Help a noob: Scooter won't start after winter

[mtv]

Hey all,

Total noob here, so go easy on me.

I got a Buddy 150 last fall and love it. Rode it around town, worked on my scootering skills, then put it away for the winter...by which I mean I just parked it in my garage and forgot about it.

This past weekend we had gorgeous weather, so I decided to crank her up. Alas, no go. The engine wouldn't turn over when I tried to start it, the headlight would just flicker.

I went and got a battery tender jr. thinking my battery was dead. Hooked it up, plugged it in and the tender started to charge. A couple of hours later my light was steady green. So I unhooked the tender, and tried again. It came a little closer to turning over, but still no go.

I searched the forum and from what I saw thought maybe my battery was dead due to negligence. So today (another gorgeous day) I got a new battery on my way home from work. I swapped out the batteries, got my key, said a little prayer to the scooter gods and...same story, won't turn over. It felt like it was even closer this time, but still no go.

I know I goofed up by just letting it sit over the winter, but I'm not sure what to do at this point to get it to run. Any help, suggestions, advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[LuvMyScoot]

I'm sure one of the guys/gals with more experience will chime in here but I'm thinking that the gas may have gummed up the carb or the fuel may not be any good anymore.

You could try siphoning out the old gas and putting in fresh. To the fresh gas add some Seafoam (follow the instructions on the can) and see if after a few tries you can get her to start. If she does ride her around for a while to let the Seachem clean out the fuel lines and carb.

[jmkjr72]

now here is the question you say it wont turn over that means to me the engine is not moving at all when you hit the starter
did you try the kick starter to get it going
is the kill switch on

now if you mean the engine moves then you should say it wont start

now if it turns over or cranks and wont start
you will need to remove as much of the stale old fuel as you can
then you will need to pull the carb off and clean it
the plain and simple fact that it wont fire means if the carb is gumed up from sitting and it wont start then adding seafoam to the gas wont do anything now as you need to get it started and running for seafoam to clean your carb

[LuvMyScoot]

now here is the question you say it wont turn over that means to me the engine is not moving at all when you hit the starter
did you try the kick starter to get it going
is the kill switch on

now if you mean the engine moves then you should say it wont start

now if it turns over or cranks and wont start
you will need to remove as much of the stale old fuel as you can
then you will need to pull the carb off and clean it
the plain and simple fact that it wont fire means if the carb is gumed up from sitting and it wont start then adding seafoam to the gas wont do anything now as you need to get it started and running for seafoam to clean your carb

I have a Yamaha generator that I hadn't started in a long time. Of course, it got all gummed up. I took out the old gas and put in some new with Seafoam. It took awhile yanking on the manual start but eventually it turned over. It stalled a few times but after alot of effort I finally got it running smoothly again. I was hoping mtv could do the same thing with his scoot.

[bluebuddygirl]

One thing to try even before trying to swap out the fuel. The reality is that stuff may be gummed up from sitting, but the fuel in the tank still should get it started. Go ahead and put some seafoam in the tank. A couple of ounces will help de-gunk your carb.

Ok, so the biggest issue is that your engine has been sitting still for quite some time. You can combine the kickstart and electric start. Turn your key on, make sure the kill switch is in the run position. Fold out the kick start lever and push it with your foot a couple of times. If it starts by doing this then great, but push it until you feel tension and then try the electric start (remember to hold in a brake lever, or it won't work). This will get things moving a little. Your bike may still be pretty cold, and you have only one cylinder. One cylinder + cold oil = hard to start scooter.

If you get it started, it would be best to get some new fuel in, and then change the oil or have it changed as soon as possible. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

[mtv]

Thanks for the help everyone. Sounds like I should have winterized (doh!). Oh well, lesson learned.

After watching a few youtube videos on cleaning out a carburetor, I'm pretty sure this is something I should pay someone else to do. Looks really complicated, and I would hate to screw anything up. I need to get the oil changed anyway, so I suppose I could kill two birds with one stone.

I'll try the seafoam/kickstart new fuel method first (to be honest there isn't much fuel in the tank at all) and see if I can't get something going, but it sounds like I might have to take it in. Boogers.

