Seized my Blur's engine!

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HanShan
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Post by HanShan »

babblefish wrote:Received my new Simota air filter element today. Very well made and came pre-oiled. Can be cleaned and reused, just like a K&N. Installed just like the OEM filter. Remember, this is the exact same filter that the Hooligan uses.
Hey Babble,

Would this fit on a 220i as well?
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

HanShan wrote:
babblefish wrote:Received my new Simota air filter element today. Very well made and came pre-oiled. Can be cleaned and reused, just like a K&N. Installed just like the OEM filter. Remember, this is the exact same filter that the Hooligan uses.
Hey Babble,

Would this fit on a 220i as well?
I don't really know. From my research, there appears to be two different possible air filters for the 220. One looks like mine and the other is completely different. I couldn't find any listing for a Simota air filter that is shaped like the other design. One clue for you though, the part number for the stock paper element for my 150 is M2262070000 - if the part number for your stock element is the same, then the Simota I'm using will fit your 220.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

Changed the rear DNM shock for another DNM that is a little shorter (265mm, eye-to-eye vs 280mm) and with a softer spring (250lb vs 350lb). While I like my ride to be firm, the 350lb spring and my 165lb weight just didn't get along. The Blur in stock form is already pretty high for my 32" inseam, so adding a 15mm longer shock over stock made for some serious tippy toeing at stops, hence the need/desire for something a bit shorter. The new ride is firm, but not overly so and I have enough adjustment to fine tune the ride height/preload if needed along with the rebound dampening. Very happy with the results.
I didn't take any pictures because the new shock basically looks exactly like the old one, except shorter.

Any heavy/portly and tall Blur riders out there in need of a good shock? PM me.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

Finally got around to rebuilding my transmission. Not sure of the exact amount of miles on the old parts, but it's several thousand. The belt has been in there the longest, since around 2007. It was due, as you can see in the picture. Several of the old sliders had flat spots where there shouldn't be flat spots. The pulley half where the sliders live has grooves worn into it. Not sure why this is happening or if it's common with the Dr. Pulley variators, but it doesn't seem to affect the variator function so I'll leave it alone for now.
As I mentioned earlier, the clutch has been very grabby and jerky - not smooth at all. There was also a lot of vibration which got worst with increased RPM/speed.

The variator belt, sliders, clutch, and clutch bell were all replaced. Regreased the slidedy bits when reassembling. The new sliders are 12/gm (stock weight) and the new clutch engages at 1200 RPM. The new clutch bell is suppose to be balanced and I can feel it when riding. Vibration is greatly reduced and the clutch action is very smooth. I think I should have used 14/gm sliders though, the engine revs pretty high when accelerating. Either that, or I'll go back to a stock contra spring (blue, 1000 RPM). The slider (or roller) weights and the contra spring tension both affect how the CV transmission responds to engine RPM. Lighter sliders requires a higher engine RPM before the variator pulley plates start to come together, thereby forcing the belt to ride higher in the pulley. When this happens, belt tension increases at the contra pulley which forces the two contra pulleys to spread apart (against the contra spring) which allows the belt to drop further down toward the center of the contra pulley. This action changes the drive ratio between the engine and gearbox thereby allowing a higher road speed. As you can see, the variator sliders and the contra spring interact with each other to determine how the transmission responds to engine RPM and torque.

I was surprised at how clean the air filter was. I haven't cleaned it since installing it a few thousand miles ago, but it still looks new.

