Modern Vespa

Hello guys, new to the forum.
I'm having some issues with my Vespa ET4 and struggling to diagnose those issues. First I thought my battery had just discharged as it was taking a few attempts to electric start, however I changed the battery and there was no results, my Vespa keeps making the same Whirring sound. The real worry happened yesterday, I opened my air filter to find it filled with fuel, as well as finding that fuel has made its way into my Oil tank. I had only ridden my bike for 3 days prior, running fine until the issue occurred, any help would be appreciated.

Hi there,
I know the hiper2 and pre / leader engines inside out, is this a 2 or 4 stroke ?
Please post a pic of the "tank" that fuel has leaked into and i am sure we can help
Cheers
Atb

Its 4 stroke. And this, it was half full a few days back, now its completely full and smells obviously of petrol. And this isn't my exact bike but the same part. https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQULo85jkuPMAuVqu-1VQB-bLc4227-eeyvb2DJxORr6dBddCR8lQ

Hi,
For so much fuel to be in the oil tank you have a serious ring, oil scraper and compression failure. Which i very much doubt.
If you have no spark and you have tried several times to start the engine, fuel will wash the oil from the bores and make the oil sump smell of petrol, this will dissapere a few minutes after starting. The symptoms you desribe are classic flooding problems, i would replace the spark plug first and then check if you have a spark, then wash out the air filter and re fit.
The engine is mechanical and in no way will have bad days or feel ill, it either works or does not so assuming it was fine the last time you rode it with no bangs smoke noises etc, it will be a simple problem to resolve.
Sometimes with such problems and lack of knowlege, you cannot see the wood for the trees .
If your problem occurred as you described it i can assure you that there is no real problem with your scoot and the fix will be simple and cheap.
Cheers
Atb

Thanks for the reply
I did test my spark to, which wouldn't work so I will be replacing it tomorrow. Thanks for the info though

When you say a 'whirring' sound - do you mean it seems the starter hasn't engaged with the engine, so no 'chug-chug' sound of the engine being turned over? In that case it's a common problem of the bendix gear being stuck. This will need the transmission case opening up and the bendix gear cleaning.

When you've got some spark back, the engine should start just fine after that.

Hi jimc,
if the starter bendix was not engaging, the scooter would not be flooded and no fuel would be in the filter or sump as there would be no vacume generated to open the petcock valve.
I Don't want to be judged as a know it all, i am just making an obversation based on the symptoms as described.
Cheers
Atb.

Understood - but he could well have two problems. I was just trying to clarify the 'whirring' sound - and eliminate the bendix if that wasn't what the OP meant.

Thanks jimc,
I got a bit fixated with the op's problem, didn't think to mention about other potential problems lurking .
Atb.

Changed the spark plug and its still making the same whirring sound as well as not starting. Will the bendix gear prevent the scooter from starting or does it just create the sound? What should be the next thing to look into?

The bendix gear is between the starter motor pinion and the ring gear on the variator driving pulley. It is spun out to engage with the ring gear by 'centrifugal force' when the starter runs. If it is stuck all you will hear is the whirring of the starter motor spinning at speed - if it's working OK you'll hear the engine being turned over.

So, is the starter turning over the engine, or not? If not, the scooter won't start, even if everything else is is tip-top condition.

I looked at the Bendix gear, it was not stuck, but it seems there is not enough force coming from the starter motor to move the gears. After it was decided to open the motor, which smells burnt and charred... I assume this is not a good sign.

Hi all,
You have a pre leader motor in your et4 as it has a glass oil level sight, you can use the kickstarter to good effect without the worry of damage to the casings. The kickstart will start the engine as readily as the electric motor if you have addressed the no spark/ flooding fuel problem.
The electric start is there for convenience and in no way will affect the scooters running on my et4 i used the kickstart all the time as my charging stator had crapped out it never took more than two tries to start winter or summer.
Cheers
Atb.

It may just be the brushes that need replacing, or the commutator cleaning. Otherwise it's searching for a cheap replacement.

I have never been able to get the kick start to work, cant quite tell if I am doing it correctly or not, but I couldn't get it to work even when the electric start was working... but im really finding it hard to diagnose the problem. New battery, new spark, all the electrics work to the motor which sounds faint, moving but no force when the Bendix locks with the other gears. Anyway, here is a video of the start up.

Hi matey, your video is uploaded as private and cannot be accessed by all please re upload and make it public.
Cheers
Atb

Should be working now
The buzzing sounds like its coming from the motor

Sounds to me like the battery doesn't have enough power to turn the starter....either that or the starter is toast.

Try charging the battery for a good long period of time on a "fast" charge - maybe 5-8 hours ish.

It sounds like the battery was trying to turn the starter but hadn't got enough power and each time you tried it ran the battery down even more until the relay just went click, click, click.

The battery is fully charged, as I said, I opened the starter motor and it smelt burnt, but it still works, very faintly.

The bearings in that starter sound like toast . Practise with the kickstart you will feel two definate resistance cycles on each downward stroke you need to push firmly and follow through the two resistances with one smooth powerful thrust.
Like a kung fu kick
Cheers
Atb.

Ok, I will be looking to sort the problem soon. Thanks for the help and I will update you with my progress