OP
UTC

Member
2006 Vespa GT200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5
Location: Sarasota, FL
 
Member
2006 Vespa GT200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5
Location: Sarasota, FL
UTC quote
Hi all,

I have found this forum very helpful in the past for getting a good idea of what the problems I'm facing are, and taking it to various mechanics in my new smaller town area has not yielded great results.

As a primer, I'm gonna come out and say I am still learning the basics of Vespa machinery and the ins and outs of how the engine works etc so I am repeating what mechanics have explained to me. I also apologize in advance for the narrative - I just want to get all the symptoms and situation out there

A few months back I started experiencing some overheating issues with my 2006 Vespa GT200 - I took it to a mechanic in the area and he told me that the coolant needed to be flushed and replaced. He did that, the next 30min + drive I took, the vespa drove there with a temperature spike towards the end. I let it sit for 4 hours before driving back and did not get down the road before the temperature rapidly climbed and the coolant boiled over everywhere. I had to be towed back to the same mechanic, who then replaced the temperature gauge and water pump, in order to fix the cooling system, fan included.

After that it ran well for about two months before it began getting overheated even on short trips (past the top blue indicator). Took it to the same mechanic who told me that the coolant was leaking into the engine due to a broken gasket, which would involve taking the whole engine out, and replacing said gasket, materially inexpensive, but labor intensive and expensive - He recommended I take it to a dealer to get that done if that was the route I wanted to go.

My closest dealer is 2 hours away, and not being able to drive the scooter, towing was expensive. However, I had a family friend with a trailer who I offered to pay to take it to a dealer, and had to travel for work so left it with a family member to accompany them, deal with the process. As it turned out, the family member found another mechanic closer to home, not a dealer, who said they could fix it and they left it with them. They then replaced all the gaskets in the motor with a gasket kit I had purchased, and after that it ran really well for a few days - temperature stayed a safe distance from the mid mark, if it rose, the fan kicked on and it cooled again. However today driving to work (~15min drive) I noticed the white cloud coming from the engine which occurred before as a symptom (as I'm told) that the coolant was leaking into the engine oil and burning out. The temperature did not spike too far above the mid level, but it was still a big concern. After driving it back home I noticed no coolant clouds, but the temperature was spiking (to the last from maxed marker) at moments of idling, going back down when the scooter got going again, but not triggering the fan.

My question to those more experienced is - Does this seem like the issue I've been told it is or another one? I am hoping to get it to a dealer and get it fixed right by someone guaranteed to know what they are doing but I am not in a great financial position right now and would it be wiser to trade in at this point? Has anyone experienced a similar issue and found the solution? I am feeling pretty exasperated at this point with the constant successions of the same problem draining my wallet and time. (The vespa is my only form of transport, so I rely on it completely for work etc)

Thank you so much in advance!
UTC

Hooked
BV250
Joined: UTC
Posts: 227
Location: CA
 
Hooked
BV250
Joined: UTC
Posts: 227
Location: CA
UTC quote
It needs to go to an expert.

It needs a compression test and preferably a leakdown test to see if it has a bad head gasket.

Head gaskets are sometimes far more susceptible to failure than the temperature gauge would imply.

At this point the following things would be suspect:

Head gasket - testable and may be ok.
Hoses
Clamps
Coolant
Air pockets

If all of these re checked and fixed - you'll have your ride back.

BTW - even if the worst happens and all of these need to be fixed - if done right it will be way less than taking a depreciation hit and buying a newer model. These things are not that complex and fixing right is quite possible.
@motovista avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
GT 2.4
Joined: UTC
Posts: 8794
Location: Watts, Cherokee Nation
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@motovista avatar
GT 2.4
Joined: UTC
Posts: 8794
Location: Watts, Cherokee Nation
UTC quote
Finding hot pockets in the radiator is as likely a cause of this as air pockets, so don't go down that rabbit hole.
You've pretty much let anyone who was willing to try to fix it have a go at it, and it's hard to know if they've done anything, or on the other hand, made things worse. Overheating in a Vespa is not hard to fix.
It sounds like the head gasket is toast, and it's hard to know if anyone who's gone into the engine put it back together right. So the best bet in terms of how many dollars you have now and how many you are going to have when you have a well running Vespa that doesn't overheat, would probably be to get an engine off ebay and stick that in there. But get someone who knows what they are doing to put it in.
@iangt200 avatar
UTC

Addicted
Vespa GT200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 541
Location: UK
 
Addicted
@iangt200 avatar
Vespa GT200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 541
Location: UK
UTC quote
If it's a head gasket issue though you should be able to tell by the consistency of the oil. When its contaminated with coolant it becomes White / milky.

Certainly worth checking your hose clamps are tight, I had one of the hoses pop off in traffic spraying out all the coolant on the engine in a big cloud of steam, maybe one of your hoses is just leaking a bit and introducing air pockets / loosing coolant onto a hit surface causing the steam clouds.
UTC

Enthusiast
gt200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 78
 
Enthusiast
gt200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 78
UTC quote
Seems like it's too much trouble to fix. If it's my bike I would just find another and sell this off. You tried repairing a few times and yet this is still happening.
@judy avatar
UTC

World Traveler
2007 LX150 Daring Plum Leonardo Da Vespa
Joined: UTC
Posts: 29304
 
World Traveler
@judy avatar
2007 LX150 Daring Plum Leonardo Da Vespa
Joined: UTC
Posts: 29304
UTC quote
Aloha and welcome to the forum from Hawaii. Sounds like you need a real mechanic. Start a new thread and ask about knowledgeable mechanics in your area. There are a lot of Florida people on here. Also you can get towing thru AMA (American Motorcycle Association) for $49 a year. Unlimited tows (every 7 days) and up to 35 miles. Used to be no 7 day rule but alas things change. Still good IMHO. I think with a good mechanic you'll be good. The 200's are one of the best made scooters IMHO. Good luck
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6486
Location: Tega Cay, SC
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6486
Location: Tega Cay, SC
UTC quote
+1 on what Jesse gt said (and others afterward) This is most likely fixable, but it needs to go to someone that knows what they are doing - no shade tree mechanics here. Actually, a head gasket replace is not all that hard as long as you have the tools, a place to work and patience. Good luck
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