Next project is a valve adjustment; I can hear a lot of tappet noise.
Attachments
Old slider (top) with flat spot. A new slider on the bottom for comparison.
Old slider (top) with flat spot. A new slider on the bottom for comparison.
sliders.jpg (60.36 KiB) Viewed 28840 times
Old clutch disassembled from pulley assembly. Here you can see the yellow (1500 RPM) contra spring. The big nut that holds everything together is 39mm.
Old clutch disassembled from pulley assembly. Here you can see the yellow (1500 RPM) contra spring. The big nut that holds everything together is 39mm.
old clutch.jpg (108.54 KiB) Viewed 28840 times
Old clutch.
Old clutch.
old clutch 2.jpg (112.79 KiB) Viewed 28840 times
Old belt. Cracks everywhere! Time to replace!
Old belt. Cracks everywhere! Time to replace!
belt.jpg (40.7 KiB) Viewed 28840 times
Last edited by babblefish on Mon Sep 18, 2017 8:08 am, edited 2 times in total.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

More pics showing the damaged variator.
Attachments
New sliders. The slider pulled out shows the correct orientation when installing.
New sliders. The slider pulled out shows the correct orientation when installing.
sliders 2.jpg (69.07 KiB) Viewed 28839 times
Variator plate that is causing the grooves.
Variator plate that is causing the grooves.
damaged variator 3.jpg (96.32 KiB) Viewed 28839 times
Close-up of one of the grooves.
Close-up of one of the grooves.
damaged variator.jpg (68.61 KiB) Viewed 28839 times
Grooves worn on all of the slider channels.
Grooves worn on all of the slider channels.
damaged variator 2.jpg (81.43 KiB) Viewed 28839 times
Last edited by babblefish on Mon Sep 18, 2017 7:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

More pics showing the new clutch. Note: the belt must be pushed into the contra pulley groove in order to allow the belt to fit onto the variator. In order to do this, I used a pry bar and screwdriver to force the contra pulley halves apart.

Explanation of how a CVT works:

Looking at the last picture of the transmission fully assembled, you'll see that the drive belt sits at the bottom of the variator pulley and at the top of the contra pulley. This is considered "first gear", or a high ratio of engine speed (fast) vs rear wheel speed (slow). As the engine RPM increases, the sliders in the variator are forced outward by centrifugal force which pushes the the two variator plates together which in turn forces the drive belt to ride higher in the variator pulley. Heavier sliders will make this happen at a lower engine RPM. Lighter sliders have the opposite effect. This action increases the drive belt tension against the contra pulley halves which forces the two pulley plates apart allowing the drive belt to ride deeper into the contra pulley. How fast this happens is determined by the contra spring and the slider weights. So, at maximum engine/road speed, the configuration of the drive belt will be the opposite of what you see in the picture. In other words, the drive belt will be riding at the very top of the variator pulley and at the bottom of the contra pulley. The transmission is then considered to be in top gear. Hope this helps people understand how a CVT works.
Attachments
Variator installed.
Variator installed.
new clutch 5.jpg (90.8 KiB) Viewed 28838 times
New clutch bell installed. I used a pry bar to force contra pulley plates apart so that the belt could be pushed deeper into pulley thereby allowing the belt to fit over variator/crank shaft.
New clutch bell installed. I used a pry bar to force contra pulley plates apart so that the belt could be pushed deeper into pulley thereby allowing the belt to fit over variator/crank shaft.
new clutch 4.jpg (87.08 KiB) Viewed 28838 times
Clutch/contra pulley installed along with the belt.
Clutch/contra pulley installed along with the belt.
new clutch 3.jpg (72.59 KiB) Viewed 28838 times
New belt and it's part number.
New belt and it's part number.
new belt.jpg (92.26 KiB) Viewed 28838 times
New clutch installed onto contra pulley.
New clutch installed onto contra pulley.
new clutch 2.jpg (115.38 KiB) Viewed 28838 times
Getting ready to assemble. I used one hand and a knee to push the clutch against the contra spring while I installed the 39mm nut.
Getting ready to assemble. I used one hand and a knee to push the clutch against the contra spring while I installed the 39mm nut.
new clutch 1.jpg (107.39 KiB) Viewed 28838 times
Last edited by babblefish on Mon Sep 18, 2017 8:31 am, edited 5 times in total.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

Amazingly clean air filter after several thousand miles.
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air filter.jpg
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HanShan
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Post by HanShan »

My dirty old air filter is jealous.

