MOPED ARMY

could you post some pics? that'd be great. also, what kind of engine? any other information? i hope someone can help you find some info on them.

Ellen... I don't have specific info on a "motomarina" moped (is there any chance that is Moto-Minarelli?)

But these are general tune-up procedures that will work for most.

If it has been sitting for a long time, it is a good idea to drain and clean the fuel tank...clean and inspect the gas petcock... replace the fuel line... add an inline fuel filter (from a motorcycle or lawnmower shop)... and clean the carburetor.

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General Moped Tune-Up Procedures

The first thing to check on a moped that won't run is to see if you have spark at the spark plug.

Pull the spark plug out and hold the metal part of the plug firmly against the cylinder head while you kick or pedal the moped rapidly with the key on (if it has one) and the run/off switch (if it has one) switched to run.... it might help to do this at night or in a dark garage to make it easier to see the spark.... it might also help if you have 2 people... 1 to pedal/kick, and 1 to hold the plug firmly against the cyl. head... you are looking for a blue spark to jump the gap on the plug.

Make sure you have a good spark plug to start with, a black or gunky or wet one will not spark.

.. If there is no spark.... clean the ignition points like it says below.... If there is spark... squirt a little bit of gas into the spark plug hole and try to start it.....if it starts and runs for 5 seconds and then dies, then clean the carburetor like it says below.

CLEANING the CARBURETOR

Clogged or dirty carburetors are the most common reason for poor performance.

The parts of the carb that are dirty or clogged are the small holes inside the carb (air and fuel passages).. not the outside.

The carburetor must be removed..... then you take off the float bowl (on the bottom).... then you remove the brass "main jet" in the middle of the carb.... hold it up to the light and look thru it.... it must be clean and clear..... if it is not clear you must poke a piece of fine wire thru it.... a wire plucked from a wire brush works good.... or some soft multistrand copper wire like from speaker wire or lampcord wire... don't use a drill bit !!.

Next you should screw the idle mixture screw in... ((( Make sure you count how many turns out it was set at !)))..... then remove it and all other screws.

Now you must clean out all passages in the carb with aerosol carb cleaner and compressed air... (like 100 psi)... with a blow nozzle... squirt the cleaner in ALL orifices one by one followed by a blast of compressed air.... while you are blowing air thru the holes feel with your fingers to feel where the air is coming out of and blow the other way too... take your time...... then reassemble all the parts (remember to turn the idle mixture screw out to its original setting... usually between 1 and 2 full turns out from all the way in) and reinstall the carb.

CLEANING the POINTS

The next most likely cause of bad running are dirty or mis-adjusted ignition points..... to clean them you need some fine grit sand paper (like 400 grit), a piece of clean paper, some scissors, and some aerosol brake cleaner or carb cleaner and some compressed air with a blow nozzle....... remove the ignition cover and look for the points in one of the holes in the flywheel.... lay the bike over on its side and sit on a milk crate or something to get comfortable... then cut some thin strips of sandpaper.... pry the points open with a small screwdriver and stick the piece of sandpaper in between the points and let them close.... then pull the sandpaper out.... do this several times to each side.... now pry the points open and blow them off with compressed air... then spray them with the cleaner.... then cut a strip of the clean paper and pry the points open again and drag the paper thru a few times (the paper should be clean and should drag through smoothly).... blow them off again with air while open.... now they should be good.

SETTING the TIMING

Correct ignition timing means the spark plug is firing at the correct moment in the engines rotation.. a little before TDC (top dead center.. when the piston is closest to the spark plug).

Clean the points like it says above FIRST... Then look on the outside of the flywheel for some lines and letters.. there should be a T mark next to a line... and an F mark next to a line... There should also be a mark on the engine case .. the T mark will line up with the mark on the engine case when the piston is at TDC.. you can remove the spark plug and stick a screwdriver in the hole against the piston and turn the flywheel.. when the piston pushes the screwdriver all the way out, the T mark will be lining up with the mark on the engine case.. the points will have already opened BEFORE that.. they should just START to open when the F (Fire) mark lines up with the mark on the engine case.

To check this accurately you would need to have special tools.

But you can see if it is close by watching the points START to open when the F mark passes by the mark on the engine case.. rotate the flywheel several times back and forth while watching the F mark to get a feel for when the F mark lines up.. then switch your eyes to the points and watch carefully for them to break.. if you are careful enough this will be good enough to run alright.

GAS and OIL

Most mopeds have 2 stroke engines.... 2 strokes consume oil for lubrication.

Newer mopeds might have an auto-lube oil pump.. so that you don't have to pre-mix the gas and oil.... For older mopeds you will need to "pre-mix" the oil with the gas.

OIL

With modern 2-stroke oils you should probably pre-mix between 3 oz.(43 to 1) or 4 oz.(32 to 1) of oil per gallon of gas.

Make sure you buy 2-stroke oil.

Some people say synthetic works better... But I have found regular 2 stroke oil to be just as good as the much more expensive synthetic oil..

GAS

Mopeds are low performance engines designed to run on the lowest octane of gas you can buy (87 oct.) because they are afraid that somebody who doesn't know better will put the cheap stuff in..... and higher octane will not make it run better or faster or make more power.

But higher octane will not hurt your engine either.

!

...from a Moped God..............hehehe

Actually, Ron.... I think that was 12 minutes.

I didn't like the first one because it was so "wide" you had to scroll back and forth... I hate that...so I shrunk the width.... I wish I could have just deleted it.

But if I win anything for the "12 seconds"... by all means let me know... a 5 day paid vacation to Daytona in early March would be sufficient.

By "cleaning it up".

Do you mean a little more traditional punctuation?

I can do that.

And Simon... I have been slowly refining that basic tune-up info as I went to make it as clear and helpful to as broad an audience as possible.

And was going to eventually add a few more bits.

... and ask you to put it in there somewhere permanent.

What else in particular would you (or others) like to see?

I figure there is too much variability for chassis info.

I like Simon's idea. I also think that we should start putting together some really comprehensive guides for moped repair and/or trouble-shooting. Maybe even w/ pictures? Just a thought. Maybe we could even have some information specifically for different types (Puch, Minarelli, Tomos, Motobecane, etc.). Is that doable?

Thanks Miguel and Fred for your response. I will check to see what kind of motor it has and I'll see if I can get a picture posted. It's definitely a "motomarina". The tune up advice is helpful. We are stuck though, because the gas tank is rusted and I think it will need replacing.

Thanks again

Hi! I own 2 of them and I like them for long trips because they're comfortable. I live in ohio, and if you're within a 200 miles or so I'd like to know if you would sell it.THANKS!