Modern Vespa

first I want to say I know next to nothing about this scooter except what Ive been told and seen it do I was told it is a 2004 with a 2 stroke engine but with a twist ie you dont need to premix the gas and oil it does it automaticly I was told that it had been in a small accident where it slid on some gravel and fell over on its side and there only appears to be minor cosmetic damage it sat up for many months before I agreed to try and get it start I took it via my truck to my house (it had to be layed down on its side the whole way) once I looked it over a bit and charged the battery I hooked it up and after a little bit of encouragement it started up with the kick start as the electric start didnt seem to do much I think that is because the battery was nearly dead when I started charging it so I mangaged to get it running and for a few days it ran rough and was hard to start I thought because it had old gas in it so I sat it up on its stand one day started it and rigged the throtle to stay on not wide open but enough where it wouldnt die as it would at idle speed I left it unattended and took care of other things just hopeing that the gas would burn itself out I could put fresh in after and cure the problem (no dice) about 10 maybe 20 min in it stalled (with throtle rigd open) and would not restart later I saw a tech at a vespa shop doing what appeared to me to be the exact same thing (run the scooter with the throtle rigd open on its stand)with an identical scooter he said it had been sitting up for a while and just needed to be ran (after I saw that i felt like i didnt do anything wrong, but I could be wrong about that) I have changed the two hoses coming out of the tap on the gas tank (fuel line and vacuum i'm guessing) and replaced the spark plug as the old one was black and fouled only thing about that is Im not sure the correct gap I disasembled cleaned and reasembled the carb I have had this thing kick start twice on me since I did all this but it doesnt run long at all with me holding the throtle open and just so i am clear it died and would not restart on me before I did anything to it as far as repairs I would like ideas as to why I cant get it to start and possible fixes for that please help me

huh

new bike, in wreck, sat up, made it run again, stopped running, tried to fix, still broken, dont know what is wrong, need help

Craigslist

need to nominate for the worlds longest sentence

Punctuation and Paragraphs are for Pansies

get a service manual charge battery drain gas clean the carb old gas does not burn well and is likely loaded with crap probably ran all the gunk into the carb

Hi:

I can't help specifically with your problem, but you can find the ET2 service manual here:

https://modernvespa.com/files/workshop/ET2_ET4TechnicalManual.pdf


It includes a fault finding section


Hope this helps with it!


Regards
Harvey

Try cleaning the air filter if you have not done that yet. It may be soaked in gas.

Definitely adjust the plug gap, as it could be playing a big part in how poorly it runs. Run a good dose of carb cleaner through it. You've got oil in the oil tank so it is lubricated?

I also agree it couldn't hurt to check out the air filter - easy enough to open up.

Near as I can tell from your post it hasn't been used much over the years? I'll bet if you gap your new plug and clean out the carb (and make sure your filter isn't sopping with gas) you'll have a better time of it. Keep us posted!

Mine had been sitting for so long, unused, there were a couple of dessicated mouse skulls in the engine compartmant when I pulled it all apart!
There was no way the carburettor could be saved, it was literally rusted inside, so I did the right thing and bought a new carb, put on new fuel and oil lines, new plug, a new battery, and it runs like a champ.
Simple.

Cheers
Barry

Post makes brain hurt. Need punctuation and Advil.. Owwwww....

Hilarious.

You critics!

Here's an edited version:

First, I want to say I know next to nothing about this scooter except what I've been told, and seen it do.

I was told it is a 2004 with a 2 stroke engine but with a twist I.E. you don't need to premix the gas and oil; it does it automatically. I was told that it had been in a small accident, where it slid on some gravel and fell over on its side. There only appears to be minor cosmetic damage. It sat for many months before I agreed to try to get it to start. I took it via my truck to my house (it had to be laid down on its side the whole way).

