Author Topic: need advice new super 8 150  (Read 3431 times)

JennJenn

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 17
    • View Profile
need advice new super 8 150
« on: August 20, 2012, 08:39:37 PM »
Hello all I am looking for some advice with my new scoot! My dealer has had it in and out of the shop 4 times now with no resolution. Here are the symptoms and what they have done to try and rectify the situation but to no avail.

The scoot started sputtering and dying at random. Dealer thought it was being caused by the CA emissions and stated it was vapor lock and had to do with epa and charcoal canister. Well they completely eliminated all those hoses and put tie off's on them. Well it happened again and again and again. The last time they had it 4 days and said they could not duplicate the problem but that they called Kymco and were told to richen the screw and change the spark plug. They delivered it on Saturday and it broke down again started sputtering and chugging then completely died. Wouldn't start got it into a parking lot let it set for 2 hours went and had dinner and then it started right up ran great. On the way home once again started chugging and sputtering and died. Wouldn't start had to get it towed home. Next morning started right up went down the street to the store about 2 miles and on the way home once again same thing. It did start up again this time and limped it home. When you give it gas while it's acting up it doesn't really want to go but will finally kick in and run. It doesn't seem to matter if it's hot or cold out how much gas is in the tank or how many miles you have driven. When it runs it runs terrific but when it acts up it more than likely will leave you stranded.

Has anyone had this problem or heard of this and if so what are your suggestions? I forgot to mention the dealer made a service call to our house and pulled the carb, needle float and carb were all clean parts moving freely. The only similar thing I have found in my research is that someone had the same similar thing happening and they replaced the cdi box and no more problems.

Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.
2 wheels = best therapy a girl could ask for

skishades

  • Point 'em and Pray
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 118
    • View Profile
Re: need advice new super 8 150
« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2012, 08:47:28 AM »
Had the same symptoms.  It was the needle float that caused it in mine.  The needle float inserts into the carb and is then rotated... there are 3 tabs in the carb that hold the needle float in place.  The tabs in mine weren't holding it so the vibrations caused it to rotate out from under the tabs... warranty replaced that part.  I haven't had a problem with it since.  My symptoms were the same... it would start but would bog down and die if I gave it gas.  The needle float controls the amount of gas the carb gets when you give it throttle.  If it is the same problem and not just the same symptoms, open the carb and check if the needle float is in the right place.  If it can be freely pulled out, then its tabs are not under the tabs in the carb. If it runs great after putting the needle float into place... then you need the same part replaced.  Hope this helps.  Good luck.
I will ski till Hell freezes over... then I will have no fear of death.

klaviator

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1713
  • Huntsville, Alabama
    • View Profile
Re: need advice new super 8 150
« Reply #2 on: August 21, 2012, 07:42:59 PM »
Had the same symptoms.  It was the needle float that caused it in mine.  The needle float inserts into the carb and is then rotated... there are 3 tabs in the carb that hold the needle float in place.  The tabs in mine weren't holding it so the vibrations caused it to rotate out from under the tabs... warranty replaced that part.  I haven't had a problem with it since.  My symptoms were the same... it would start but would bog down and die if I gave it gas.  The needle float controls the amount of gas the carb gets when you give it throttle.  If it is the same problem and not just the same symptoms, open the carb and check if the needle float is in the right place.  If it can be freely pulled out, then its tabs are not under the tabs in the carb. If it runs great after putting the needle float into place... then you need the same part replaced.  Hope this helps.  Good luck.


I'd show this post to the dealer and let them handle if it is still under warrantee.
I Ride Therefore I Am

Rocket City, Al

JennJenn

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 17
    • View Profile
Re: need advice new super 8 150
« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2012, 07:56:03 PM »
I did. I copied and pasted it in an email to him. The scoot is only a month old and that dealer thinks I'm full of s**t! I'm completely over his crap yesterday he tried to say it's the way it's driven because they can't seem to get it to act up. It's all good just trying to give him some suggestions and I appreciate the suggestion. But if he doesn't get it fixed this time I'm filing the paperwork with the state. I won't pay for a brand new item that leaves us stranded and runs when it wants to. I also bought a like 200i and it runs great. I think Kymco makes a great product it just happens that this one has an issue. I'll let you know how it turns out he's picking it up tonight.

Thanks again for the suggestion I hope that's all it turns out to be.
2 wheels = best therapy a girl could ask for

skishades

  • Point 'em and Pray
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 118
    • View Profile
Re: need advice new super 8 150
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2012, 10:51:44 PM »
the dealer is likely just putting the needle float back into place or its had time to settle into place after being shut off when he checks it out... keep in mind, he is checking in the parking lot, not at full speed for 20 minutes.  My dealer had never heard of the problem before, its a rare issue. But the fix is simple. You can do it yourself... its the screws on top of your carb, you can reach them through the plastic carb door under your seat... those screws open up your carburetor and the needle float is dead center, and it just twists into place..... though it is a tight fit with the seat pan in place.  I would at least check to see if the needle float is moving out of place... if its in place, under the tabs, when it won't start then it's something else.  One thing to keep in mind with scooters and motorcycles... no matter how reliable they are, they do need work from time to time... it's a good idea to get comfortable working on your scooter.  Sometimes, just knowing a little bit is all you need to get it home after it breaks down.  It also helps keep the costs down when the warranty is gone.  Good luck.
I will ski till Hell freezes over... then I will have no fear of death.

zombie

  • You never know do ya!
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13870
  • Close enough to get the idea!
    • View Profile
Re: need advice new super 8 150
« Reply #5 on: August 22, 2012, 11:27:33 PM »
I think Skishades is referring to the slide needle, and its retainer.
I think your issue is in the cdi or stator. I'd do a resistance test on the stator to see what reading you get. Do the same test when the scoot fails. Hot stators will miss fire. Same w/ cdi's but the stator you can test. It's the two wires (AC) going to the cdi from the stator that you want to test
"They have nothing in their whole imperial arsenal that can break the spirit of one Irishman who doesn't want to be broken."   Bobby Sands...

