Scooterotica

By the time you've finished, you'll wish you'd taken it to the tip.

By the way 'Martin20' some series 3 Lambrettas do have a cut-out button.

She lives.....

Not sure how!

Bypassed the ignition system this morning , nothing. Shoved feeler gauges between points, gap OK. Kicked it, nothing. Totally peed off, I put everything back together, with a view to leaving until I purchased an electronic ignition kit! Kicked again, still no start. Decided just out of interest, to see if it would bump start. Sloping drive, so off I go. No start, but something made me give it another go and...bingo, she fires up! Back up drive into garage, ticking over fine, and revving freely (bit smokey to start, but cleared as it warmed up). Just taken her round the block, and all seems fine!

Thinking it must nave been the condenser, but don't know why it wouldn't start yesterday. Tempremental or what!,

Keeping fingers firmly crossed.

Thanks for all your input and suggestions.

Martin

Well done for sticking with it.

Could have been dirty points and checking the gap cleaned them up sufficiently. Either that or the condenser wire is a bit dodgy. Sometimes they can short to the flywheel.

If you're running points and it starts misbehaving the first thing to check is the points.

(I put electronic ignition on my 63 Li (with a cut out button) last year and it transformed it. Reliable and easy to start, no more checking the points. I'll repeat what I was told: It's the single best improvement you can make to a Lambretta for the cost. I got mine from AF Rayspeed they were really helpful and generous with advice. They also sold me what I needed, rather than what I thought I needed).

EddieStone wrote: ↑Wed Aug 01, 2018 12:52 pm Could have been dirty points and checking the gap cleaned them up sufficiently. Either that or the condenser wire is a bit dodgy. Sometimes they can short to the flywheel.

If you're running points and it starts misbehaving the first thing to check is the points.

(I put electronic ignition on my 63 Li (with a cut out button) last year and it transformed it. Reliable and easy to start, no more checking the points. I'll repeat what I was told: It's the single best improvement you can make to a Lambretta for the cost. I got mine from AF Rayspeed they were really helpful and generous with advice. They also sold me what I needed, rather than what I thought I needed).

Will bear that in mind EddieStone! I am hoping that I can get some miles in now before the weather breaks, then will seriously consider a 12 volt kit to fit over the winter months!

Martin20 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 30, 2018 1:51 pm

LIS 150, all standard. Still on 6 volt system.

Starting struggling to start a couple of weeks ago, and when it did start, it was running very rough, spluttering, dying on tickover,
Anyone any ideas or advice?
Seriously thinking of ripping it all out and going electronic!

Hi Martin. sorry to hear you are having problems. You won't believe it but I have had exactly the same problems starting and running for the past 3x weeks. I have been working on the scoot all day every day Its been driving me nuts . ..
I have actually bought an electronic flywheel ,stator , CDI to fit I'm so desperate.

In fact have got so desperate that I decided to put it all down on paper this morning to try and make sense of it all because I am now going round and round in circles doing the same checks and substitutions over and over.

I suspect that the recent humid hot weather and high temperatures might have a lot to do with intermittant starting issues especially hot starting.

This is what I have tried .
1. Compression test .....make sure that you have sufficient compression for combustion.
2. Empty fuel tank flush out and refill with fresh fuel from garage (not fuel stored at home)
3. Renew fuel hose check for kinks and air locks when fitted
4. check fuel tank cap breather hole (or leave cap off for testing.)
5. Disconnect all green wires from junction box . Connect stator green wire direct to coil bypassing switch ground.
6. Reduce air mixture screw to 1-1.5 turns out to richen starting /idle mixture
7. try starting with air filter hose disconnected.
8. try larger pilot jet ie 48 or 50 if you have them. (they are cheap to buy)
9. Reduce advance to 17 degrees
10. Try heating spark plug on gas hob and fitting it hot and starting.
11. try squirting some Easy Start in the venturi whilst kicking over on full throttle.
12. Make sure plug cap is a non resistive type if in doubt substitute/ replace

I guess you have already substituted everything,.... as I have several times, Carb, jets, stator, flywheel, spark plug, HT lead, HT Plug cap , condensor , points , fuel,

The only thing left after that lot is to do a Leak down test on the engine . I've bought a SAneroid Sphygmomanometer or blood pressure guage . They are on ebay for less than £10 . You'll need to remove the exhaust and put a bung in the manifold and attach a 28" bicycle innertube to the inlet manifold. Theres a good description on SULK
I've already had to completely strip my engine to replace the drive side Haltite gasket and oil seal due to an oil leak

The weird thing is a couple of times it has started and I've jumped on it quickly and its blasted up the road like perfectly normal in fact with huge power as its a 185cc now. Then it refused to hot start again and I had to push it home grrrr bluddy scooters

apologies Martin i've just seen the second page where you got it started. well done mate.
That just leaves me then

johnny650 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 04, 2018 2:04 pm apologies Martin i've just seen the second page where you got it started. well done mate.
That just leaves me then

Hi Johnny,
Really feel for you mate, I was getting really peed off with mine, and I had not done a quarter of what you have!
I have put a 20mm 'delly' back on mine, together with my standard exhaust, so pretty much all back to stadard! Took her out this morning, did 12 miles, and all seems well. Found a nice, quiet, flattish road, and opened her up, only got up to 46mph (GPS), with probably a couple of mph left, so never going to break any land speed records, but was just glad to get home without issues!

Good luck with yours, keep us up to date with progress.

Martin