Anyone cleaned out their carburetor before? Is it as difficult as it looks (I mean the disassembly, assembly, etc... the actual cleaning didn't look difficult at all).

Thanks again for all the help. I appreciate it.

[jmkjr72]

Thanks for the help everyone. Sounds like I should have winterized (doh!). Oh well, lesson learned.

After watching a few youtube videos on cleaning out a carburetor, I'm pretty sure this is something I should pay someone else to do. Looks really complicated, and I would hate to screw anything up. I need to get the oil changed anyway, so I suppose I could kill two birds with one stone.

I'll try the seafoam/kickstart new fuel method first (to be honest there isn't much fuel in the tank at all) and see if I can't get something going, but it sounds like I might have to take it in. Boogers.

Anyone cleaned out their carburetor before? Is it as difficult as it looks (I mean the disassembly, assembly, etc... the actual cleaning didn't look difficult at all).

Thanks again for all the help. I appreciate it.

if you let it sit over winter and you didnt stabilize it and you left very little fuel in the tank more then likely you have more water in your tank then fuel
i dont know if your the type of person that takes your scoot in for tune ups and oilchanges then a carb cleaning isnt for you

[TVB]

I got a new battery on my way home from work. I swapped out the batteries, got my key, said a little prayer to the scooter gods and...same story, won't turn over. It felt like it was even closer this time, but still no go.

The new battery might need charging before it'll start the engine.

[Anachronism]

please clarify if the engine is turning over and not catching, or not turning over at all.

The cleanest carb in the universe will not help if the piston isn't moving.

[ericalm]

Removing the carb is actually pretty easy. Drain the gas first, though, or it will spew all over the place!

Of course, my Bud's carb has been sitting in the garage for a month or more as I stripped a screw on the bottom of the float bowl. Yay for me. Screwperman strikes again! Taking it to my dealer soon to get that fixed.

[mtv]

Sorry, should have mentioned that earlier. Then engine is turning over and not catching. Although last night I did try the kick start and electric start trick and it caught for a second or two. Then died.

I'm pretty mechanically inclined, I've just never done any of this before. Doesn't mean I can't though. I'm willing to try cleaning it myself, if you all say it isn't too bad.

Thanks again for all the help and advice.

[KABarash]

Well, I'm a certified mechanical moron, and I was having the same issues, all I did was let it sit in the sun in the driveway a few hours...!!

[pdxrita]

I'd say add some fresh gas, since there's not much in there, and try it again. Don't be too timid on trying to crank it for a while. It sounds like it's on the cusp of starting and some fresh gas just might do the trick.

[Anachronism]

cleaning a slide carb is really easy. just unbolt it and blow out the jets.

[justscooten]

classic case of water in the fuel. drain the tank and new gas and some drygas to the tank it might start but it will take a bit of work to do then it might not run well for a bit.

[mtv]

Hey all,

Thanks for all of your tips and advice. Here's a quick update:

I siphoned out the old gas till the tank was as empty as I could get it. Then I added new gas with some Seafoam (according to the package, one oz for 1 gallon). I also made sure the new battery was charged (needed some charging).

And when I fired her up, she started for a second or two, then conked out. The kick start won't do anything, but when I use the electric start, I can get it to catch for a bit before it dies. If I try again to get it to start it doesn't do as well. It seems to be best when I let it sit for a minute or two first, and then try.

Any other thoughts before I get up to my elbows in carburetor? Should I just keep trying over and over again?

Man have I learned my lesson.

Again, I appreciate all the help. Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

[jasondavis48108]

Are you trying to give it gas when you start it. I just got my wifes ruckus out of storage. It had sat for 4 months over the winter. It took several attempts to get it started and then when it did start, if I gave it any throttle at all it would die. I let it idle for 15-20 minutes and it was fine, guess it just wakes up a bit grumpy.

[mtv]

Well, thanks everyone for their help and input. I'm happy to say I just got back from my first ride. I decided to have another go at getting it to start. After several more tries it finally caught and stayed caught.

Thanks again to everyone for your patience and sage advice. I learned my lesson for sure and will winterize next time.

Take care!

[Skootz Kabootz]

I love a happy ending.

(man, if that doesn't make it into the double entendre thread...)