Buddy 125 won't stay running - been awhile since she's been.

bicyclerider · Post by **bicyclerider** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 1:00 pm

Ridden.

anyone have any suggestions?
I just put a new battery in her, she starts right up, idles for a bit, but just won't stay running?
bad / Old Gas?

thanks

jfrost2 · Post by **jfrost2** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 4:03 pm

How many months? Could be bad gas, or a low idle.

A_Hunter · Post by **A_Hunter** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 4:41 pm

It real sound like the carb and idle are the problem. So a fresh tank of gas is were I would start. Then check the air intake. The engine has to breath to run. From there, clean the carb and fuel lines. After that, time to go to the shop and let the pros have a go.
Hope this helps you .

bicyclerider · Post by **bicyclerider** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 5:09 pm

I will add some gas...I think it's low idle....
I can get to that here:
topic4153.html

thanks everyone.

enzomatic · Post by **enzomatic** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 5:12 pm

be sure to check stator or coil, I had the same exact problem, played around with the fuel line for weeks and tried everything w/ the carb first. Should be covered if it hasn't been 2 years yet.

ScooterTrash · Post by **ScooterTrash** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 6:03 pm

Do not add gas, drain old gas and refill. The carb needs to be pulled and cleaned. I would take it to your dealer

iwabj · Post by **iwabj** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 6:11 pm

bicyclerider · Post by **bicyclerider** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 7:26 pm

got it....
took the air filter off, ran it for a bit....
took out some / most gas - added new Gas....
adjusted the idle screw....
a few fast laps around the blocks and she's good to go!

trued up my bicycle wheel / put the tire back on....
I am outa here for a 3 hour bike ride and then ready for an evening Scooter stroll....

I am almost a mechanic - NOT

thanks everyone....good stuff and good solutions.

iwabj · Post by **iwabj** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 7:36 pm

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 10:59 pm

iwabj wrote:Are these machines more sensitive to gas volatility decay (aka stale gas) than, lets say a 10hp riding lawn mower engine? I ask, cause I have had started enough of them after they sat for more than a season running with "stale" gas contained within them.

I'm with you. I think too many problems are blamed on "bad gas" or "stale gas". My answer would be that scooter engines are no more sensitive to this issue than outboard engines, lawn mower engines, or various other small gasoline engines. If a scooter (or any small engine) is going to sit for months then a dose of Stabil is certainly a good idea. However, blaming virtually every hard starting or rough running problem on stale gas is probably overdoing it. If you try to start a cold Buddy with a weak battery, for example, it is very likely you will flood the engine and foul the plug before it kicks over. In that case, very little to do with the condition of the gas.

A_Hunter · Post by **A_Hunter** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:30 pm

Bad gas may not be the problem most of the time, thats true. But it is a good place to start for those new/not mechanically minded to start. It is also some thing that most people fix themselves. Only tool you really need is a siphen pump. Those are easy to find and cheap to buy. Beside it will be one less thing for the dealer to check if it comes to that. After all information is power.

Post by **illnoise** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:05 am

I personally think bad/old gas is blamed for more problems than it really causes.

It's almost always the carb. If you don't ride regularly, it's gonna get gummed up or blocked as gas flows into the float chamber and then evaporates. Old Vespas had a fuel tap so you could turn the gas off and let it run to drain out the carb, if you knew you wouldn't be riding for a while.

That's why electronic fuel injection is growing in popularity on scooters, sadly it adds a couple hundred bucks to the price of a scooter and if it does break, it's expensive to fix (and not a DIY job.)