Kymco Like 50 won't start

[Willow Moon]

I have a Kymco Like 50 4 stroke that won't start. The electric started clicks as normal however the engine won't turn over. I had it towed to a mechanic that specializes in Scooter and he informs me that the engine has seized as there was no oil in it - that I should have checked it & replaced it every 1000kms. Does this sound right?
i had the same problem 4 months ago & again had it towed to the same mechanic who got it started & said that I had dirty fuel. I always put in premium fuel from a service station with high turnover.
I requested & paid for a service while he had it there and would be pushing to have done alot over the 1000kms since as it has been raining quite a bit so I have been taking the car instead. I also got a new battery at the same time. The bike is 5 years old & has approx 15000kms on it so I do approx 3 - 4000 kms a year on flat ground - no hills so the engine isn't really laboured.
Before it stopped it felt that it was running O.K. however it would want to stall at traffic lights so had to keep the revs up & would have to almost flood it to get it started sometimes.
On the weekend my other half, who has pulled & restored alot of cars in his time - however not motorbikes & myself pulled the top off & adjusted the valves in the hope that this was what it was - we had no problem turning the engine on the side to line up the valve  wheel & there was no noise either. We looked at the sparkplug & it was very clean no crap on it. There was also charge getting to the plug that goes around the spark plug, however I didn't check the oil - as it hadn't long been serviced!! What are your thoughts?

[Viper254]

Hi bud,

It doesn't sound seized if it can be turned over at all.

Do you have a socket set? on the right hand side of the bike, near the rear footpeg, there's a cooling fan that pulls air into the shrouds. You can see it through the black mesh. If you have the right socket to hand, you can put it through the centre hole, grip the flywheel and carefully turn it (I can't remember which way, though...) to see if the engine is free. If you can turn it, it's not seized. It is supposed to turn one way, and not really the other. I can't remember which!

I would be suspicious of the bike's battery, to be honest. If your partner has a pair of jump leads, connect the bike battery to a car battery and see if it starts then. I have a sneaking suspicion it will, and the mechanic might have been fobbing you off.

[Willow Moon]

Thanks Viper
The flywheel was what we had to turn to line up the wheel in the head next to the valves to dead center, which also moved O.K. We turned it clockwise. Also put the battery on a trickle motorbike battery charger as well to charge it up which it did just fine.

[Viper254]

Good news! So it's not seized. That's tripe!

Let us know if it fires up after a good charging. A 4-stoke 50cc like this should be good for about 45,000KM so I don't think it should be anywhere near dead yet.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Can someone please pull the dipstick & report what you see?
Stig

[CROSSBOLT]

Yeah, Stig! I'M dyin' here, holding my breath!

[Willow Moon]

Thanks Stig
The scooter is still at the mechanics. He has had it for 4 days & when I rang him he told me the motor was seized, had a go at me for not replacing the oil and that it needed a new engine. The was no typical indicators that it was out of oil, just wouldn't kick or turn over. To be honest I don't check it that often as I have had it serviced approx every 6 - 9 months and the other half while appearing deaf most of the time to me can hear a motor needing oil like a hawk. I finish work early today so will be able to go over to see it.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Thanks Stig
The scooter is still at the mechanics. He has had it for 4 days & when I rang him he told me the motor was seized, had a go at me for not replacing the oil and that it needed a new engine. The was no typical indicators that it was out of oil, just wouldn't kick or turn over. To be honest I don't check it that often as I have had it serviced approx every 6 - 9 months and the other half while appearing deaf most of the time to me can hear a motor needing oil like a hawk. I finish work early today so will be able to go over to see it.

OK.
But don't feel bad --- there are owners of Honda PCX scooters who say it is a waste of time to look at the dipstick, "No oil puddle where the scooter is parked - it's good."
Some of us, though, look at the dipstick before every ride. And often, afterwards as well.
Let us know what you find.
Stig

[Viper254]

Sounds like you need a new tame mechanic to me

[CROSSBOLT]

No foolin' ! Gonna make the month's money this week on this job! I call BS!

[Willow Moon]

So I went over to the mechanics to collect the scooter. Mechanic didn't want to talk to me just kept working on another bike with his back to me, just said it had no oil, no compression & was seized. Got it home - no oil. Not a surprise as he had it for 4 days before I called him about it. So I have put oil in it & decided to see why the kick start was jammed & something else he was supposed to look at when it was serviced in November. It just needed lubricating. I was also able to turn the camshaft with no effort so I'm guessing that it's not seized.
So there is spark from the spark plug. When I put my finger over the spark plug hole & try to start it the air pressure keeps trying to push my finger off, but it's not getting wet with petrol. Petrol filter isn't jammed so I'm guessing it is probably the fuel thingy under the petrol tank or the tubes that is the problem???

[big blue]

Could be that the vacuum petcock is not working or a fuel tube is pinched. Try some starter fuel into the intake if it fires and runs for a short bit then you'll know to trace a gas shortage problem.

[Viper254]

I've sometimes found with carburetted GY6 50ccs that they can, after reassembly or sitting for some time, really take some serious cranking to start getting fuel back through the system.

If you've got a battery charger, and you're confident it's got enough oil, spark and some fuel  in the tank, I'd keep trying to start it for a good few minutes. Don't burn the starter motor out, give it some breaks, but sometimes it can take quite a bit of cranking to pull fuel through the lines!

The last 50cc GY6 I worked on took me a good 90 seconds of attempting to start it before it fired up and ran well after that.