Can going down / up hill damage my little Spree's engine?

[SpreeNewb]

So my GF took my Spree up a hill that end up being a little too much for it. She realized this and turned around. She said the engine was still running fine when she turned around and she started heading down the hill. This hill is long and fairly steep so she was going down hill for a minute or so when it died on her. She said that when she tried to elec start it would just make a single click and nothing else, and the kick start was totally locked, would budge. Needless to say, she had to walk it home. By the time she got it home, the kick start would move again, but it feel like there is less resistance than before, and the starter just spins with out really making any combustion noise at all.

So scooter experts, how could these events damage my Spree? What could have gone wrong and where should I start to fix it?

Thanks

[Bear45-70]

The down hill run could have leaned the motor out and damaged the piston and bore. Do a compression test and see what the numbers are.

[SpreeNewb]

so whats the best way to do a compression test on these if I dont have the proper tools to test it. I read that one person can put their thumb over the spark plug hole while another person cranks. If the thumb is blown off the hole, then there is enough compression. Is this a good basic test, or do I just need to go get the right tools?

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Maybe ol' Stinky the Mechanic at the Exxon station can get some rough idea about "sufficient" compression using his grease-stained thumb, but I can't and I'll bet you can't either.

Get the Proper Tool here for under $12 including tax if there's a Harbor Freight Tools store near you.

Sadly I suspect The Bear is right as usual. The giddy downhill overheated the bore and smoked your top end. Good news is there's never a better reason to upgrade to a Taz 44 or 48mm Big-Bore Kit. Cheaper than Honda's and stronger too.

[SpreeNewb]

Yeah. Thats what I was thinking. The 48mm kit is about 145 on ebay right now. I think that chopchop seller is Taz. Anyway, I need a machine shop to bore out my cylinders right? How much does that cost?

[SpreeNewb]

Im pretty new to scooters. I am wondering if someone could give me a technical explanation of way going down the hill killed the top end of the engine. Is it because the scooter was moving at 30 mph but did have the throttle open enough to alow sufficient fuel/oil mixture into engine?

Thanks

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

As the Spree struggled up the hill, it generated a good bit of heat. Since it was still running, I have to assume the damage was incurred when that hot engine was now dragged to a high RPM with a nearly-closed throttle, thus little of the cooling effect that the fuel atomization process conveys. Being saturated by the heat from the climb, then forced to high RPM added more heat than the piston could dissipate. The pump supplies oil in an RPM-dependent process, so I don't think it's insufficient oil, directly. Hopefully I'm wrong and it'll turn out that you're out of gas or the plug's fouled or something, but it sure sounds like there's a hole in the piston or a very damaged bore.

[SpreeNewb]

THanks for your replys wheelman. I hopes its not the piston and bore also, but I just did a full tune up on the scooter including new spark plug, cleaned carb, new oil, new gas, and overall clean up. It was running really great until this, so I think it is probably the bore/piston. If I put on the big bore kit that is being sold, do I need to do anything else to the engine to make that work?

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

The carb will need a bigger jet than stock 68 for sure. Others have worked through the details of carb optimization. I have not. Hopefully the Vendor (Taz) can offer advice from the sum of the experience of the Spree Cognisenti.

[Bear45-70]

Greetings:

The carb will need a bigger jet than stock 68 for sure. Others have worked through the details of carb optimization. I have not. Hopefully the Vendor (Taz) can offer advice from the sum of the experience of the Spree Cognisenti.

I was under the impression that Taz included a jet in his BBK.

[toboggan]

he does? or at least he did in my kit when i had a spree

[martynkim]

THanks for your replys wheelman. I hopes its not the piston and bore also, but I just did a full tune up on the scooter including new spark plug, cleaned carb, new oil, new gas, and overall clean up. It was running really great until this, so I think it is probably the bore/piston. If I put on the big bore kit that is being sold, do I need to do anything else to the engine to make that work?

Head must be bored stock air box won't work need an UNI filter to run it. Taz includes the jet with the kit. Contact Taz directly on here he offers a discount for forum members.

[zuphilius]

Head must be bored.

See Tobbogan for that. I sent him mine and it came back shiny clean and bored.

[toboggan]

Head must be bored.

See Tobbogan for that. I sent him mine and it came back shiny clean and bored.

Thanks for the good words!!

[tazland001]

Yah toboaggan does the heads and does a d*** good job.. And yes a jet comes in every kit I sell. You only need to get the head done. The kit comes with everything else and will just bolt on after you get the head done.. You know that hill you cannot climb. Install that 48mm BBK with stock gearing and you will power over that hill with no problem. That is after break in of course. lol

Taz