ok ... i was going to clean my carb on my new grande. problem: the carb has no airbox and no screen. it still runs ok, but i think that it needs those.
i think the carb said dellorto 12.12, so i'm wondering if i can put in a 14.9 from a minarelli-based engine.
also, the carb seems much harder to get to than in regular mopeds. what's the best way to get to it?
thanks.
My grande didn't have a screen either, just an airbox. As for getting to the carb, you can loosen the bolt that clamps it to the manifold by going in through a hole on the right side of the swingarm. I think you can adjust the idle from there, too. Then just unbolt the fuel line fitting (or pull the fuel line off if it will come off), unscrew the top end, and slide it off like most other carbs. Our newest member mike has a vespa SI, and there's no cover on the top of the frame to get to the carb, so we had to take the whole swingarm off to clean the carb!
Oh, in case you haven't found out how to remove the sidecovers and top cover, the little screw looking things just push in and then you give them a 1/4 turn and let them out.
Miguel,
Remove the top cover like Brandon said. Remove the two screws in the throttle slide cover and lift it (along with the spring and slide) off. Just push it to the side for now. Then, remove the banjo screw and pull the banjo (fuel inlet) off with the hose. It is easier to get to the manifold bolt that way. Don't lose the filter or gasket inside the banjo. The best way to loosen that bolt on a Grande is to use a slim 8 mm. socket. If you don't have one, then use an 8 mm open end wrench from the side. Take a phillips screwdriver or an icepick and put it through the other end of the wrench and use it like a T-bar to turn the wrench. Once loosened, you can then wiggle the carb back and forth by putting a finger into the slide area and pulling it to the side and then pushing it back. Eventually, it will come off. I'm not sure if the larger Dell'orto will work. It has a 14 mm venturi on it instead of the stock 12 mm. You may end up with too-rich fuel. Get a new airbox and screen to protect your piston.
Chris
ok, i knew about the top and side covers. i worked on it a bit. the screen from the 14.9 dellorto is too big. it won't work. so i need a 12.12 screen and airbox combo. do you have a spare chris? i'd buy it off you.
i'll fiddle w/ it some more, but i'm not sure if getting the carb out and cleaning it is useful w/o a screen (or at least an airbox) since it'll get just as dirty again.
also ... i'd like to replace the kickstand, which is a bit weak and makes the bike very unstable (it wants to fall to the left). and also the foot bar (which is broken and bent towards the right). oh, and i need one more of those screws for the plastic side panels (i'm missing one on the left cover).
but it runs well so far. no major complaints. it's not as smooth as my bianchi ... the shocks are a bit stiff ... and i miss the high top end. but it's a nice comfy ride and pleasant enough all the same.
Miguel,
I only have one spare airbox and screen and I intend to use them on a junk Grande I'm restoring. I have a friend who has extra screens, however, if we can find you an airbox. You might consider rigging up something in the meantime. I wonder if some air filter material that is made for lawn mowers (the foam kind) could be rigged up as a temporary fix? I have some parts coming in this week, and there may be an extra there, so check with me later in the week. I believe I have a spare centerstand. I need to check through my stuff. If I do, are you interested in it?
Chris
Miguel:
The Grande isn't like other mopeds. You'll have to learn its peculiarities to work on it effectively. I do all the routine stuff on mine easily now.
The carburetor removal is a skill you will learn soon. You didn't mention if the plate under the carburetor on the swingarm is still there. People sometimes drop the filter screen there and then can't find it. You have to remove this plate to get the carburetor out easily. It must be replaced to protect the carb from road grime.
I can pull the engine out of mine in 20 minutes. It's something else to learn since you have to pull it to replace the points. You will need the special flywheel puller from vespasupershop.com for that task. It's no big deal since the engine by itself comes out easily enough and it isn't encumbered by the clutch being an internal piece. As a matter of fact the clutch is on the rear wheel!
Do a search here under "Vespa Grande" to find all kinds of stuff I've posted in the past.
Jim
Vespa SuperShop is out of flywheel pullers and he doesn't know when he'll get more in. I just ordered one from a friend in Italy. Jim is right about peculiarities, but I'd disagree about the need to remove the bottom plate. It is not necessary to remove it in order to get the carb. out. If you use the finger in the throttle slide trick, you can wiggle it back and forth to remove. On mine, the bottom plate doesn't come out without removing the exhaust. Do check there for the filter screen, however.
Chris
i also have a friend in italy ... i wonder if it's the same person? ... he gets me performance parts and such.
anyhow ... i checked for the plate under the carb ... it's still there. so maybe the screen and airbox is still there? i'll dig around. if not, i sure could use an extra screen and/or airbox.
and i'm totally interested in the extra center stand (if you have it). anyone have a foot bar? mine is broken and i'd like to replace it.
thanks so much for your help! i'm quickly realizing how different this design is from the minarelli i'm so used to.
My foot rest was broken also. I welded it last week and reinstalled it yesterday. It was pretty easy. See if you can find someone to weld it for you. I'll check for a centerstand when my stuff comes in.
Chris
Chris:
On my Grande I can sometimes remove the bottom plate easily and other times I can't, but it does come off with the muffler in place. I do it to dump out the float bowl once in a while. Incidently, one feature on the Kinetic moped I like is that their version of the Dellorto carburetor has a bowl drain screw. I think the bowls could interchange if you wanted this feature.
One thing I forgot to mention to miguel is to check the condition of the nylon sleeve in the engine end of the carburetor. It should not be cracked or missing.
Jim
can you describe this nylon sleeve? i'm not familiar w/ that on minarelli-based mopeds. what part of the carb exactly? what does it look like? what does it attach to? what does it do?
I think Jim is referring to the plastic-like insert in the end of the carb that seals the joint between the carb and the crankcase. Some of the delortos on minarellis have them, too. I've worked on one minarelli that had one, anyway (a motron with a minarelli).
You know, Jim, the drainable float bowl is a good idea. I have a spare float bowl. I'm tempted to drill a hole in it, tap the hole, and put a screw with gasket in it. Probably will leak, but I'm tempted...
miguel:
The sleeve is part #17. If you look into the end of the carb you should see it. if not then it is stck on the stub the carb slips over. If it were missing there would be no way to properly tighten the carburetor.
Jim
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