) Does your instrument panel light work? 6)Have you ever had to take some switches apart to clean them to get them to work? 7)I wonder if there is a good procedure for testing all these switches that someone has used successfully in the past. You can see I have some electrical issues and I have to work through. I guess the previous owner had no choice but to sell because without a working headlight you couldnt take it on the road. 1. there should be a kill switch on the scooter somewhere, far as i know its regulation. usually on the left side of the handlebars, button style. 2. the 3 position switch is off, markers/taillights, headlights. 3. id start checking connectors and switches, a cheap ohm/volt meter will make your life so much easier here. can get one at radio shack for about 15bucks or less. set the ohm meter to 1000ohms and put one of the leads in one of the plugs on the lightbulb base and just follow the wire testing it at each connector it should read 0 ohms if the connection is ok. same goes for switches. 4. the high beam indicator works on my scoot, low beam one has been burnt for several years just never bothered to fix it. 5. the panel lights work aside from one on the bottom right, again just been lazy and not bothered to fix it. 6. ive sprayed contact cleaner in the switches to help them be more reliable, but they are dirt cheap so when they act up i just replace. 7. again a ohm meter is your friend, you can check for continuity across contacts, check fuses, check voltages. ive been using vasoline for years in the contact plugs to keep them from corroding as it keeps the moisture out.
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Post by moorso on Oct 7, 2012 7:01:20 GMT -5
Greg- what is the stock jet size with the type 1 carb? meitianman - would you mind answering a few questions? 1) there is no kill switch, is this common on chinese scooters? 2) there is a 3 position light switch on the right handlebars. As I understand how it is supposed to work, one position is all lights off, one position is tailights and low beams on and the 3rd position is all lights on? My switch doesnt seem to do anything. When the ignition switch is on, the taillight stays on no matter what the light switch position is. 3) I am trying to figure out why I have no power to headlight. Doesnt appear to be a bulb problem because I took some connectors apart up font and there is no power to the light whereas there is power to the tail light connector. 4) Does your hi beam lo beam indicator work on your scooter? 5) Does your instrument panel light work? 6)Have you ever had to take some switches apart to clean them to get them to work? 7)I wonder if there is a good procedure for testing all these switches that someone has used successfully in the past. You can see I have some electrical issues and I have to work through. I guess the previous owner had no choice but to sell because without a working headlight you couldnt take it on the road. 1. there should be a kill switch on the scooter somewhere, far as i know its regulation. usually on the left side of the handlebars, button style. 2. the 3 position switch is off, markers/taillights, headlights. 3. id start checking connectors and switches, a cheap ohm/volt meter will make your life so much easier here. can get one at radio shack for about 15bucks or less. set the ohm meter to 1000ohms and put one of the leads in one of the plugs on the lightbulb base and just follow the wire testing it at each connector it should read 0 ohms if the connection is ok. same goes for switches. 4. the high beam indicator works on my scoot, low beam one has been burnt for several years just never bothered to fix it. 5. the panel lights work aside from one on the bottom right, again just been lazy and not bothered to fix it. 6. ive sprayed contact cleaner in the switches to help them be more reliable, but they are dirt cheap so when they act up i just replace. 7. again a ohm meter is your friend, you can check for continuity across contacts, check fuses, check voltages. ive been using vasoline for years in the contact plugs to keep them from corroding as it keeps the moisture out. Thanks. On this scooter there apparently is no kill switch. On the left handlebar you have this, hi-lo dimmer, turn signals and horn: on the right handlebar you have the 3 position light switch and the ignition start switch: Anyone happen to know what this cylindrical thing is in the bottom of the picture? A flasher maybe? Heres the whole rig pretty much torn apart now Yeah, I have a multi-meter but I'm having thoughts on doing this differently now. Since the switches are prone to friggin up and I could spend days chasing down this problem, I'm almost convinced now the best thing to do is simply add a 3 position small toggle switch up on the dashboard that controls the headlight, hi beam, low beam and off. Powered up by the ignition key and mometarily turned off by a relay when the starter button is depressed to send more power to the starter. As far as I know the headlights and taillights are powered when the starter is engaged right now. I saw that the taillight tends to dim when the starter is running so it doesnt appear to be shut off. I looked inside both of those switches and was not impressed. Everything looks too closely spaced and too many places for it to fail. Basically a single 3 postion toggle switch would eliminate the existing light switch as well as the dimmer switch and be a helluva lot more reliable in the future. Plenty of room behind the dash to mount it and run wire. All I would need to do is feed of the downstream end of the keyed switch for power to the lights then feed from the relay from the starter button so that when the button is depressed, the lights go out and come back on when it is released. On second thought, I think I'll run a seperate circuit for the headlight directly off the battery with another fuse. Somehow a single 10 amp fuse does not seem enough for this whole setup. I'll run that from the battery through the toggle switch and to the light and make the other two switches inactive. You will just have to make sure to turn the headlight off after shutting down the scooter or you'll run the battery down. And furthermore , after looking at how the battery terminal connections were done (whether factory or modded by someone) they look like it was done by a 10 year old. That needs to be done right with soldier connections and shrink wrap. If you gonna do it once, might as well do it right, and vice versa. I'm pretty sure I have an extra relay and might have a 3 way toggle switch too. I have plenty of properly sized red and black wire from working on my other bike.
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