Hey, I notice you have weights on your wheels. Where did you get them balanced? I think I could use that. I have a slight vibration over 55 that I think is from an unbalanced wheel.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

I got my wheels balanced at my local scooter shop, SF Scooter Center. Some scooter shops feel scooter wheels don't need balancing because they're so small, but I disagree. I suppose if one rides only in the city and rarely go pass 35 mph it would be OK.

More info:

My dealer used this to balance scooter wheels:
https://www.harborfreight.com/motorcycl ... 98488.html

It's only $40 from Harborfreight. If you have other scooter and/or motorcycle riders in your inner circle, everyone could chip-in to buy one then share it amongst yourselves.
Attachments
wheelbal.jpg
wheelbal.jpg (56.89 KiB) Viewed 28800 times
Last edited by babblefish on Wed Sep 20, 2017 7:18 am, edited 2 times in total.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

For anyone interested, the clutch and clutch bell I used should fit the Buddy 125 - 170i and Hooligan.
This info comes from Scooterdynasty which shows the part number of the stock clutch as fitting the Blur, Hooligan, and Buddy 125-170.

http://www.scooterdynasty.com/clutchsho ... yblur.aspx
Last edited by babblefish on Sun Sep 24, 2017 7:16 am, edited 3 times in total.
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HanShan
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Post by HanShan »

babblefish wrote:I got my wheels balanced at my local scooter shop, SF Scooter Center. Some scooter shops feel scooter wheels don't need balancing because they're so small, but I disagree. I suppose if one rides only in the city and rarely go pass 35 mph it would be OK.
My Buddy Dealer Mechanics suck. They seem too busy fixing "motorcycles" to be bothered with the Buddy's. I might need to take a rode trip to another dealer.
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Re:

Post by buddy burger »

babblefish wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 6:13 pm For anyone interested, the clutch and clutch bell I used should fit the Buddy 125 - 170i and Hooligan.
This info comes from Scooterdynasty which shows the part number of the stock clutch as fitting the Blur, Hooligan, and Buddy 125-170.

http://www.scooterdynasty.com/clutchsho ... yblur.aspx
Wow! Awesome info babblefish,!!
Thanks for everything
Im looking into getting the complete ban jing cvt kit which also include the t.c.the regular gy6 guy like it a lot.only thing that buggin me is that the "regular" gy6 case used 835 belt ,when they put an overrange variator like the ban jing (115 mm)
They put a 842 long carter belt so they can benefit from the larger diam. Of the driving pulley...i have put many hours trying to find a between 812 -821 quality belt.
I also like to have a variator running the same 30 degrees as the t.c. and belt(812+20-30)
Was hoping maybe you couldve telle me if the variator alone was worth the change?
And if running a 28 degree belt through a 30 degres variator to a 28 degree t.c. seemed reliable (think it was since you change it recently)
Thanks a lot for that piece of anthlogy!
Hope you still ridin that blur!
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babblefish
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Re: Seized my Blur's engine!

Post by babblefish »

Glad I was able to supply some useful information.

I didn't really notice any difference between my stock variator and the Dr. Pulley. It might be all smoke and mirrors with some of these "performance" variators. Of course, a variator with a larger diameter "should" give a little more top end speed though.

As far as the number of degrees of angle a belt has, I don't think it's very critical because they're made of rubber and with typical manufacturing tolerances, a degree here and there isn't going to make a whole lot of difference.

As far as my Blur is concerned, it hasn't run in at least two years. It sounds like I blew the crankshaft again because it sounds like a tin can full of marbles. When I find the time, I'll have to pull the engine apart again and check the oil galleys and crank bearings to see what went wrong. I did run my Blur hard though so who knows, I probably abused it to death. I've been riding a 150cc Buddy that I bought used a few years ago. I've left that one alone so it's been very reliable.

Good luck with your Blur.
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