Why do I have no fire in my scooter when I have a full tank, new battery, and good spark plug?

Question

I mean no fire as in it won't turn over.

Answer 1

You need to ensure that:
1. The fuel is getting to the engine properly.
2. The spark plug is functioning properly.
3. (often overlooked) Oxygen is required for fuel and
spark to make "fire".

Check these things first:
1. fuel filter
2. spark plug "gap" and wire
3. air filter and carburetor

...this applies to any combustion engine weather it's a car a bike a scooter a lawnmower (I think you get the point)

HOPE THIS WAS HELPFUL

Answer 2

For an engine to run - it needs 3 things - fuel, compression, and a spark.

If the engine turns, odds are you are getting compression - unless you have such an old worn engine that the rings around the piston are shot. Usually you would have noticed this from excessive oil burning (Assuming it's a 4-stroke). Also be sure the spark plug is in nice and tight.

You can test the spark by taking the spark plug out and holding the threaded part against the metal of the engine. As the motor turns when trying to start you will see sparks in the tiny gap at the end of the plug. (Caution! This is high voltage - use an insulated tool or thick rubber gloves and don't touch the metal when trying this! I know! Ouch!!!) Or, it could be the timing, but unless you have a vintage 1960's or 70's scooter with a distributor and points for timing, I doubt the timing is off.

The plug's gap may be out of spec; or so sooted over (burning too much oil?) that there's no spark. Short term a wire brush should clean the plug, and use a feeler to ensure the gap is within tolerances. Just seeing a good spark should mean the machine could run...

If the battery is dying, you may not have a big enough spark. This should be rare, especially with a new battery. If this is the only problem, jump-starting from someone else's vehicle will get you going.

Finally - fuel. If there is too much - flooded - then you will smell very very strong gasoline smell from the exhaust. If you don't smell a lot gas while trying to start, odds are it's getting not enough fuel.

Flooded rarely happens in small engines; it's usually a side effect of automatic chokes sticking too far closed in the older Detroitmobiles. Open the throttle all the way and turn over the engine quite a few times; the airflow will get the flooding cleared.

This is the usual problem - I bet this is your problem. The float in the carburetor is stuck - usually from being stored over the winter, or just from not being used for a while.There is a float in a bowl in the carburetor; as the engine -s-u-c-k-s- fuel from the carb, the float lowers and lets more gas in. When the bowl is full, the float goes up and stops the flow. Old gas, sticky stuff in the gas, gas so old that it smells like turpentine - all these can make the float stick closed. If you had to replace the battery, I bet the scooter was stored a long time with gas in the carb and now the float's stuck.

the quick solution is to find the carb bowl (bottom of the carb) and tap it with a wrench or hammer (don't dent it!). This loosens the float and the engine works. Longer term, get some gas conditioner when storing, get some carb cleaner to add to your gas, or disassemble and rebuild the carb if you mechnical. Drain your gas and run until the carb runs dry when storing for long periods.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Does the motor turn over when you turn the switch? Check the charge of the battery to be sure it's at full charge. Check the plug wire (or wires) to find out if electric is flowing when cranking. The solenoid answer above was also a good point. If electric is ruled out (ie - it's all good), go over the fuel system. Make sure fuel is pumping, the filter isn't clogged, etc. Also, how is the air flow?
Scream a bunch of cuss words at it, drink a beer, then start checking the ignition module, coil, etc. Good luck!

Answer 4

An engine typically fails when it is either not getting spark or not getting fuel. The fact that your battery is new and that you have a full tank does not guarantee that those entities are getting to the engine.

Answer 5

did you remove plug and check if it had spark?
is there a fuel shut off switch?
did a wire come loose some where else?
check these things if spark plug has spark you more than likely have fuel problem.

Answer 6

It sounds silly, but what do you have? Chinese scooters have a vacuum petcock on the fuel line that's prone to failure. Also the kill switches have been known to fail (speaking of kill switches and talking from experience, you didn't go and forget to turn it on did you?). Basically ifn its Chinese, you could have a long time of trouble shooting depending on what its not doing.

Answer 7

Two EZ items to check..#1 is the kickstand down? It won't start with the sidestand down. #2 If there is a kill switch on the right handlebar control it must be in the on position.

Answer 8

If it won't turn over, check the clutch switch, the kick stand switch, and the ignition switch...

Answer 9

Coil.

Answer 10

Why do you want a fire?