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Post by RWS74 on Mar 4, 2018 19:22:34 GMT
Hello folks, I went about de-coking Signora Vespa today, what are your thoughts on skiming the head cover? As you can see it appears that there is some minor leakage top & bottom but could this be normal? No gasket fitted as none from stock. Would a gasket help? (Or a few if only for a few for extra 0.001BHP) Should I get it skimmed & if so who does skimming? Many thanks, RWS  |
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Post by shaunbond on Mar 4, 2018 19:38:24 GMT
Doesn't look so bad, tape some wet & dry to a mirror or piece of glass and with some light oil keep the head flat and move in a figure of 8. Should be enough to flat that. For an great fit you can do the same to the barrels top surface
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Post by ironsloth on Mar 4, 2018 20:03:24 GMT
With shaunbond on that. Flat it off, especially if it's never been "skimmed" before.
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Post by RWS74 on Mar 4, 2018 20:16:24 GMT
Thank you gents, I’ll give it a go later in the week.
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Post by RWS74 on Mar 4, 2018 21:37:10 GMT
One more thing:
Earlier this week I was riding on the A406 at 46mph and the Vespa suddenly locked the rear wheel and cut out so I pulled in the clutch and pulled into the left left and gently released the clutch and it started and I continued my journey without issue & later rode 25 miles home without issue.
It hasn’t started well with electric start button since then & I have been using the kick start....
Could it be starter motor,
Could with this be because of the coked piston as it doesn’t look over coked to me.
Or something else.
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Post by ironsloth on Mar 4, 2018 22:51:28 GMT
Sounds like it was a heat seize. Do you keep anything under the seat? As for the starter, mine got lazy after a few years of abuse, so I took it off, blanked the hole, and replaced the flywheel and cover for a non electric start one. If you do that, keep your kickstart tightened, as nowadays they seem to be crap, the thread strips easily....
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Post by RWS74 on Mar 5, 2018 5:40:07 GMT
Ta Iron sloth, under seat is clear but I weigh 111 kg which may squash seat a tad & I have got a leg shield blanket which could restrict air perhaps? That being said it was early am and outside Temp was 2 Degrees.
Strange thing was when I removed the Cylinder cover I found a cooked & crispy disposable examination glove in the outside of the cylinder? Not that it was oils cause it to over heat though?
Ps. what grade wet & dry please?
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Post by mijapxman on Mar 5, 2018 17:54:26 GMT
RWS74, looks like you had a heat seize due to the cylinder head being loose or warped, I would do as shaunbond advised
to the cylinder head ( I use 1200 wet&dry),you don't need to go crazy doing this, your just trying to lap the head flat, if you wish you can use a marker pen on the cylinder head mating surface and when it disappears it should be flat, the reason to do this in a figure of eight is to try and stop you taking more from one side of the head than the other and to keep it level.
If it was my scoot, I'd take the barrel off and inspect the piston and rings.
especially as it's harder to start now, the rings may be smeared with piston alloy, sticking them in the ring grooves.
Remember to tighten the head bolts diagonally hand tight first then gradually take to the correct torque still going diagonally ( see Haynes manual if your unsure 😉).
Good luck.
Mij☺
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Post by ironsloth on Mar 5, 2018 17:59:45 GMT
Dammit, I was going to go for either a P45 or P60 joke.... The pen idea is a really good trick RWS74.
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Post by RWS74 on Mar 5, 2018 21:38:43 GMT
Thank you gents. I’ll take care of it on Wednesday.
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Post by RWS74 on Mar 7, 2018 7:52:28 GMT
Sounds like it was a heat seize. Do you keep anything under the seat? As for the starter, mine got lazy after a few years of abuse, so I took it off, blanked the hole, and replaced the flywheel and cover for a non electric start one. If you do that, keep your kickstart tightened, as nowadays they seem to be crap, the thread strips easily.... Whocha Ironsloth, I finally managed to attach an Oxford hella socket to the spare wheel cover so I can charge & condition the battery using the optimists ones we use at work on job bikes. It started fine after a good charge all day which is good & I’ll keep an eye on the kick bolt too. |
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Post by RWS74 on Mar 7, 2018 17:46:02 GMT
Well I managed to skim both surfaces as suggested gents.
Starter still fine post decent battery charge & condition and now I can do that everyday at work which should help.
