my elite starts, idles high, then dies

[azndude3141]

i have an elite sb50p 1989 and it wont stay running. about 6 months ago, it started and ran fine with no problems. after not starting it for a long time, it wont start anymore. i replaced the sparkplug with a brand new one and it started on first kick. then it idled for about 5 seconds (very high idle) and then died. i tried starting it again and it didnt start again. i took the bowl drain screw out and about 3 or four teaspoons of gas came out, and then i put it back. i kicked it again and it started, but it did the same thing it did before and died. i took out the brand new sparkplug and i saw it was very wet with gas on it. where should i start? should i replace the gas and try to clean the carb? im only 14 but i would like to fix this moped. thanks

[stucinthe80z]

yes i would do this and also clean youre carb if not done but it sounds like the throtel cable was put in 180 degrees off very easy to do there is a slide slot cut into the base good luck

[azndude3141]

yes i would do this and also clean youre carb if not done but it sounds like the throtel cable was put in 180 degrees off very easy to do there is a slide slot cut into the base good luck

what do you mean by the the throttle cable being 180 degrees off? and where is the slide slot?

[Budster]

Hi all; I always check this site first as it has some of the best info I can find.

I have a linhai powermax and it is doing the same thing as azndude's elite. It starts, dies after 5 seconds but I have to use starter fluid to get it going. I cleaned the carb, checked that fuel was being sucked into bowl by pulling vacuum line and applying vacuum (sucking on line-gross) and then re-installed carb. Installed throttle cable incorrectly at first with no movement of needle (very little anyway) and then aligned throttle plastic correctly with plastic in line with grooves(''what do you mean by the the throttle cable being 180 degrees off? and where is the slide slot"-azndude). azndude, when you take off the throttle cable at the top of the carb the cap is held in tightly with a spring that is hard to both compress and align at the same time. I also advise that you take off the carb so you can re-clean it properly and so you can put the throttle cable back on before re-installing the throttle cable. I put a vise grip pair of pliers on the hand grip (throttle) and turned it to take all the pressure off the spring. Makes it much easier to install the throttle cable assembly into the top of the carb. make sure you have the needle going into the correct hole or you will damage the needle and or needle opening. this is the needle that pushes down on the float seat that regulates the fuel level. I hope I can get a few more ideas from some of you as my problem is the same (I think) as azndude's. And I wanted to re-start the thread to get it to the top. Hope azndude is reading this. Thanks for any input.

[JJ Joseph]

and it started on first kick. then it idled for about 5 seconds (very high idle) and then died

The low-speed (idle) jet must be clean or it won't idle at all. The hole in the jet is VERY small (about 0.25mm - 0.35mm) and can be plugged with even the tiniest speck of crud. Clean the jet ultrasonically if possible, or use a bristle from a wire brush Try to see daylight through the jet hole. Be patient. Clean or change your fuel filter (it's under the floorboard) to keep it running.

[Budster]

thanks jj. I will get to re-cleaning the carb again. pretty sure I saw daylight (3 am) but maybe emulsion holes in jets not fully clean. Hope the last post wasn't confusing, azndude,about the throttle cable re-installation into top of carb. "I also advise that you take off the carb so you can re-clean it properly and so you can put the throttle cable back on before re-installing the throttle cable." I meant to say, before re-installing the carb. Sorry, the gas fumes were still pretty strong. I gotta stop posting from the garage.