Need help with a 50cc TaoTao By armiakrajowa (Read 727 times)

[armiakrajowa]

Hello, new to the forums, in fact, created this account because I'm at wits end. My 50cc TaoTao will not start, and I cannot figure out why. My scoot refused to start after it died on the road, so I took her apart to find the issue. At first I noticed my carburetor was sticking, and since the screws/bolts were cut off I couldn't get into it, and bought a brand new one. it started to work for maybe a week or two then the issue occurred again and I had to keep the engine from idling or it would die on me. I re-calibrated the valves, still no fix.

 I've gone through a new spark plug, new battery, new Carburetor, new clutch, new variator, new CDI. The kick starter also won't start the engine, and I've checked that, no broken gears, moves smoothly. I notice my electric starter will engage the gear to the variator and spins it in the correct direction, it just doesn't spin it fast enough to reliably start. (I can start it by hooking up a power drill to it) My fuel lines are all working correctly, the petcock works fine, gets gas into the engine, I have plenty of compression, I feel as if I've gone through everything, but I'm not sure if I'm missing something here, maybe the solenoid is going? As an aside, I can occasionally get it to start by holding the throttle down while pressing the brakes and the starter switch, other times it seems as though it wants to start but then dies *just* before turning over.

Sorry for the essay, I just wanted to give as much detail as possible.

thanks for any help!

[czmdiver]

Ok you have More than one issue here.
First you have to get the starter turning over fast enough to start the engine or do any type of further testing.
Check your Ground Wires, Engine to frame and off the battery.
Have the battery fully charged. do you have a charger?
A drill is turning it over fast enough to start? how big is that drill? 3/8" or ?
Are you sure you have enough compression? how did you test this?
With a finger or thumb whatever you can get in there the compression should puff your finger off.
The Engine will start and run as low as 90psi or so, but decent compression will be in the mid 100's psi.or so.
What Clearance did you set the Valves Lash at? 
Get the starter situation fixed first.
good luck

[armiakrajowa]

ground wires are fine, compression was checked with a gauge, sitting at around 160's. Drill 17mm, for clearance I have it set at .05 mm, and battery is fully charged. I do have a charger, it seems to start better when fully charged, but still not 100% guaranteed. I do regular maintenance on the machine, although since it is my primary transportation at the moment I beat it up, doing around 400 km a week, so oil changes are much more common than I'd like, not sure if gear oil would help? I've not changed it in a couple of months, but it seems a shame to keep throwing money into something until I can pinpoint the issue.

[armiakrajowa]

I forgot to mention, the starter itself is relatively new, I received it from a taotao dealer, but it came with a ground wire while my old one didn't have one, so I got rid of that wire and connected it to the old wire. It worked fine for two months, so I'm not sure if it's relative information, but I figured I may as well write it down.

[Alleyoop]

To me it all sounds like a Fuel Ratio Mixture problem and weak battery. What AMPS is your battery and HOW MANY CCA's is it rated? Cheap batteries do not have the power and you may get 2 good cranks out of it before it looses a lot of it's power.

So Start it up and FIRST ADJUST the carbs Fuel Ratio Mixture. I would say to adjust your valves but since you say you have 160PSI that is a lot.
So print this out and follow the procedure and take your time.
Alleyoop

scooterdoc.proboards.com/thread/1499/4ts-carb-tuning

[armiakrajowa]

alright, I'll give that a try and post back later to let you know how it works, thanks for the suggestion!

edit: battery specs

Acid Included: Yes

Amp Hours: 10 h

Battery Type: Lead Acid Battery

Battery Usage: Powersports Battery

Cold Cranking Amps: 50 A

Cranking Amps: 60 A

Deep Cycle/Starting: Starting

Height: 3.35 in

Length: 4.41 in

Maintenance Free: Yes

Package Quantity: 1

Voltage: 12 V

Weight: 3 lbs

Width: 2.76 in

[Alleyoop]

No wonder you have trouble with the electric start that is a TOY battery 50cranking amps is not going to get it.
With 160PSI you need something WELL over 100 CRANKING AMPS to do you any good. Get one with at least 120+ Cold Cranking Amps.
I new it people go for the cheap arse batteries which is a waste of money they will only give you a couple of good cranks and deplete all the power.
Alleyoop

[armiakrajowa]

Thanks for the info, I just got the same battery specs that it came with when I bought it, still new to scooters, I'll upgrade it ASAP!

[Alleyoop]

Good but in the mean time charge it up and try to get it started and adjust the carb that will help so it starts with less cranking. A good tuned motor should start with 1 or 2 SHORT Hits of the start button.
Alleyoop

scooterdoc.proboards.com/thread/1499/4ts-carb-tuning