Modern Buddy

Hi, new to the board and I could use a little help. I apologize for the length of this post but my 2T stella has never run more then a week or two before having issues. I’m sick of sending it to a shop to have it return and then just crap out on me.

Here’s what’s been happening after the most recent return from the shop. The scoot ran great for two weeks as far as starting up and riding around a few blocks. I never got it past 2nd gear. Then it started to bog out when I was letting out the clutch after a stop. I could not start up unless I pulled the choke out & let it run a bit. After a day or two, the scoot would not start at all. FYI, this scooter has sat a lot due to constant issues. Last time it was drained and winterized. I have found a lot of other posts about this kind of problem and it seemed a carb rebuild was the first thing to try.

There was a fair amount of oil at the back of the air box when I opened the carb. Some was on the air filter, which was otherwise clean. I had noticed oil coming from the mixer screw prior to opening the box. Not uncommon or of major concern according to posts I have found. I took apart most of the carb; it was clean but I found some debris under the fuel filter. Why it was there after just having had the carb cleaned at a shop, I do not know. Crap in the tank that never got cleared out? The jets are brand new and not clogged. The carb was bone dry afa gas, no fuel in the float bowl. I had let the scoot sit about 10 days since my last attempt to start it. Should it have been totally dry? (Could this be part of my new starting problem?)

The gasket between the carb and air box was broken around one of the screw holes. It also had a fair amount of 2T oil on it. I also found a fair amount of 2T oil seeping out from under the air box. See 1st pic below. View is from the rear of the scoot.

I cleaned it a little and pulled up the air box a bit more. See 2nd pic below.

In looking at this gasket compared to a parts diagram for the Stella, this gasket does not look like its stock. Am I correct and could this be part of my problem? Where the gasket meets the channel for the oil on the air box looks dry but the rest is wet.

I got a carb rebuild kit, but the carb to air box and air box to crank case/reed gaskets were not included in it. A quick call to one supplier and check of another online supplier could not get me the correct gaskets. I’m currently looking. Only other thing I can think to check is the auto-oiler. There is no obvious oil around it, but gravity may have taken care of that.

I welcome your input and thank you in advance.

Sorry, pictures reversed.

Hi Nutella,
Have you tried venting the gas cap by drilling a little hole it the cap its self,
I have done that on my Stella, and my 2 buddys,
I live in Colo and have no problems with my scooters,
We took the scooters. up tp mt.evans rode 14,150 feet above sea level, and had no problems,
Annie

Oil in the air filter could explain why you needed to choke it to get it running and keep it going. More oil in the filter would kill it. BUT it could also be a fuel supply issue, clogged fuel line, bad filter, etc. No way to know unless you clean it up and keep the oil our of the air box.

First step is getting the right gasket. Who have you called about getting it? It shouldn't be a tough part to find.

Sounds like fuel but could also be electrical. Many times the electrical components need to heat up before they start to fail. I have more than once replaced or rebuilt an entire fuel system only to have the real problem be a bad condensor (you don't have one of those) or coil (you do have one of those).

The auto oiler is a pretty bullet proof system. They just don't break very often at all.

I would still start with the fuel system. Take a peek in the tanks and see if there is any crap in there. If it has sat for a long time I would rebuild the fuel tap.

Replace the fuel line, make sure it is 24-inches long, no more..no less. If you're going to rebuild the carb do a full rebuild. Just because jets are new doesn,t mean there isn't a little piece of junk in there.

If that doesn't do it I would move on to electrical