Weird Day with My Lancer 150

[rlshepard]

It's this kind of stuff that shakes my confidence....

So during my daily commute this week, I noticed that the scoot was dying at stop lights. not always but sometimes and it was hard to start a few times not real hard, just didn't spring to life when I hit the starter button. Nothing major. So I made a mental note to adjust the valve clearance.

So I adjust the valve clearance, it wasnt way out but intake was loose and the exhaust was a little tight. Thought that was odd but whatever. brought them both into spec and spun the engine double checked my work and closed'er up, hit the start button and she fired right up, let her run while I put my toys up.

Turn around and there us a puddle of oil on the floor... check it out, valve cover is leaking. further investigation reveals I've stripped the threads in the head for one of the valve cover bolts.

No worries! I have an M6 Helicoil kit laying around. install the heilcoil, double check the valve clearance and close're up again problem solved right?

Hit the start button and she won't start... WTF? Poking around I notice there are no bolt holding down the intake. Big sigh.... so now I rip the thing apart, replace the nuts on the intake and and just start going though everything. she won't start. Spray some starting fluid into the airfilter and she'll start. check that we've got fuel flowing... we do... Drain the fuel tank, flush it with some fresh fuel, drain the bowl on the carb. fill her back up, no start... pull the airbox out and the snorkel, check the them all out... start her up and she fires right up with out the air box and snorkel, but she won't really rev... figures, too much air... put air box and snorkel back and she starts but won't rev... so I start spraying starting fluild around the vacuum lines (no flaming, it's what I had handy...)

Hit the spot where the snorkel goes into the carb and the idle changes a little... him now she'll rev... after the ether is gone she won't rev. re-seated the snorkle and tightened it real good. same will start but no rev.

keep spraying starting fluid around, hit the intake and the idle changes... hmmm take the intake off all looks good,, put back together. and she is the same, and the idle changes when I hit the intake with starting fluid... so I tighten the intake just a little more then I'm comfortable with (I've broken those dudes before) same condition....

Went and had a smoke, considered buying a one of those 200cc engines from scrappydog, my wife rejected that idea... when out to the scoot fired him up and he is running great...

Um what just happened?

first, no nuts on the intake, really? WTF? I mean by all rights I should be sitting on the side of the road some where.... I guess my scoot just likes me to much to leave me stranded

I cannot find anything wrong with this scoot, it is completely symptom free but I have no idea why?

These are the kind of mysteries that make me crazy

[kz1000st]

At least one of your problems was crud in the carburetor. It shook loose when you let it sit. Also check your spark plug cap. If it's loose it will make for funky running. It also could have reseated when you let it sit but it could come loose again. Loose intake nuts don't help either.

[bull]

have you checked the plug gap and the exhaust for leaks @ the flange where it bolts to the head

[rlshepard]

I did check the exhaust for leaks, it's all good. I had a spare coil laying around so I went ahead swapped that out. The spark plug is good, it's an NGK and only has about K miles on it...

I guess there coulda been crapola in the carb, weird timing tho, I just recently ran a bottle of gumout through her across 4 tanks so you'd think the fuel system would be clean.... maybe I just loosened something up though?

[kz1000st]

The Gumout shook something loose, it clogged the carb, letting it sit let the Gumout soften it up and-Voila-it ran fine again.