Page 1 of 1

Moped acting up - not sure if it's the battery

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:29 pm
by kingofsouls
Okay, my delema: My 86 Honda Spree (which I named Red Chaos) isn't working right. I was out an about last Monday and on my way to Burbank it just......died. The moped would start, it just woun't go very fast (like, under 5 MPH) and then crap out. So I got rescued, and charged it using Dad's Suburban. I try again and make it to Burbank and get a new game, only for it to crap out on the way home.

So, I though it was the battery but Dad checked the battery with a checker and it seemed to have the right voltage. But it keeps crapping out.

My question is this: Is there something to do with the innards of the moped, like the 'aperture' (not sure if there is one, but Dad suggested it could be it), or the wiring or something? What do I do? Where on the Moped do I check?

Also, where is the 'aperture" if there is one?

Re: Moped acting up - not sure if it's the battery

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:57 pm
by thekingof7
You're gonna hear this about 500 times around here. But check your lines and your carb, it likely needs a good cleaning and is starving your motor of fuel or possibly oxygen.

Re: Moped acting up - not sure if it's the battery

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 2:00 pm
by Wheelman-111
Greetings:

Welcome, King.

First thing: It's probably not the battery. Once the engine fires up, the battery doesn't play much of a role to keep it running. At all.

Second: the list of possible issues is long, but "Aperture" isn't among them, unless Dad means the Pilot Jet circuit. Clogged carbs are the Sprees' Number-One issue. Depending on mileage and in no particular order, other suspects include an exhaust pipe that's become caked with carbon, engine compression failing from worn rings, air leaks from leaking seals or gaskets somewhere, spark plug "fatigue" or just an air filter that's inhaled all the dust it's gonna hold.

I recommend you do some reading and develop a checklist of things to examine, starting with those that require the least amount of work. Open up the air box and replace the element if it's turned to goo for starters. Swapping to a new spark plug isn't hard, but as long as the plastics are off, might as well hook up a compression tester to see about the health of the top end. Removal, dismantling and cleaning the carb would be one of the "early" things to try, but not before these easy and quick inspections rule out issues there.