Once I looked it over a bit and charged the battery, I hooked it up, and after a little bit of encouragement it started up (with the kick start as the electric start didn't seem to do much, I think that is because the battery was nearly dead)! Then I started charging it. I managed to get it running, and for a few days it ran rough and was hard to start. I thought because it had old gas in it, so I sat it up on its stand one day started it and rigged the throttle to stay on- not wide open, but enough where it wouldn't die, as it would at idle speed. I left it unattended and took care of other things just hoping that the gas would burn itself out. I could put fresh in after and cure the problem (no dice). About 10, maybe 20 min, in it stalled (with throttle right open) and would not restart.

Later I saw a tech at a vespa shop doing what appeared to me to be the exact same thing (run the scooter with the throttle right open on its stand), with an identical scooter. He said it had been sitting up for a while and just needed to be run (after I saw that i felt like i didn't do anything wrong, but I could be wrong about that).

I have changed the two hoses coming out of the tap on the gas tank (fuel line and vacuum I'm guessing), and replaced the spark plug, as the old one was black and fouled. Only thing about that is; I'm not sure the correct gap. I disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled the carb. I have had this thing kick start twice on me since I did all this, but it doesn't run long at all with me holding the throttle open.

Just so i am clear; it died, and would not restart, before I did anything to it as far as repairs. I would like ideas as to why I can't get it to start and possible fixes for that.

Please help me!!


Any punctuation errors are my responsibility; any spelling errors are the spellcheck's!


Regards
Harvey

Thank you Harvey for the edit.

I was going to go back and edit later I just wanted to get it all out there. That post came after many hours working on the bike, and then followed by a couple of brain numbing hours of searching the net. If I get this thing going it will be nothing short of a complete and utter miracle. Oh it did catch me by surprise that I got a lot of grammatical critiques. I usually post on gamer boards and rarely do they get hung up on that, however I am actually pleased that so many cared to comment.

Right now I don't even have the air filter on it. I don't see it as necessary because it won't crank. When and if I can get it to start reliably, I have a perfectly clean air filter and housing waiting for it. I'm hoping I don't get a lot of "YOU MORON IT WON'T WORK WITHOUT IT ON". Right now I have a new plug but I don't know what the gap should be so I guessed using the gap of the old plug. I looked over the service manual, but could not find gap information. I might have missed it, as I was very tired when I did. I will go look through it again, and in the mean time if someone knows, I hope they will post it.

Thanks again for everything.

Gap info is most likely on page 16 of service manual, but it is to blurry. I can't despite my best efforts make it clear enough to read.

If the electrical system is tip-top the actual gap is probably irrelevant, as long as it is in the ball-park. Huge wild guess says between 0.5 and 1mm will be just fine.

It started and ran for a bit tonight. This is the third time in a couple weeks I have managed to kick start it. I tried to hold the throttle to keep it going, and adjust the carburetor mixture screw to make it idle smoother. It stalled after about a minute, and would not restart.

I tried to remove the plug wire from the bike, and it ripped out of that red electrical box inside the engine compartment. My guess is it's some sort of ignition coil, maybe? I never figured that the plug wire would basically be screwed into that box. I thought there would just be another plug socket type of connector, like the one that attaches to the plug itself. I did this because the wire was not connecting securely to the plug, and I couldn't get a good angle with any tool to correct the problem. I basically made it worse (almost ALOT WORSE) before I made it better and now the wire fits securely on both ends.

This and some other things make me question the craftsmanship of this particular model Vespa and I begin to wonder if it is just this model or something more far reaching. I will for now just believe that it is just this model since it is the only one I have worked on directly. I have seen many people on the Internet talking about problems with it starting. The dealer told me Vespa doesn't produce this model any more. I have also noticed that there is a huge following for Vespa in general, particularly the classic ones, which is the final piece of evidence that leads me to believe Vespa is ok, and the ET2 has a bad lemon tendency.

I will try again tomorrow.

