Modern Buddy

i was hoping this is a common issue and was looking for some advice.
im more familiar with shifty vespas... not so much with the modern automatic scooters. the wife has a roughhouse and it runs just fine.
anyway,
i'm trying to run down an issue for a friend who has a 2010-ish buddy 50.
its been running fine since he bought it 3 weeks ago. it usually runs good although it smokes a little (when hes 2-up mostly). it has 17000 or so miles.

this just started out of the blue today.
scooter starts and idles OK. when throttle twisted on take-off, it pulls good, then when it gets going for a 1/2 block or so, it just dies. it looses all power like its out of gas or the ignition has died. no throttle.
as it slows down, it doesn't stall. you can usually keep it idling a little by revving it after it dies...
so...
we replaced the battery today, i checked the old one w a meter and it was dead/dying. it runs a little better with a new battery, you get another 20-30 feet before it dies
It has new gas. (it sat for 8 months before he bought it and hes been driving it alot in the last 3 weeks.) he thought originally it was out of gas so he pushed it to gas station and filled it.
It has oil.
The air cleaner is clean.
I checked the plug. it got a it was a little black and wet so i cleaned it. no change. its got a BR8HS in it. which is different than the stock one. (bp7hs?)
it was getting dark so i stopped.
gonna look at it Monday for him. ill probably check the fuel filter and look for loose wires or hoses.
i think it either has a clogged fuel line or something electrical is failing.

any insight into what else to look for would be appreciated.

TIA

i have no real idea but will guess stator as i think it is battery / charging related, and is a very popular guess with Buddy's

good luck and check that stator!

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That sounds a little like the so-called "vapor lock" problem. Some Buddies with un-vented gas caps were developing a partial vacuum in their gas tanks, which after running a bit would starve the engine of fuel. That shouldn't be a problem with a 2010 (which came with a vented cap) but it's worth checking: when the scooter dies, carefully loosen the gas cap; if it makes a wooshing sound like air is being sucked in, that might be happening. Try leaving the cap a little loose (just enough to not form an air-tight seal) and see if it still happens.

The closest to this that I've experienced with my Buddy 50 was spark-plug related. It'd run fine most of the time, but had the inconvenient tendency to die in the rain. Replacing the plug fixed it. I'm no expert, but from what I understand about them I don't think there should be any problem using that model of plug instead of the stock one. But they're cheap enough and easy enough to replace that I'd suggest buying a new one to rule it out.

I'm with TVB on this one......your description lines up with the carb running out of fuel......especially because you mention you can kind of keep it running just above idle when the power goes away.....not electrical at all.
First, try the same routine with the gas cap left loose.....this prevents the tank from going into a vacuum situation.
If it throttles normally, you either have a clogged vent port in the gas cap or someone has installed a non-vented cap.
If performance is unchanged, then follow the fuel line from tank to carb looking for any potental kink spots....anything found can be re-routed....possibility of a line holder not holding the line.
If nothing is found, exchange the fuel filter....17k miles represents a fair amount of fuel has passed through it and it may be restricted.
Lastly, there is a vacuum controlled fuel shut off valve.....I believe this is at the fuel tank.....you will see the fuel line and a small diameter vacuum line attached and the vacuum line goes down to the intake manifold or carburetor.
First, make certain the vacuum line is not cracked at either connection end and not kinked or smashed under a bracket or any other part.
This line must be cleanly routed with no vacuum leakage or it will not open the fuel valve fully, also making the engine perform as you have described.

The last item that can cause this is the vacuum fuel valve itself.
Remove the fuel line from the carburetor and direct it into a pan or bottle.
Crank the engine......the moment the engine cranks, fuel should begine running out of the line at full force......not a dribble.
If it is only a dribble, the vacuum valve has failed and requires replacement.

Good luck,
Rob

its getting gas, tried the fuel line thing. vacuum lines look OK too
could a coil going bad do that on these? under load, its out of power...

Check the valve clearance?
I've had similar symptoms, once it was the valves, another time it was a clogged main jet

Hey All
How are you ! I am trying to fix the same problem as Jsunstar about to go out and remove the spark plug to rule that out and hope it works.. anyone find out for sure what the problem is ?

Thanks

Chrissy

Mr Stiffy wrote:Check the valve clearance?
I've had similar symptoms, once it was the valves, another time it was a clogged main jet

I agree with MrStiffy. Well, half agree anyway. It's a 50, so the valves aren't the problem.

But the sit before your buddy bought the Buddy might have allowed some gunk to build up, a piece of which came loose and is clogging your main jet. The good news is that if you're familiar with vintage Vespas you should find the Buddy 50 carb at least somewhat similar.

Or toss some Seafoam in it. Seafoam fixes everything.

If the fuel related remedies above prove to no avail check the exhaust manifold. Might need to be decarbonized.

i forgot to finish off discussion this after it was fixed. (bad form on my part...)

i took the carburetor off and cleaned it really well... there was gunk in the jets.
it would run fine on low speed jet then when the the main jet kicked in, it would loose all power due to starving for fuel.
it would bog down but never stall cause the LS jet was working fine.
a little compressed air, carb cleaner and elbow grease and its running like a top...