Buddy 170i GY6 Swap?

CaliforniaBrandon · Post by **CaliforniaBrandon** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 12:54 am

I was driving my Buddy 170i the other dead and it died on me. I had a friend look at it that is more mechanic minded than I and he is guessing that it most likely blew a cylinder, which is a bummer since it's just a 2014 and only has like 12,xxx miles on it. The engine is getting gas and it's getting spark.

I've gone down a few times on it, so I don't think it's worth the cost of having the engine rebuilt. But, I was wondering if a GY6 swap would be possible?

Has anyone else done a GY6 swap on the Buddy 170i? Would that be worth it to salvage some value from the scooter?

(or if you have other ideas of a simpler problem the scooter may have, I'm open to pursuing other possibilities before I drive it an hour and a half to the nearest shop that will work on it).

Thanks in advance! I haven't posted here before, but I have benefitted from reading your posts time after time.

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 7:33 am

I find it hard to believe that the engine can be done with only 12K miles on it, unless you neglected all maintenance on it like oil, sparkplug, and air filter changes. I'd have a qualified scooter mechanic take a look at it to determine the cause of it not starting. It might be something simple.

As far as swapping in a generic GY6 engine, it would probably cost more than just having your original engine repaired. These are pretty simple engines. Since your scoot is fuel injected, the electrical connections won't be straight forward and will require some mods to the harness. Plus, PGO has a history of doing things slightly different from your "standard" GY6 so there may be some other things to contend with.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 7:47 pm

Indeed. Darned if I know what "blew a cylinder" is supposed to mean. Time for a knowledgeable diagnosis. And even if you did need a replacement engine, swapping in a used one from a donor bike or other source would be a more practical and cost effective alternative.

DeeDee · Post by **DeeDee** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 10:25 pm

A gy6 would be a real bad candidate for that scooter. I've seen complete Buddy 125 engines with wiring harness go for under $300. The Buddy engine would outlast a Chinese gy6 by a span of 10:1.

JettaKnight · Post by **JettaKnight** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:03 pm

Well, technically a Buddy engine is a GY6. However, most GY6's are longblocks, but the Buddy is a short block.

Changing the engine isn't hard at all, but I still want to know what, "blew the cylinder" means on your engine. In most situations this means the piston slammed the cylinder head or a broke rod or something so catastrophic that the only solution is a new engine.

Did you run it with no oil?

CaliforniaBrandon · Post by **CaliforniaBrandon** » Sat Apr 29, 2017 11:31 pm

I don't think I neglected the maintenance (unless I missed something - which is likely). The oil and oil filter was changed 4 times throughout the just over 12,000 miles. I did not change the spark plug until I started problem solving - it was an easy thing I knew how to do that I could try.

The closest certified Genuine mechanic is over an hour away from me, so I am going to take it to a local motorcycle mechanic for at least a more accurate diagnosis.

Thanks so much and I'll let you know what "blew the cylinder" ends up actually meaning. haha.

paracer · Post by **paracer** » Sun Apr 30, 2017 3:09 am

For what it's worth, Scrappy Dog has short case 150 engines advertised at about $350.

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Sun Apr 30, 2017 7:15 am

CaliforniaBrandon wrote:I don't think I neglected the maintenance (unless I missed something - which is likely). The oil and oil filter was changed 4 times throughout the just over 12,000 miles. I did not change the spark plug until I started problem solving - it was an easy thing I knew how to do that I could try.

The closest certified Genuine mechanic is over an hour away from me, so I am going to take it to a local motorcycle mechanic for at least a more accurate diagnosis.

Thanks so much and I'll let you know what "blew the cylinder" ends up actually meaning. haha.

Four oil changes in 12,000 miles is not very good. I change mine every 1,000 - 1,200 miles. I think most people here do the same. I hope somewhere in those 12,000 miles the gearbox oil and air filter got changed too, as well as the rollers in the variator and the drive belt. Regardless, a bike mechanic is your best bet to determine what's going on with your engine.