I wonder what would happen if I ran a measured amount of octane booster in the tank, not a lot, just enough for 2 gallons of gas. I also thought about using starter fluid to help boost it off. These are just thoughts at the moment though.

The method which the HT wire attaches to the CDI is very normal actually... not a cheesy build quality. You should clip the tip of the wire which got ripped off the screw of the CDI so you are screwing intact wires back onto it when you reattach the HT wire.

It sounds to me like your problem is a fuel one. It could be that your ignition system is the problem, causing rough idle, stalling, hard starting. But I think it is very probably your carb is totally gummed up. I think that should be your first, and cheapest stop. Then move on from there to potential CDI issues or the like.

Starter fluid could help you get it started for further diagnosis, but it won't help with the problem (except insofar as running the bike gets gunk out of the system).

ET2s are great bikes - your particular one COULD be a lemon, but it is not discontinued due to being a bad model. It was discontinued primarily due to shift away from 2-stroke production. Manufacturers also must constantly update/change their models to spark the public's interest to keep sales up. There ARE some improvements like larger front wheel on the successor to the ET line, the LX, but I've seen little evidence that those scoots are mechanically superior. Everyone has problems, and yours has come from a rough background. It sounds like it needs some calm troubleshooting to make it happy again, but once it is, it will run with little-to-no maintenance for long stretches of time, Mine has. Keep your chin up, we'll help you get to the bottom of it

Well after I fixed some broken electrical connections, replaced the plug, added some new gas, and some octane booster. I used some starter fluid, and it would fire up and die. It must have done that 50 times tonight, and each time I would make adjustments and crank it again.

Finally I decided to crank it and immediately release the break and gun the throttle. When I did that, it made the engine roar to life. I was then able to run the engine long enough to make necessary adjustments so it now idles without me holding the throttle.

Everything on the bike seems to now be in working order, but I have a question. I was riding it after I got it to run, and it seemed unstable. I believe it is the under inflated tires. I would like to know what the max psi should be on both the front and rear wheel. If there is no difference between the two, than just let me know the max psi for 2004 ET 2.

Thank you for all your help, it is fun to ride for a change.

The recommended inflation for the tires on an ET4 are

Front: 18.9 PSI
Rear: 26.1 PSI

With a passenger:
Front 23.2 PSI
Rear: 29 PSI

I don't have an ET2 manual, but I don't imagine it would differ by much.
At least this ought to get you started.

I'll give it a shot.

I can't wait for what comes next !!!!

By the way (I just caught this from your original post), I wouldn't recommend using the kick-start anymore than you have to.

People have reported that its use can crack the transmission case. Although the ET2 is a very good scooter, you're better off sticking with the electric starter.

Hopefully nothing bad, do you think those presures are accurate. It feels unstable as i said, and as I'm new to the two wheel aspect I feel uneasy already. So I hope that correct inflation will make it more stable, and me more comftorble. If not their will soon be a craigslist posting for it very soon I'm afraid. Only good news is it runs now.

I appreciate the heads up I will need to get a new battery for the starter to work. It is the one that came with the bike years ago, and its a miracle I can get enough charge on it for anything to work right now.

For an ET4, yes. Right out of the manual which is sitting right here next to my computer. I've been using those figures since '04.

An ET2 has a smaller engine than an ET4, and is a bit lighter. But as I said, until you get better info, those pressures should do ya.

I found another post here (from UK) that said the pressure for an ET2 was 2 bar on the back tire and 1.6 on the front. That's the exact same figures (converted) as the pressures I listed for an ET4 with passenger. Some riders always keep their tires inflated to the 2-passenger level. That leads me to believe that the ET4 figures are good for the ET2 also.

If it's feeling unstable after you get the tires properly inflated, you should look for something else. Keep in mind that the small tires on these scooters make them a lot more flickable than your average motorcycle (if that's what you're used to) and for some people, takes a bit of getting used to.

PS: The pressures should be listed on the inside of the glovebox door. Duh! I just remembered that.

