Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

Hey whats up ? I have just purchesed an 84 honda spree, and oddly enough it turns over like it has a dead battery, now wait before you say "Is the battery charged" Yes it is, two of them actually, Ive tried them both. So it turns over really slow, and when you take the spark plug out it gets a little quicker, but not as fast as it should be? Even my thumb over the hole will cause it to turn over slow. Any ideas guys? Compression and suction feel very strong.

Loose or dirty connections at the block, starter solenoid or starter or even badly corroded wires inside the insulation. Then of course the infamous bad starter is always a possibility.

Bear45-70 has this one pretty well covered. I can only add some troubleshooting detail.

1) Clivester had a tip awhile back - you can test the starter relay with a screwdriver across the switched contacts. If it cranks correctly, then you know the relay is bad. Mousewheels comment: You actually don't need the ignition on for this test, that part of the circuit is always hot. Be careful, its also unfused....

2) If you can pull the starter and bench test it, they draw around 10-15amps, and really rev up when unloaded. If you get one that runs slow, its probably bad.

3) If you like to take things apart, take apart the starter, if the windings are dark (should be copper colored) or there is the smell of doom in there, you've found your problem. Check the brushes too. When you take the starter apart, keep a good grip on the shaft as you pull it out *and when you re-assemble it* That way, the brushes will stay on the commutator, saving time.

Good luck and happy troubleshooting!

OK, by the switched contacts, where are those ? I did pull the starter and replaced it with another one that i had. but before installing i turned them over to see how fast they turned, the old one was definately slower, but the new one installed turned faster but the suction of the piston with my finger over the plug hole, put the starter to a halt. Haha, i will definately check the connections, I had bought a whole bunch of scooters from a guy for a decent price, and they are giving me a run for my money. I find these scooters so hard to work on. My dirt bike and four wheeler, heck even my geo metro don't give the problems these do. Thanks for the help guys. I'll do what i can but im an idiot with these dang sprees. And Bear45-70 your name refers to the 45-70 rifle ? no? I have shot one (45-70) and it was the most enjoyable * kicking i have ever had. haha.

Seth81 wrote:OK, by the switched contacts, where are those ? I did pull the starter and replaced it with another one that i had. but before installing i turned them over to see how fast they turned, the old one was definately slower, but the new one installed turned faster but the suction of the piston with my finger over the plug hole, put the starter to a halt. Haha, i will definately check the connections, I had bought a whole bunch of scooters from a guy for a decent price, and they are giving me a run for my money. I find these scooters so hard to work on. My dirt bike and four wheeler, heck even my geo metro don't give the problems these do. Thanks for the help guys. I'll do what i can but im an idiot with these dang sprees. And Bear45-70 your name refers to the 45-70 rifle ? no? I have shot one (45-70) and it was the most enjoyable * kicking i have ever had. haha.

45/70 Government! Is the only Government I trust!!

I have 5 rifles ranging from a 124 years old "Trapdoor" the original rifle for the 45/70 to a custom bolt gun finished 2 years ago. I also have a pistol chambered in 45/70.

OK, by the switched contacts, where are those ?

The relay contacts which make the circuit from battery to starter ->Red wire to Red/White wire.

Still sounds like a weak battery. Have you tried cranking the engine with a battery charger connected to the battery? The switched contacts on the solinod are the big wires.

I'll try that battery charger trick, all i have is a battery trickle charger, but i'll try it.

Ok, this is just a quick question and maybe im jumping the gun, but as i was reading the service manual on the spree,(which i got from this forum, thank you very much ) I noticed that an engine could have too much compression due to carbon buildup on the piston. Funny thing is, is when i pulled the plug and used a mirror and flashlight, the top of the piston was completely black, not like any of my other sprees, you could clearly see a thick buildup. and the exaust port when i removed the muffler also had a good amount of buildup in it, allthough the piston, rings, and cylinder walls looked very clean and scratch free. Anyways, like i said i might be jumping the gun, and i will try the other things first, while i dont have a compression tester, I thought with my thumb over the whole that it was awfully strong, like pull my thumb into the plug hole strong. How could buildup on top of the piston result in higher compression?

Thanks alot guys,