Vespa not starting

[Devo McDuff]

Hey,

The other week there was a 5 day straight heavy downpour and since then my Vespa won't start. Doesn't kick in even a little bit really.

Tried a different plug but to be honest the one I put in as a replacement didn't look in great nick so just waiting for another one to arrive.

Anything else I should do? What are the steps for checking the spark?

I think it may be an electrical issues as a few days prior the headlight and brake lights went (rear light had gone a while back).

It's a VBB with LML engine, has a battery but it's been turned off for ages as the stator is knackered.

Cheers.

[Robjack]

If the stator is knackered, you won't have any ignition. You need to check for a spark by pulling the plug, re-attach the plug cap and touch the sparky bit against the engine case. Then turn the engine over with the kickstart. You should see a spark at the plug gap. Don't worry, you need a lot of electricity to kill you. Remember The Green Mile.

If you do see a spark, you will then need to check the fuel system.

[Devo McDuff]

Ta Rob. Though the fella in The Green Mile was a fair bit bigger than me ;D

[sbwnik]

It's not the volts, it's the amps.

And last time I touched a live plug, I found it had enough amps to put me flat on my back on the other side of the road, wondering what the feck had just happened. Steel plug caps = stupid idea.

[Devo McDuff]

Got a tiny wee shock and saw no spark to be seen, looks like electrics then. Mate has put me on to me a guy who knows about this stuff.