I want to know if there is a simple way to open that. I have tried to find a way, but I can only access it through taking part of the front grill assembly apart and reaching inside the bike with a screwdriver to trigger the mechanism. I seriously doubt this is the normal way or why would it be a called a glovebox and not a maintenance panel. O well I am a complete noob with these things, so please take that into consideration when you answer.

Hey Rodney, Owners' manual for ET2 here (part 1 and part 2) :

http://manuals.wotmeworry.org.uk/ET2/et2manualpt1sm.pdf
http://manuals.wotmeworry.org.uk/ET2/et2manualpt2sm.pdf

Don't know much about the ET2, but on other models you get into the glovebox by pressing in on your key.

cheers

Haven't read through all the rambling here, but did you check to make sure the oil tank holding your 2 stroke oil is full? This engine will, when cold, start and run a while without oil, then quit until it cools down. If the tank is empty, you will have to bleed the air out of the oil injection system. See you manual.

Al

The ET2 is not manufactured any more, but the engine has not been discontinued at all. It's now found in the LX50 and Vespa 50 S.

In the States the ET2 was the last 2-stroke Vespa sold except for the re-release of the PX. I had heard you could get 2-stroke LXs and Ss overseas - I'm glad to see it lives on. I love my little ET

Aw my PDF is being hosted online after all now! That's great. I get so many people looking for a copy of the manual... they seem to be becoming a bit of a collectors item

The manual will have most of the answers, but all you need to do is push the key in when it is in the "un-locked" or "on" position. The ignition switch is also a button which releases this door.

My ET2 runs like a top now. I was wondering how to adjust the idle to smooth it out some. I have it running very rich so it doesn't die at idle right now. I would like to tighten up the throttle cable, and back off the mixture screw some. I just need to know how to tighen the cable I can't locate an adjustment screw.

Well the bike setup in a shed / garage from 2009 to 2016. everything I did to get it running such as new plug, battery, fresh fuel, fuel lines, and carb clean was basically for not. I have now gone through that process again with the added step of a new fuel tap, (the old one broke upon removal this time) and complete disassembly of the carb. I have put new gaskets in it and replaced the float and needle. When I opened it up it was nothing but a large wad of gummed up mess. I drained the tank, but it seems I never drained the fuel from the bowl.

I had hell getting it to run again, but finally got it, with the exception it would not run WOT like before. In fact past about 1/4 throttle makes it bog. I went through some of the guides on here making adjustments to it and testing, but nothing worked. I then cleaned it again and found a jet in the bowl itself . I'm guessing that was the problem all along, and since I missed that initially I ended up making matters worse. Long story short I misplaced the idle jet and can't remember the size. The carb is a Dell'orto PHVA 12 QD What I know I have is as follows:

30 slide
A12 needle
main jet is an 87
idle jet is lost
float is 13700.1
bowl has a 50 jet in it
atomiser I am unsure of, there are no markings and it appears to be made onto the body of the carb

Any way of making a good guess as to what the idle jet size may have been? I keep thinking I remember it being 45, but 68 also keeps entering my mind. It ran once upon a time very well with this setup, almost 50 mph, but back in April I could barely get 25. If you read my older posts you will see I have a history of making things worse before I make them better, but I feel I am very close to getting my scoot back to where it was when I stopped messing with it in 09. The difference is now I want to ride it for transportation back and forth to work since I live less than 3 miles.

I call on this forums collective expertise to help free this poor ET2 from my well intentioned ignorance.

*** at least this time I tried to use better grammar***

On the et2 europe version the carb is 17,5 an the idle jet 30or 32 cant remember. Have you tried to clean the carb with ultra sound wash?
Or have you checked the reed valv?

Two things to test.
Tried to drive with out air filter in the box?
If it goes cleaner than it gest to much fuel.

Or try to restrict the air on the intake hole to airfilterboks to see if gets to much air.

Sorry for bad english. Iam from norway😀