Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Trying to get your Spree/Elite to run, or run better? Post your questions here.

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BMAN32
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Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by BMAN32 »

I have a 1987 Spree that has not ran for two years. Two years ago, I wasn't as into the scooter as I am now and I unfortunately put in 5W-30 oil into it. At the time, the scooter was running very nicely and after I put in the oil, as I was riding the scooter, it shut off and the kick start wouldn't budge. My brother took the scooter from me and fixed the kick start.

Now I have the scooter back and started working on it, here is what I have done so far:
Drained the oil and gas
Cleaned the carb twice
Tried to kick start it multiple times to burn out any old oil
New spark plug

Now the questions I have are:
The scooter is still not turning over and it seems that too much gas is getting into the cylinder. I've been reading about similar problems on this site and could it be a needle and seat problem or could it be with the float? How do you tell if you have a bad float? And what are some other possibilities?
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Bear45-70
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by Bear45-70 »

First up is a compression check, because if you do not have enough compression it will never start.
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by BMAN32 »

Alright, well is there any way to test it without a compression gauge? I've read that people have put their thumb into the top of the cylinder where the spark plug goes to see if it has enough compression to push your thumb out? Is that true or just bs?
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by Bear45-70 »

BMAN32 wrote:Alright, well is there any way to test it without a compression gauge? I've read that people have put their thumb into the top of the cylinder where the spark plug goes to see if it has enough compression to push your thumb out? Is that true or just bs?
Anything other than a compression gauge is BS and tells you nothing. They have loaners at your local or rentals auto parts store. Minimum compression should be 114 PSI. Oh and 60 PSI will blow your finger off the plug hole but the engine will never run with the pressure that low.

Or you can do this and have one next time you need one.

http://www.harborfreight.com/flex-drive ... 92697.html
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by BMAN32 »

I'll see what I can do when I get back to my house to work on it.

What are some other possible effects of putting in the wrong oil?

I'm just trying to do everything I can to avoid taking the entire engine apart :(
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by Bear45-70 »

BMAN32 wrote:I'll see what I can do when I get back to my house to work on it.

What are some other possible effects of putting in the wrong oil?

I'm just trying to do everything I can to avoid taking the entire engine apart :(
The wrong oil is an iffy thing. If it was in the gas as pre-mix that might be different, but in an oil injection system it usually does bad things to the top end (piston, rings and cylinder). This is what the compression test will tell us.
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by spree-rider »

x2 on compression. bad oil in oil injection= bad top end. No way to forsure tell until you check compression.
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by BMAN32 »

Alright got a compression gauge and every time I kicked it, it came back to be very low. So my next question, what does this mean and what do I do next?
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by Bear45-70 »

BMAN32 wrote:Alright got a compression gauge and every time I kicked it, it came back to be very low. So my next question, what does this mean and what do I do next?
How high does it jump to and how low does it settle out at?
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by BMAN32 »

Just took it to my buddy's house and told his dad about the low compression. We took the cylinder apart and found out there was a broken ring on the piston. With this in mind, I need to buy a new head gasket and piston rings correct? Also, does anyone know of any good places to get cheap parts at?
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by Bear45-70 »

BMAN32 wrote:Just took it to my buddy's house and told his dad about the low compression. We took the cylinder apart and found out there was a broken ring on the piston. With this in mind, I need to buy a new head gasket and piston rings correct? Also, does anyone know of any good places to get cheap parts at?
Unless the cylinder walls are scored.
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by BMAN32 »

My buddy's dad said that they all looked good and that I was very lucky. I believe him as he works on motorcycles all the time. He said it should be a quick fix by buying a new head gasket and rings for the piston.
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by BMAN32 »

I'm searching for piston rings and a head gasket for the scooter and no store around here seems to have them in stock. Is there just a general size that I can ask for that would fit my 87 Honda Spree?
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by Bear45-70 »

PM tazland001 here on the forum. He has what you need.
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'83 Aero 80 X 3
'84 Aero 80 X 3

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'84 Aero 125 X 2
'85 Aero 50
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Re: Fixing up my 1987 Honda Spree

Post by BMAN32 »

Alright, thanks Bear. You've been very helpful, I'll make sure to post a picture of the spree when its runnin......hopefully soon :confused:
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