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Post by RWS74 on Aug 20, 2018 20:11:35 GMT
RWS74, looks like you had a heat seize due to the cylinder head being loose or warped, I would do as shaunbond advised to the cylinder head ( I use 1200 wet&dry),you don't need to go crazy doing this, your just trying to lap the head flat, if you wish you can use a marker pen on the cylinder head mating surface and when it disappears it should be flat, the reason to do this in a figure of eight is to try and stop you taking more from one side of the head than the other and to keep it level. If it was my scoot, I'd take the barrel off and inspect the piston and rings. especially as it's harder to start now, the rings may be smeared with piston alloy, sticking them in the ring grooves. Remember to tighten the head bolts diagonally hand tight first then gradually take to the correct torque still going diagonally ( see Haynes manual if your unsure 😉). Good luck. Mij☺ Ello Mij, it turns out the starting issue was a worn float valve flooding the bike.... which caused the battery to go flat trying to start it hence needing to kick start all the time. I replaced float valve today and it started on the button first time & has continued to do so all day. ✌🏽 |
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Post by RWS74 on Aug 20, 2018 20:11:45 GMT
RWS74, looks like you had a heat seize due to the cylinder head being loose or warped, I would do as shaunbond advised to the cylinder head ( I use 1200 wet&dry),you don't need to go crazy doing this, your just trying to lap the head flat, if you wish you can use a marker pen on the cylinder head mating surface and when it disappears it should be flat, the reason to do this in a figure of eight is to try and stop you taking more from one side of the head than the other and to keep it level. If it was my scoot, I'd take the barrel off and inspect the piston and rings. especially as it's harder to start now, the rings may be smeared with piston alloy, sticking them in the ring grooves. Remember to tighten the head bolts diagonally hand tight first then gradually take to the correct torque still going diagonally ( see Haynes manual if your unsure 😉). Good luck. Mij☺ Ello Mij, it turns out the starting issue was a worn float valve flooding the bike.... which caused the battery to go flat trying to start it hence needing to kick start all the time. I replaced float valve today and it started on the button first time & has continued to do so all day. ✌🏽 |
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Post by mijapxman on Aug 20, 2018 21:42:37 GMT
RWS74, glad you've got it starting fine 👍.Did you have a look at your piston rings, after that hard seize?
Mij☺
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Post by RWS74 on Aug 21, 2018 6:08:32 GMT
RWS74, glad you've got it starting fine 👍.Did you have a look at your piston rings, after that hard seize? Mij☺ Hi Mij, indeed I did, I believe it was a soft seize though as it resolved straight away, the rings, barrel and piston were not worn and no sign of abrasions etc. |
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Post by mijapxman on Aug 21, 2018 16:29:50 GMT
Hi RWS74, you must have been very lucky with the seize, as locking the rear wheel at 46 mph, would usually damage the rings and or cylinder in my experience, even though they can still run after cooling down( thats one of the reasons some Lambretta riders love iron kits!) been there got the t-shirt etc lol.
Seems like lapping the cylinder head and or re-torquing it, has cured the leak and prevented further seizing, by it running weak.
After the seize and it later not starting I would have bet money on damaged rings/cylinder! Glad I didn't!😀 As that's been the possible symptom ( and worse ) on many, many engines after a seize that locks the back wheel.
Whether you have a good or bad float valve it is good practice to always turn the petrol off when parked. I have seen exhausts pour what looked like a flood of petrol out their the tail pipes as the scoots have been backed out of sheds/garages, due to a worn/damaged float valve and the petrol tap being left on, last week my mates P200e, was p*shing petrol out the flywheel side oil seal for the above reasons.
Ride safe.
Mij☺
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Post by ironsloth on Aug 21, 2018 20:39:06 GMT
I'm the same as mij, always turn the fuel tap off. Mind you the last time I heat seized, I was flat out doing 65mph.... Left 2 sets of skid marks......
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Post by RWS74 on Aug 22, 2018 5:23:04 GMT
I'm the same as mij, always turn the fuel tap off. Mind you the last time I heat seized, I was flat out doing 65mph.... Left 2 sets of skid marks...... Ta Gents, I’m fastidious about turning the fuel off having riden old carb bikes for 25 years, so much so it’s second nature. |
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Post by RWS74 on Aug 22, 2018 5:23:08 GMT
I'm the same as mij, always turn the fuel tap off. Mind you the last time I heat seized, I was flat out doing 65mph.... Left 2 sets of skid marks...... Ta Gents, I’m fastidious about turning the fuel off having riden old carb bikes for 25 years, so much so it’s second nature. |
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Post by shovel1 on Aug 23, 2018 7:37:06 GMT
Great thread with loads of helpful info I’ll b checking my needle tonight as I’ve had starting issues tho main reason for my reply is “how the hell did u manage to upload photos been trying for days” (😬😬😭😭😖😖) cheers chaps happy sun chasing
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Post by RWS74 on Aug 25, 2018 11:12:39 GMT
Great thread with loads of helpful info I’ll b checking my needle tonight as I’ve had starting issues tho main reason for my reply is “how the hell did u manage to upload photos been trying for days” (😬😬😭😭😖😖) cheers chaps happy sun chasing  Wocha Shovel, I use an iPhone and tap the picture icons in the picture. All the best, RWS |
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Post by RWS74 on Sept 9, 2018 21:21:22 GMT
As my battery was Kaput after constant draining and charging over 6 months or so I invested in a new one... Recommended by mates who use them on big touring bikes and say they are bullet proof. They are sealed AGM (Absorption Glass Mat). I also fitted an iridium plug BR8HIX which I always preferred on my bikes. The difference is impressive, starts quicker than I can ever remember. Fingers crossed it’s a good upgrade. Will report back in the winter when after an old grey whistle test.  |
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Post by RWS74 on Sept 30, 2018 8:58:08 GMT
So after 3 weeks use with some cold 05:00 starts I can honestly say the Battery & Iridium combination is a working really well. It starts very quickly without hesitation on the button.
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