Bizarre no-start - plug? compression?

bikerbrewer · Post by **bikerbrewer** » Fri Nov 06, 2015 2:02 am

I went out to ride the 170 home from work today, and it wouldn't start. Turned over very well, but no start. Thinking "well, just need gas, air, and spark" I pulled the plug and checked for spark - spark was great, and while the plug was slightly worn (it has 5k miles on it) it wasn't too bad.

I threw the plug back in without tightening it too much, and the scooter started damn near instantly. I thought "wow, must've been a loose plug wire or something", turned off the Buddy, and reassembled the panels (also tightening the plug).

Of course, it then refused to start, just like before. I pulled the plug and turned it over a couple times in case I'd flooded the combustion chamber, but no dice.

Has this happened to anyone else? I'm hoping a new plug will do the trick but thought maybe it had happened to someone else. Of course, it now has a dead battery too, which is entirely my fault.

bikerbrewer · Post by **bikerbrewer** » Fri Nov 06, 2015 7:25 am

Weirdly a jump start had it running instantly. And now it's started flawlessly a couple of times. Previously it had a good 15 mile ride before I'd stopped so it should've been fully charged regardless, so I don't know what to make of it. Batteries are weird. Still, I guess it's time for a new one.

avescoots1134 · Post by **avescoots1134** » Fri Nov 06, 2015 2:28 pm

I've never had it explained to me but if the battery falls below a certain amount, a 170 won't start. It's as if the injector is told not to fire. The bike will still spin over fine - but no start. Swap the battery and it fires right up.

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Fri Nov 06, 2015 3:33 pm

A weak battery might cause the problem. It might not be able to hold a load, so when you hit the starter button, the heavy drain from the starter motor draws a lot of current where the battery can't keep up so the voltage drops. It drops low enough that the ECU shuts down, so while the starter can crank the engine over, the ECU being shut down, is no longer controlling fuel flow. How old is your battery? Do you let the scooter sit for long periods between rides?

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Fri Nov 06, 2015 4:16 pm

babblefish wrote:How old is your battery? Do you let the scooter sit for long periods between rides?

This is a good question. And, by the way, a 15 mile ride really won't bring a badly discharged battery back to full charge in any case. Get your battery load tested. If there is any question, I'd get a new battery - and a battery tender.

bikerbrewer · Post by **bikerbrewer** » Fri Nov 06, 2015 5:55 pm

Thanks! Hadn't considered the ECU. The battery is original, scooter is about 2 years old with 5100 miles on it. It gets ridden anywhere from every few days to a few times a day; until recently it was my wife's main commuter and she was doing 30 miles a day on it.

I'll have it tested, or just replace it since they seem to be only $35 -$45 or so.

A tender would be great, but unfortunately the scooter is parked on the street (we have no garage). I suppose we could pull the battery out when not riding for a while, but if I'm completely honest with myself I'm not likely to do that.

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Sat Nov 07, 2015 1:47 am

Scooters can't keep the battery charged very well if they are used for repeated short trips. If her 30 miles a day consists of 10 stops of 3 miles each, the stator won't be able to keep up with charging the battery. That's why a tender would be good. If the use of a tender isn't possible where you park, you might consider having a second battery on hand. Bring one in and hook it up to a tender indoors and swap them out once every month or two.

If the problem still persists, it might be the stator going bad.

Modern Buddy

Bizarre no-start - plug? compression?

Bizarre no-start - plug? compression?

Jump got it running

Thanks!