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Post by skafreak on Apr 20, 2011 19:18:58 GMT -6
Not definitively, I just switched both out since they were both the stock parts and I want to slowly replace most everything on the bike. I would say 95% sure it was the CDI though.
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Post by skafreak on Apr 20, 2011 16:44:58 GMT -6
Switched out the CDI and the ignition coil and it has been running great since.
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Post by skafreak on Apr 14, 2011 15:47:33 GMT -6
Do I have spark at the plug? Sometimes, but not when it is not starting. I said that a few posts back... It does not seem to be heat related though. It sometimes works great cold, sometimes won't start cold. It sometimes will handle a long ride in 80 degree New Mexico sun, sometimes won't.
Either way, as I said, I have CDI and ignition coil on the way. They will be here Monday. I will toss them in. If it works, great, problem solved. If not, then I will measure the voltage out of the pickup coil when it is functioning and when it is not. If they don't match, I'll move on to replacing the pickup coil. If not, I'll probably toy around with a few ideas before placing the next order. Either way, I have the information I need at this point. Thanks.
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Post by skafreak on Apr 14, 2011 2:01:57 GMT -6
There is something one of us isn't understanding here. From what you've said, if the pickup coil is functioning, there will be a voltage out of it, and if not, there will be nothing. When the scooter is not starting, I am still getting a voltage out of the pickup coil going into the CDI. I don't have an oscilloscope to make sure that it is pulsing, but a multimeter shows that I am getting a voltage high enough to trigger what I would assume is a comparator in the CDI. What makes you think that under those circumstances, the pickup coil is bad? Do you think it is just outputting a constant voltage high enough to trigger it, or what?
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Post by skafreak on Apr 12, 2011 19:29:14 GMT -6
Well, to me that sounds like it is more likely the CDI since I sometimes can get the scooter to run. If the coil fails open, then I would have no chance of starting it. Either way, I figure I'll replace both and hope that it is up and running again.
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Post by skafreak on Apr 12, 2011 17:58:35 GMT -6
I will try that next if this does not work, but when I tested the stator, the pick-up coil seemed to be outputting a reasonable voltage. I don't know much about how they would fail though. It should essentially act as a binary signal, either on or off. When they fail, do they always fail to off, or will they sometimes pass a constant high voltage and not re-trigger the CDI?
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Post by skafreak on Apr 12, 2011 16:12:09 GMT -6
Makes sense, just came off sounding that way a bit.
It is a 2008, and the times that it has not been starting, I have not been able to get spark. In hindsight, I haven't thought to bother when everything was functioning to see how bright the spark was. Probably should have mentioned that previously, heh.
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Post by skafreak on Apr 12, 2011 10:51:22 GMT -6
Well, unless scooterworks is in the business of buying off brand and labeling it as NCY, I guess I just have to take their word for it. From website appearance alone, I would be more likely to trust them than most of the other scooter parts stores I came across. Their other NCY listed parts are labeled as such physically, and the image they have for the NCY CDI is the same basic black CDI shown on the NCY website. With the way the oriental market it, it wouldn't surprise me if there were a lot of NCY branded parts floating around that weren't actually NCY production (probably even in the hands of reputable businesses that don't even realize it), so I guess really you just have to hope for the best.
And yes, I know that I need an AC. I did the research long before coming here, and surprisingly actually know how to look through the manuals sections on here to be sure. Mostly I just needed advice on what to look for in buying one, and whether a bad CDI is likely to cause intermittent problems, or if that would have been indicative of failure elsewhere (both of which I seem to have gotten good answers for).
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Post by skafreak on Apr 11, 2011 21:59:50 GMT -6
I decided to just take the dive and have the standard NCY CDI and coil ordered already. I plan on slowly replacing pretty much all of the cheap parts and eventually pretty much just having the stock engine and frame over time anyway, so no big deal tossing in a bit more money right now. I even am kinda hoping to replace all the body panels and basically create a steampunk scooter, but time will determine if I ever get that far.
I haven't tried adjusting the valves yet, but I will definitely be doing that when I have the time to tear the whole bike apart and rebuild it, or alternately if just this replacement doesn't solve the problem.
My grandpa bought it and rode it for about a year and a half before tossing it my way, and I seriously doubt he performed a PDI when he bought it, so I plan on doing that myself this summer. Just need to get it running reliably enough that I don't get stranded around town all the time before then.
Thanks for the input everyone.
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Post by skafreak on Apr 11, 2011 18:43:50 GMT -6
If the gains are mostly reliability of NCY parts, and if I'm not focused on dropping pretty substantial amount of money to pull every mph out of this scooter that I can, wouldn't it make just as much sense to save about $40 and get the non-racing model from here www.scooterworks.com/NCY-CDI-Unit-VentoGY6-P5931C461.aspx and also grab a NCY coil at the same time?
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Post by skafreak on Apr 11, 2011 17:47:14 GMT -6
Brass cap is still solid, boot was screwed on basically as tight as it could be, and connections to the coil were both attached solidly and did not appear to be shorting. Most likely the CDI then? If so, I am just going to replace both the CDI and coil. If that is the case, am I likely to notice any real performance or reliability differences between the two different AC kits on www.scrappydogscooters.com/ ?
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Post by skafreak on Apr 11, 2011 17:27:10 GMT -6
I have been having problems starting my scooter sometimes recently and was hoping to get a second opinion before dropping the money to replace my CDI and coil since I would want to upgrade if I am already replacing it.
The scooter is a cheap Shenke 150 (nearly identical to a Jonway from what I have gathered) that I got for free. Some days it will start, and some days it won't. When it doesn't start, neither the electrical or kick start will get it going. When it does start, it will sometimes cut out while I am riding it. The drop in power is immediate, not sputtering, which leads me to believe it is the electrical system.
When the scooter does die, it usually will not start again immediately, and tends to be more likely to start the longer I let it sit without trying.
I started by checking the fuel line, just to be sure it was getting gas, and it was. Next, I replaced the spark plug from the stock plug to a NGK plug just to make sure that wasn't the problem. I have also checked the voltages out of the stator, and it seems to be functioning properly. I also tried disconnecting the killswitch from the CDI to ensure that was not causing my problem.
I was just curious if a bad CDI is likely to cause these intermittent issues, or if it probably points to another problem, and if so, what.
Thanks in advance.
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