P200E starting problem

[qpv8evo]

Hi guys,can anybody help with a running problem with my scoot,I am restoring a 152l2 and have fitted a P200E engine,the problem is it will run and rev on half choke but as soon as I put the choke in it will only idle but dies if I try to rev it,also I cant get it to start until I give it a slight whiff of easy start or pour a bit of fuel into the carb,once running it is obviously drawing plenty of fuel but starting is a pain,I have also noticed that if I leave the fuel tap on it constantly leaks fuel from the carb but if I take the top of the carb off and hold the float up it stops the fuel dead, could it be the float setting and if incorrect would that cause the problems?
Many Thanks
Gareth

[joey]

Idle/slow running circuit.
If the carb hasn't been used for a while then you're idle jet or the drillings for the slow running circuit may be gummed up.
Remove the jet and make sure it's not blocked up, if it is then blow through with an air hose or similar.
Alternativey you can strip your carb and try some carb cleaner but make sure you spray in a well ventilated area as it's lethal.
the best bet is to strip carb down completely and soak in a bowl of neat petrol for a day or two which should remove any gum deposits in your drillings, again blow through before you reassemble.

[elviswasamod]

hi, as joey said make sure all the jets have been blown through ive just ha a similar problem with my p2 every time i leave the petrol tap on it floods i replaced the float & needle and it was still the same so i cut a small piece of old aluminium from an old gasket and superglued it in the slot on the float so it just pushes it home more tightly and hey presto perfect on motorbikes they have whats called a brass tong and you can bend it basically thats the equivalent what i done remember a float works in the same way as a ballc**k in a cystern if you bend the arm it shuts off the water quicker ,hope this helps ferdy

[qpv8evo]

Thanks guys,I have stripped and cleaned the carb thoroughly but problem still persists,I will try the strip of ally shim in the float slot to make it push harder on the seal, hopefully this will stop the dripping but still need to get it to start reliably,as this is my first Vespa can anybody tell me if they are normally fairly easy to start with a good hefty kick or are they fairly hit and miss?
Gareth

[elviswasamod]

hi gareth yes vespas are the most reliable of scoots it should start with in a couple of kicks have you checked your plug and if the choke chamber is sticking what area are you in if you are local i could of sorted it for you cheers, ferdy

[qpv8evo]

Hi Ferdy,I am located in Oxfordshire,I have played around with the mixture and it now revs fine when it is going,I think I need a new float valve as the carb still drips a bit even though it looks fine upon examination Im guessing that the fuel in the chamber doesnt exert much pressure on the valve so even a slight bit of wear one the rubber tip would cause a leak?
As I said it runs fine............when it starts,it is still really difficult to start, I think I should get a new plug to make sure.As I will be giving the scoot to my sister as a birthday present I may have to convert it back to the modern looking longer kick start instead of the retro looking curved one that I have fitted so she can kick the 200 motor over, she is very petite and weedy!!!!!!!!
Many Thanks Ferdy.
Gareth

[joey]

There was an article in last months Scootering about the float needles on older machines being wrong for unleaded fuel.
I'll have to have another scan but apparently the rubber on old needles is designed for leaded and can cause flooding now we all use unleaded.
I'll have another read to make sure???
By the way Elvis, it's not a ballc**k it is a float operated valve, and bending the arm is illegal under the Water Regulations 1999! ;D

[joey]

Just had a look and you need to have an orange tipped float needle for unleaded or it will wear too quickly and cause flooding.
Just a quick one.......... the float bowl acts as a reservoir of fuel so if you reduce the amount of fuel in the bowl, say by adding a piece of ally to shut the float off earlier, then you increase the chances of fuel starvation at high revs as my mate Pete found out when he holed yet another TS1 piston. Much better to get a new float needle ;D

[elviswasamod]

what the hell has water regulations got to do with bending a piece of metal

[joey]

I don't bloody know, I'm just a plumber and have to follow rules like everyone else, and the law now states that it is no longer acceptable to bend the arm in order to achieve the correct water level! What can I do with the weight of a democratically elected government againgst me? ;D

[qpv8evo]

After fiddling a bit more with the mixture I got it to run sweet but then still had the starting problem,I purchased a new plug and it started on the first kick but although it is now better it takes three or four kicks to restart as I think the plug is oilng up or getting wet with fuel between running,could this still be down to float leaking float valve as this is the only thing ive not changed?
Also which foot did they have in mind when putting the kickstart on the right hand side?left seems less awkward but is weedy compared to my right so to give it a good kick I end up doing something that would look more at home in the Kama Sutra

[Devo McDuff]

I always start it with my right, just feels natural that way. I heard someone in my SC scoffing at right starters (not aimed at me, just in general) but I don't see that it makes a bit of difference. If the thing goes who cares

[dave1967]

Hi
I had this problem on a PX150 I use to have in the 80's, whats happening is the engine is flooding with fuel when you switch of but just to test it turn the fuel tap of before turning the engine off, then allow it to burn all the fuel in the carb, then once it stops turn the fuel back on and try to restart you may find its a lot easier, then you need to look at the needle valve seat in the carb as it may be worn or damaged and also check the valve itself, i fitted another carb and the problem stopped so guessed the valve seat was damaged.

Cheers Dave

[qpv8evo]

I think you may be on the right track with the needle valve as I know that is leaking slightly,not sure whether to buy the service items for the carb or buy a new carb as they are very reasonable from beedspeed.
Gareth

[joey]

Just buy the needle kid, there aren't really that many moving parts( apart from the slide) so carbs don't tend to "wear out." As long as it's clean a new needle should suffice