Bringning an old scooter back to life...

[Ratamahata 0]

Howzit guys,

I have an old Yamaha scooter at home. It has been standing for about 8 years now and was driven around for at least six years without a service.
I am not sure why but this idea came to me and I am now going to try and bring it back from the dead.

The big challenge is I am an IT Geek and do not know much about engines and that kind of stuff.
My questions are:
1. Is there something to put in the engine to help get rid of old engine oil?
2. Do you think I would have to replace the fuel lines/pipes?
3. What else is there that I might have to do to get my old skedonk back on the road?

Thanks for the help!
Cheers
Leon

[mx757 4]

Quote

Howzit guys,

I have an old Yamaha scooter at home. It has been standing for about 8 years now and was driven around for at least six years without a service.
I am not sure why but this idea came to me and I am now going to try and bring it back from the dead.

The big challenge is I am an IT Geek and do not know much about engines and that kind of stuff.
My questions are:
1. Is there something to put in the engine to help get rid of old engine oil?
2. Do you think I would have to replace the fuel lines/pipes?
3. What else is there that I might have to do to get my old skedonk back on the road?

Thanks for the help!
Cheers
Leon

just drain the old oil and replace with fresh oil.

Its been sitting 8 years? I would drain fuel and replace with fresh fuel, also replace the rubber fuel lines..new spark plug too..

you'll want to put few squrts oil in cylinder head, let it soak around rings and turn engine over by hand to free up stuck piston rings before kicking it over to start...

[DavidB 0]

Quote

Quote

Howzit guys,

I have an old Yamaha scooter at home. It has been standing for about 8 years now and was driven around for at least six years without a service.
I am not sure why but this idea came to me and I am now going to try and bring it back from the dead.

The big challenge is I am an IT Geek and do not know much about engines and that kind of stuff.
My questions are:
1. Is there something to put in the engine to help get rid of old engine oil?
2. Do you think I would have to replace the fuel lines/pipes?
3. What else is there that I might have to do to get my old skedonk back on the road?

Thanks for the help!
Cheers
Leon

just drain the old oil and replace with fresh oil.

Its been sitting 8 years? I would drain fuel and replace with fresh fuel, also replace the rubber fuel lines..new spark plug too..

you'll want to put few squrts oil in cylinder head, let it soak around rings and turn engine over by hand to free up stuck piston rings before kicking it over to start...

Be sure you do this with the spark plugs removed! Liquids will not compress, so with enough oil & the plugs in you can easily bend/break things internally.

Google is probably your best friend right now, but I'd suggest you shun him & see if a local community college or trade school has any openings in auto repair or small engine repair classes. Just like IT has it's own tools, language & culture, so does mechanics. If you don't know the difference between ft/lbs & in/lbs, if you don't know whether the engine is a 2-cycle or 4-cycle, you may as well just throw it away now & save yourself time money & frustration.

When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

[billvon 2,991]

>Liquids will not compress, so with enough oil & the plugs in you can
>easily bend/break things internally.

Hence the "turn engine over by hand" warning.

[jonstark 8]

I've revived several aircraft engines that hadn't been run in years and years. While the long-term prognosis for an aircraft engine in this condition is not good it shouldn't be a concern for a scooter.

1 Drain the oil.
2 Add a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil and fill oil to proper level.
3 Drain gas.
4 Drain carb and clean filter.
5 Flush fuel system with fresh fuel and add a gallon of premium gas.
6 Squirt some MMO into cylinder thru spark plug hole and work it around thoroughly by kicking the engine over with plug out.
7 Clean or new spark plug.
8 Start it up and run for a few minutes or until oil is pretty warm then drain oil, refill fluids and you're off to the races!

good luck!
jon

[Mr.Bill 0]

Quote

1 Drain the oil.
2 Add a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil and fill oil to proper level.
3 Drain gas.
4 Drain carb and clean filter.
5 Flush fuel system with fresh fuel and add a gallon of premium gas.
6 Squirt some MMO into cylinder thru spark plug hole and work it around thoroughly by kicking the engine over with plug out.
7 Clean or new spark plug.
8 Start it up and run for a few minutes or until oil is pretty warm then drain oil, refill fluids and you're off to the races!

After 20 years of fixing “rice burners” for a living I can guarantee the carburetor will need to be taken apart and cleaned before this thing runs properly again.

[Ratamahata 0]

Thanks for the help everyone! This is exactly the info that I hoped to get.

I think if I don't have to actually open the engine I should be able to get it running!

One more question. Mystery Motor Oil is something I have never heard of or seen in South Africa. I have phoned a few places now to see if they stock it but had no luck.

I did sent an email to MMO to ask if they sell it here, guess I have to wait for them to respond.

What is it? Do you guys know of something similair that I might be able to find this side of the ocean?

[TFFTM 1]

I just bought this beut from a yard sale for 25$ hadn't run in 10 or more years. Owner couldn't get it started.
Cleaned the carb, replaced battery, cleaned gas tank, changed transmission oil, refreshed the 2 cycle oil, checked compression and spark.

I still couldn't get it started. It turned out to be a clogged muffler. I put the muffler in a hot fire to clean it.
Reinstalled the muffler, and the scooter fired right up first time.

I did have to go back later and use a chemical solution to remove all the rust from the inside of the fuel tank. That stuff worked great!

No I can get up to 28 MPH 100 MPG and I have a blast riding thru the neigborhoods.

Its a 1978 Honda Express with a spring starter.

You can check out this link
http://www.mopedarmy.com/resources/articles/
It has some good articles and suggestions on getting mopeds/scooters going again.

Good luck.

BSBD
Home of the Alabama Gang

[XWuffo 0]

I think he is referring to Marvel Mystery Oil, but you can get an equivalent product from Verimark called Prolong http://www.verimark.co.za/

I dont know if its worth spending money on expensive treatment oil for an old scooter, depends are you planning to get another 20 000 km out of it.
if not, You could use a simple can of 10W40 Castrol

if its a Jap engine you should be ok

As we in Africa know - "If you're going to be dumb - you'd better be tough."
- Tonto

[DavidB 0]

Hello! That's a 2-cycle engine. There is no oil in the crankcase! The only place you might have oil would be in a transmission, & that doesn't have one of those either!

In order to make it go, you add gasoline to one tank & oil to the other.

Empty & clean out both tanks. Replace any fuel filter & any fuel & oil hose with new. Remove, disassemble, clean, reassemble the carburetor.

Aside from oiling the chain, any cables, & the steering, & having tires that hold air, I can't think of anything else that would be necessary.

Buy, beg, borrow, or steal a repair manual! Even a generic "scooter" or "moped" repair manual would help!!!

And after typing all that, if you just google "Honda express scooter" I'm sure you'll find a web board dedicated to it, complete with gurus & answers to all the questions you didn't know you had.

When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

[Ratamahata 0]

Thanks, that helps alot

I have removed both the fuel and oil tank yesterday and cleaned them both. I have removed the carburator but didn't get around to cleaning it. Will start with that tomorrow.
When I tried to remove the spark plug and air filter I noticed that there is nothing where it should be making it harder to find new parts.

The guys at the spares shop could not help me with most parts. They have to order everything from JApan and it will take six weeks to arrive.

[usedtajump 1]

Probably a good idea to make sure the brakes are in useable condition.

Carefully inspect all brake lines/hoses for cracks or deterioration. Change brake fluid and make sure the calipers aren't corroded or frozen

.

The older I get the less I care who I piss off.