Jim Saraceno

Thanks Don, I'll try that.

That makes perfect sense Don. My brain couldn't quite comprehend a pnematic petcock but the pulsating fuel pump just makes sense. And the cut and plugged line very well could indicat a diaphagm leak. I'll put a vacuum pump on that fitting and see if it holds a vacuum. Anyone have any idea how much vacuum these things would be rated for? I''d hate to blow the diaphragm by putting too much pressure on it. btw... Is there no spell check when we make forum postings? Man, I'm in trouble if not!

I found a parts manual and that thing is the fuel petcock. It shuts off the fuel unless there is a vacuum on the second hose. I see there is another hose with a similar plug near the carburetore so I'm guessing someone cut the fuel line and put the plugs in and I'm hoping if I reconnect them everything should be fine. I'm totally baffled why that would happen. It's my understanding that this scooter has never had any work done to it so I'm quite confused about this situation. My buddy who owns it is out of town so when he gets back he might be able to clarify some things.

I finally had a chance to play with the scooter. I removed the sparkplug and there was spark. I then disconnected the hose to the carberetor to drain the fuel, no fuel. I removed the fuel filter and there was no fuel to the filter. At the gas tank there was a fitting that had two hoses on it, one going to the fuel filter and the other had a plug (from th factory) in it and connected to nothing. I pulled it, it has a fine mesh filter inside the tank but that did not appear to be plugged. I don';t understand what this fitting is or why there is no fuel passing through it. Does anyone have any insite for me here?

Oops! I haven't posted on this forun since it changed format. I see I posted it in the wrong section and got moved over to the proper section. Sorry, I'll know better next time.

Thank you gentlemen. To answer a few of the questions... It is a Cinese made "PopCycle" manufactured by Loncin and made in 2005. I realize it's a pretty much junk and it may not be worth messing with but it gives me something to do on Thursday's "Mantivities" night where a group of us get together, build things, go have dinner and a couple of beers then topped off with whiskey and cigars. CDCurrent, I'm thinking that is exactly the way to go. No sense in taking a chance of gumming things up with bad gas. Then test for fuel and spark to see where that takes me. I have no idea what type of ignition it has. I know with the key on, the blinkers work (so I assume the headlight does also). I have a parts drwaing and it lists a "regulator assy." and a "unit/coil assy". I honestly didn't think about the possibility of it being a 2 cycle motor. If it is, I'm probably screwed, I've never had much luck with those. My first guess is the ignition is fried but who knows. Test, then replace if bad... Right?! It will be next Thursday before I have a chance to play with it. I'll let you know what I find. Thanks again for all the suggestions!

A buddy of mine aquired a motor scooter some years back (5-7). The story he tells me is he drove it several times then put a charger on the battery, the battery "got fried" (I'm assuming it boiled out), he replaced the battery and it has never started again. As we were talking about it, another guy said he was concerned that some wiring had also gotton fried. I'm a little unclear as to why he had the battery on a charger and what could have caused the battery to get fried. Anyway I told him I'd have a look at it. The new battery was completly dead so I re-charged it. It has an electric starter which turns the engine over but there is no sign of any firing. Right off the top it sounds like there is no spark but that is only conjecture. The gas is 5-7 years old so I know it's not very good but it does not have that "Varnishy" smell yet. I'm going to go ahead and start taking things apart so I can get access to the engine and obviously the first thing to determine is whether it is missing fuel or spark and then go from there. My question, because I've never worked on scooters or motorcycles is... Are there any little quirks about scooters that I should check before I do the normal checks we would do to get our cars running?

You can borrow a ridge reamer from many auto parts stores.

I have to ask... Is this photo for real? Does someone actually have the nerve to have a picture of an American flag over "Made in China"?! If so... What was the product in that box?

I lost one of my original Plymouth hubcaps. Replacements were so expensive (and I'm so cheap) that I bought a set of hubcaps that have the same script but have "ununu" instead of Plymouth. I haven't had one person ask me about that yet so it can't be too noticeable.

Thanks Mark! Shel-bizzy showed me a picture of the clips that would fit your 40s model but I don't think it will fit my '35. I need to take another look at the channel and then re-read the Restorations Specialties catalog. The main thing is it is installed with clips, not glue. It's just a matter of finding the right clips.