JennJenn

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 17
    • View Profile
Re: need advice new super 8 150
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2012, 10:35:44 AM »
Last time it broke down we did pull the cdi box out it was very hot to touch. I know there is allot of electricity moving through there but do they generally get that hot? The scoot is at the shop now. I will however try all of these suggestions when we get it back and if it happens again (and I'm sure it will)!

Skinshades you are absolutely correct. The shop is not taking it out on a 20 minute drive or longer. 8 miles here or 12 miles there it's most likely not going to act up. Only on a rare occasion we rode down the street and it acted up but not to the point where we couldn't get it started. Every time is has really broken down to where it wouldn't start for at least a couple of hours we had been riding for a good 15 to 20 miles at an average speed of 50 to 55 in stop and go traffic.

If it is the tabs on the carb can you buy just those as a replacement? I looked on Kymco's site it looks like they will sell you an entire new carb. I didn't see a part number for just the tabs.
2 wheels = best therapy a girl could ask for

skishades

  • Point 'em and Pray
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 118
    • View Profile
Re: need advice new super 8 150
« Reply #7 on: August 24, 2012, 04:06:46 AM »
The part is the retainer ring and my scooter rep only replaced the retainer ring, not the whole carburetor.  The carburetor might be a complete unit in the USA but check chinese and philippine sites... I found AliExpress had a lot of GY6 parts but you have to know the exact part you want... and the site is in China so if there is a problem, you don't exactly get consumer protection.  Watch shipping and handling too...  Check with other Kymco dealers for getting such specific parts... I had to wait a week for a new retainer ring but it was the only thing replaced.

Something to keep in mind, the CDI stands for Capacitor Discharge Ignition.  All wires increase resistance to electrical current as they warm up... if the CDI is getting too hot to touch, it would lose its ability to conduct electricity which means weaker and weaker spark until no spark.  That might cause your issue.  As far as what is causing the CDI to heat up I couldn't guess.  Zombie, do you have any idea how hot the CDI runs typically?
I will ski till Hell freezes over... then I will have no fear of death.

JennJenn

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 17
    • View Profile
Re: need advice new super 8 150
« Reply #8 on: September 08, 2012, 10:17:02 PM »
Ok so update on the scoot. We have been gone the last couple of weeks so the dealer had the scoot the entire time to "try" and get it to act up. He stated what he found was that when it was brought in for service that they overfilled it with oil and the air filter got soaked with oil and that is what caused our problems. Well so far so good except for last night we head out for a little ride and dinner well it starts pouring! Low and behold the headlights go out! NO headlights in the dark and dumping down rain. That was fun. Good thing mine worked and we hadn't got far from home. Well this morning we start it up and guess what we have headlights again! I might not be a rocket scientist but I know that rain should not interfere with your headlights.

I'm beginning to think this thing is possessed! Of course the dealer said well there was nothing he could do since they were working today. This scoot has been in the shop more than it has been home. My husband loves the scoot but gets more and more nervous to ride it. Never wants to take it far from home in case of a breakdown. Worried if it's going to get him to work and now doesn't want to take it out at night. Have spoken to Kymco directly about all of the problems this scoot has given us in the last 7 weeks but they were absolutely no help. This isn't the first time with the headlight. Supposedly the factory had forgotten to install some switch to make them go bright when you throttle. They go to dim when you come to a stop. Well first day we had no headlights and it all began from there....

But on the plus side I am in love with my Like 200i great little scoot!
2 wheels = best therapy a girl could ask for

zombie

  • You never know do ya!
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13870
  • Close enough to get the idea!
    • View Profile
Re: need advice new super 8 150
« Reply #9 on: September 09, 2012, 01:47:47 AM »
The "hot" cdi is a bad sign from the start (no pun). They should never get hot. That is a sign of failure. It is very possible you have a defective cdi or a short in the harness. Same for the headlights. They are on a hated module that prevents them from drawing down the voltage at low idle. Most people have been by passing this module with a few wires. There is lots more detail on that mod in the forum. I'd kick the dealers arse to get a new cdi, and have the harness checked for shorts.
There is a member here that fell short of a court appearance due to a bad harness, and a less than willing dealer. He put his foot down, and the dealer swapped harnesses. No more issues. I understand your hubby's angst. Perhaps just file under the lemon law, and get a new bike... with a comfy seat. It's just a toy. No need to worry if it will work.
"They have nothing in their whole imperial arsenal that can break the spirit of one Irishman who doesn't want to be broken."   Bobby Sands...

An Error Has Occurred!

Call to undefined function split()