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Autostarter valve question
Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:24 pm
by herbiedriver2
Howdy all, new member and owner of a 1984 Spree. All stock, just hasn't been ridden in a while. Got it running, cleaned the carb (twice), battery is good, new fuel, oil and lines. Just replaced the autostarter with a new one since it wouldn't start with the old one but it would with the finger test. Now with the new one it starts but runs really rich and rough until it's wide open.
The new autostarter was pretty much almost all the way unscrewed, and my old one didn't work so i can't get a measurement of the length of the needle and bushing. I found the measurements for sb80's and such, but not for an 84 Spree.
Anyone have a stock autostarter they can measure (cold and hot)??? Or is there a way to adjust the depth of the valve?
Thanks in advance.
Re: Autostarter valve question
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 6:42 pm
by motormike
herbiedriver2 wrote: is there a way to adjust the depth of the valve?
No adjustment. 
Re: Autostarter valve question
Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2017 1:36 pm
by herbiedriver2
Thanks! Another bystarter question... It starts beautifully, runs extremely rich (smokes!) for about 5 - 10 minutes then the valve closes, is that considered normal?
Thanks again!
Re: Autostarter valve question
Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2017 3:23 pm
by Wheelman-111
Greetings:
A smoke-fest isn't quite "normal" but it is pretty common. The seals in the oil pump may be seeping a bit of oil, "preloading" the crankcase with a few drops. It's surprising how much a few drops will smoke until the engine warms up and burns it all away. The Bystarter being open my just be a coincidence, since it closes about the time the engine is warm enough to run without it, it's also the time the oil has burned off. If it runs well - doesn't feel rich - that would make sense.
Re: Autostarter valve question
Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2017 5:17 pm
by motormike
herbiedriver2 wrote:Another bystarter question... It starts beautifully, runs extremely rich (smokes!) for about 5 - 10 minutes then the valve closes, is that considered normal?
No, not normal for the bystarter valve to remain open longer than 1 or 2 minutes.
You may be thinking the valve is open because it is smoking excessively, but the smoke will continue after the valve has closed due to the explanation given by Wheelman ("preloading with oil" that has drained through the seals on the oil pump)
Re: Autostarter valve question
Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:23 pm
by mousewheels
The new autostarter was pretty much almost all the way unscrewed, and my old one didn't work so i can't get a measurement of the length of the needle and bushing. I found the measurements for sb80's and such, but not for an 84 Spree.
Anyone have a stock autostarter they can measure (cold and hot)??? Or is there a way to adjust the depth of the valve?
The Spree (all years) vs Elite SA50/SB50 and 88-87 NB 50 (Aero) have been interchanged with mechanical success. Only the connectors need change to match the scooter. In the 'wiki topic, the cutaway carb showing bystarter positions has been used with all the above bystarters in my testing.
For cold/hot around 0.380" to 0.420" cold and 0.500" or longer hot would be a rough estimate. I have OEM bystarters spanning that range. I'll be posting measurements and testing results soon.
I just ordered and received last week a brand new aftermarket bystarter. It's set up way to short. It measures 0.28" cold. It's so far from proper length for our scooters is only closes about 1/2 way when hot - even after 16 minutes+.
Edit: - Change - Forgot to enable BBCode, thus the quote was shown as raw markup.