small engine question, lennox u can prolly help

[lilsilva99]

i was wondering how I would know if my magneto wasnt working?.....does it have to do with if the spark plug works, the magneto works?

[Lennox]

if the spark plug works, the magneto works?

This is a safe statement.....

you see, the magneto produces the current, then the coil boosts it to produce a spark.....

what problem are you having? No spark?

[lilsilva99]

I have spark, but my vento is not starting and ive bought a new piston gaskets, and have been working on it alot and i cant get it to start!!!! :mad: :(

[JeremyD]

Make sure your piston is turned the right way. I know in an aircraft engine if you turn the piston backwards it will not run. I know there is a big difference in the two but they work off the same theory.

[Lennox]

I have spark, but my vento is not starting and ive bought a new piston gaskets, and have been working on it alot and i cant get it to start!!!! :mad: :(

have you checked for a cracked or broken reed??

[lilsilva99]

In the intake manifold?.....But I do not think I have tried that.....explain? ...

[lilsilva99]

No the piston is in correctly.....the arrow on the top points toward the exhaust

[Lennox]

yeah, take out the intake manifold, and then there is a pyramid looking cage that sits down in the crankcase........ there are flat "petals" on the sides of the cage. If they are warped, cracked, or broke that will cause you not to run..... They MUST sit TOTTALY FLAT against the cage! ;)

[lilsilva99]

I believe this is not what it should look like...

[lilsilva99]

what if i bangged the metal pieces back flat? or do i buy a new one

[Lennox]

what if i bangged the metal pieces back flat? or do i buy a new one

whoa, hold on, dont go banging anything! The metal pieces that are fare away from the cages are the stops! they need to be where they are. The small thin metal are the reeds..... it is difficult to see them in your photo.. Is there a space between them and the cage? If so, Carbon Fiber reeds will do the trick.... (I may have some extra sets if your interested) Can you post a better pic?

[XPS1210]

Yeah... Those are exactly how they are supposed to be....

DON'T TOUCH THEM~!

[lilsilva99]

I tried to take better pics but u cant really see the flares
But when i gently push down on the flares they do have a LITTLE room till they touch the cage....if they are bad, i would be intrested in some

[Lennox]

I tried to take better pics but u cant really see the flares
But when i gently push down on the flares they do have a LITTLE room till they touch the cage....if they are bad, i would be intrested in some

how much room is a little? Even if you can slide a piece of paper under it, that can cause compression loss....... It has to be AIR tight to create the compression needed to run....

[XPS1210]

on the other hand... the compression also helps make them seal... part of having a reed engine...


I remember that in the how to that is on the provo sales site said it's not a problem if they aren't exactly flush against the reed cage!

So... I know mine has a tiny tiny gap on them.... I'm not to worried about it... unless it's a HUGE gap.... then you shouldn't have a problem starting it...

[lilsilva99]

ok then i believe that they are fine, but tell me wut else could be rong then??????? :confused: :( :mad:

[XPS1210]

I have spark, but my vento is not starting and ive bought a new piston gaskets, and have been working on it alot and i cant get it to start!!!! :mad: :(


Here... I reread the posts...

How much is "been working on it alot"?

Some areas to check out...

did you mess with:

CDI unit
Ignition switch (back side)
are you 100% sure the spark plug is okay? Mine died and I couldn't start it one time when the plug had fowled... it looked okay but wouldn't start at all...
can you push the scooter and it roll fine? IE: not turn the engine when pushed?

What type of messing with it have you done? They are easy to mess up if you unplug something and forget to plug it back in...

Let us know exactly what all you have done...

[lilsilva99]

How much is "been working on it alot"?

Some areas to check out...

did you mess with:

CDI unit
Ignition switch (back side)
are you 100% sure the spark plug is okay? Mine died and I couldn't start it one time when the plug had fowled... it looked okay but wouldn't start at all...
can you push the scooter and it roll fine? IE: not turn the engine when pushed?

What type of messing with it have you done? They are easy to mess up if you unplug something and forget to plug it back in...

Let us know exactly what all you have done...


Ive been working on it prolly 2 times a week since last summer:(pathetic aint it)...

Dont believe I messed with the CDI, but is there a way to make sure its working? So i can cross that off the list...

Ignition switch- dont think i touched it, but when i try to start it, it makes the cranking noise, but just doesnt turn over...

Spark plug....ya it works, i had it in the plug and grounded it and it produced spark.....


What are some parts inside the engine that could cause it not to start....I havnt gone deep into the engine yet because i want some1 to produce a little instructions if they can... let me no....peaceeee

[XPS1210]

The CDI is a little black box on the right side of scooter... it has a plug (with 2 wires), and 3 other wires with single plugs... It's somewhere around the seat area on the right side of the scooter... if you unplugged one wire it'll crank but not start...

did you mess with the choke? Carb? Change settings, remove and replace incorrectly?

Internals? Man it's could be a bunch of stuff but it'd have simptoms IE: the back tire spinning makes the engine crank... (you'd not be able to crank the engine with the starter button or kick start if the rear wheel was on the ground...

BTW... I highly recommend not touching anything under the cooling fan unless you are prepaired and know what your doing... the electronics are simple to destroy and never get working again... so don't mess with them unless something is wrong or you absolutely must!

[lilsilva99]

Well with the carb I have taken it off and apart to inspect the bowl and ****....just o make sure i can rule out the carb....


But now that i think of it....my spark plug isnt getting wet when trying to start it, but my gas is going to the carb,