I'm replacing the window channel in my '35. What is the proper method for installing it? That is, should it be held in with clips? Silicone adhesive? Weatherstrip adhesive? I see sections of the old channel with glue and sections without (I haven't seen any clips but I see restoration specialties has some) and much of it is just falling out.

Thanks Neil. Done and done!

I have a 230 engine in my 35 with the original '35 bellhousing and tranny. The head and manifold were a problem though. The head (from a '57) had a different size hole for the temperature sensor and the manifold had different tapped holes for the throttle. Both of those could have easily been remedied by a little drilling and tapping but I just reused the older head and manifold. If you have any specific questions, email me at JimCno@gmail.com.

The test drive went fine but I won't know for sure whether or not we have solved the problem until next summer when the temps get back up to the upper 80s. As far as a certified CFM, that was never really discussed. What he did was to flow water through the radiator then check it with a infrared temperature sensor looking for cold spots. He then boiled and flushed it out until they all disappeared. Happy Birthday to Jipjobxx and Tim! Now it's my turn, today is my birthday! BTW... What is an electroically test?

Ed, I picked up my cleaned out radiator from the shop a week ago. Yesterday I re-installed it. When I got back from my test drive I realized I hadn't redone the flow test like you asked. Duh! My bad. Sorry about that but when your my age and you don't write it down somewhere, you're not going to remember to do it. Heck, even if you do write it down, you may not remember to look at the list and still forget it! I'm truly sorry about that.

I try to do that when I pick it up. That's another good idea. I'm sure that will work. It makes sense and I can't imagine that it would be a problem but it just goes against my grain to drill a hole in something that I don't have to. If it was necessary, they would manufacture them with holes in them already.

Thanks! I think I'll start by filling the block before I install the stat and housing. The aspirin trick sound intriguing also. I may try that just to see if I can make it work. I've also heard of drilling a hole in the stat but I'd rather not. It may work but I'd be afraid I might compromise the function of the stat. I think I'll give the radiator guy a call and remind him he's dealing with a non-pressure radiator. He seems competent enough but it never hurts to play it safe. Ed, hopefully I don't have any mice in my radiator. Thanks again for all the input!

Well it has been quite a while since I've been on here. Ever since I've owned my '35 it has has a tendency to run warm. If it is less than 80 degrees outside, I can drive her all day and not have a problem but as the temp starts creeping up from there, so does the engine temp. I had a long thread about a year and a half ago and there was much discussion and many hints... http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=26054&highlight=running+warm As it is only a problem when the weather is hot enough that I'm unlikely to drive it, it has been low on the priority list. I had always thought it was the radiator but when I did the flow test according to the shop manual, it passed with flying colors. I finally decided to pull the radiator and take it into a radiator shop and see what they said. I just talked to the guy and he said he's been boiling it, flushing it, back flushing it and has been getting "mud" out of the radiator. He's going to let it soak over the weekend and flush it again. Halleluiah! We may finally have a solution here! I still can't understand why it would flow properly if there are blockages. Of course I won't be sure I've solved the problem until next summer when the temps start getting up into the upper 80s. One question for you guys. Several times when I drained the coolant from the car, then refilled the system; I would start the car, run it for a while and the temperature would shoot up and overheat. I'd turn the car off and let it cool then everything ran fine after that. I'm thinking I had an air pocket somewhere that needed a "burp". How do you prevent that from happening?

I rebuilt my fuel pump with a kit from Then and Now Automotive... http://www.maritimedragracing.com/then_and_now_automotive.htm close to ten years ago and it has been fine ever since.

I'm still here in St. Louis County!

Unless I missed something the advice was... I tried tapping them and pulling them up and out but go nowhere with that method.

Best of luck to you and Lynn. Take care and get better.

Wow, it's been so long ago I don't remember. I did stop the leaks in the tranny for a while by putting silicone over the main shaft holes but that eventually started leaking again. I honestly don't remember what the status of the engine leaks is. Sorry:o

I didn't mind the curt answers I got, I did get annoyed when he sent me the wrong parts and then insist they were the right ones. He always refunded my money but I had to pay for shipping in both directions. He carried parts for my '35 I couldn't get anywhere else and for that I've been grateful but I knew right from the start of the order that it would be a crap shoot. Maybe he was more knowledgeable about the cars from the 40s but he could be sketchy with his knowledge of my '35. I don't think anyone is saying they would be happy if we lost a supplier of our hard to find parts, I think some of us are just happy to deal with someone else.