After some time, like most machineries, scooters will start to have some problems. One of the most common is that the scooter won’t start with the electric starter. As a scooter enthusiast I’ve encountered this problem countless times. And the problem that causes this can usually be quite simple and easy to solve. So I decided to write this article to help all scooter owners out there.
My scooter won’t start with the electric starter, what’s the problem? Here is a list of the reasons why your scooter wont start with the electric start:
- Start button
- The wires
- A bad fuse
- The Starter
- Fuel system
- The Spark
- Battery
- Compressor
So there are quite a few things on the list but don’t get discouraged by this. A scooter is quite a complex machinery, and if even the smallest part doesn’t work, the whole scooter won’t work. Fortunately most of the problems can be solved very easily. So let’ start to look closer at each possibility.
Table of Contents
The Start Button
The first thing that you should check is the start button. You can do this by trying to start the scooter with the start button, like you would normally do. If you do this but the starter won’t engage, it means that there is an electric problem and the button could be the problem. If the starter engages then the electric parts work fine, this includes the button.
It’s not that common to have the button broken, but it can happen. There is a small chance that the plastic inside the button that makes things run has broken and you might need to change it. But before going and buying a new button, make sure that there isn’t a problem with the wires.
The Wires
The next electrical problem that you might have is that you might have a broken wire. Fortunately this is quite easy to check, you just have to see if any wires are broken, cut, etc.
If this is the problem my suggestion would be to go to a mechanic and change them, you usually don’t want to mess with electricity too much. But if you want to replace the wire yourself then make sure that you remove the battery first.
A Bad Fuse
Another reason why your scooter won’t start when you press the button could be a bad fuse. If this is the case, you’ll want to inspect the fuses next to the relay or CDI.
You will know that a fuse is bad after you remove it and look inside it at the small wire in the center, if the wire is broken then the fuse has blown up and it’s no longer any good. At this point you will have to get a new one.
The Starter
If none of the above are a problem than most likely it’s the starter. If this is the case you will have to get a new one.
The Fuel System
The fuel system is usually one of the main reasons why scooters don’t start.
To see if the fuel system is the problem you should check the fuel lines running from the fuel tank to the fuel pump and the carburetor/fuel injector. If you notice anything wrong, like leaks for example, then you should replace the hose.
After that you should also check the fuel filter to see if it’s clogged up. This is quite a common problem if you drive on roads with a lot of dirt.
The Spark
If you try to start your scooter and you only get back a small amount of sputtering, then the spark might be the problem.
The role of the spark is to create a spark that will ignite the fuel inside the engine, and this is what gives the engine its power.
Fortunately changing the spark is quite easy and they are relatively cheap.
The Battery
The battery could also be one of the reasons your scooter doesn’t start. This is one of the most common problems with chinese scooters, since they usually come with very small and low quality batteries, who run out of power very fast.
To solve this problem you have two very simple options. You can either change it, or charge it.
The Compressor
Before fuel is sent to the engine, it will go through the compressor which will compress the fuel using its pistons.
If the compressor doesn’t do its job properly the fuel that reaches the engine won’t be in the best shape and as a result the engine won’t start.
To solve this problem you simply have to replace the compressor, as usually you can do this at home if you have some mechanical skills. But if you don’t want to risk it you can always go to a mechanic.
How the Whole Process Looks
In the end of the article I think it might help you to also know how the wohle starting process looks. This way you might also check a few other parts that I haven’t included in the list above. And this should also give you a better idea on where to start looking.
- The first thing that happens is that the fuel valve opens
- Than the fuel will rush out of the gas tank and into the compressor
- Fuel enters the compressor in each of the engine’s chambers and fills them
- Electricity from the battery powers the starter, which powers the compressor which allows it to compress the fuel
- The fuel is compressed by the pistons of the engine, still using battery power
- At this point the spark plug sparks which will make the fuel to explode
- The explosion of the fuel pushes the piston backward
- The force of the piston being pushed backwards powers a resisting sprocket which restores more power to the battery than was used in the first compression
- Fuel floods into the compressor
- The process repeats and the engine is on
You can use this chart to follow at which step things are not going as they should.
Conclusion
So those are the most common problems. Of course there are still quite a few other things that can stop your scooter from starting. But as I’ve said scooters are quite complex, and if one part doesn’t work properly then the whole system will fail.
I hope you were able to find a solution to your problem in this article. If you have any questions feel free to ask me in the comment section, and I will do my best to answer them as soon as possible.