No Power.....can't figure out....please help!

jthom152 · Post by **jthom152** » Fri Oct 15, 2004 6:13 pm

I have an 85 Spree that is having some problems. It ran absolutely perfect for quite a while than within about 2-3 days it has lost most of it's power. I can only hit 15 unless it is going downhill. The carb has been cleaned, compression is very very good, new spark plug, air cleaner in place and cleaned, no apparent air leaks and exhaust has been cleaned. I think it may be the drive belt. I have looked at it and it does not appear to be in bad shape but this could be elusive I guess. When it is on the stand, the engine runs great and winds out perfectly. I have set the needle on the carb to 1-7/8 as indicated. The plug also shows a perfect air/fuel mixture as it is not white or soiled in oil. Once it is put under load, there is a sever lack of power. This would lead someone to possibly believe it was compression issue, however as mentioned above numerous compression tests showed the same exact results, 118 PSI. Is it possible the friction plates in the clutch? Drive belt? Clutch itself? There is no visible damage to any of these components. I do not believe this is an engine problem. I believe it is in the drive system somewhere. Does anyone have any ideas. I have exhausted the most common ones as I have been on here for a while now. Any help would greatly be appreciated.....thanks!!

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » Fri Oct 15, 2004 9:34 pm

118 lbs compression is too much believe it not. Symptoms indicate you're carbon fouled. Follow the de-carbonizing procedures in the FAQ. If the piston (compression area) is that full of carbon, chances are the exhaust is also. You may have been using a poor quality oil for injection. Using standard two stroke designed for marine or lawn mower applications will carbon up quite rapidly.

Post by **noiseguy** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 2:45 pm

I can vouch for the oil thing. I mistakenly ran marine oil in one for about 5-10 miles. Made a complete mess out of the topend and plug. Switched to 2T injection oil.

jthom152 · Post by **jthom152** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 5:32 pm

Thanks guys.....I will give it a try and let you know what I find.....this is seriously a great place for help. Such quick and friendly responses. I really appreciate the help/advice

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:01 pm

The oil is really odd. I use "texaco havoline two cycle engine oil" and on the front it has pictures, an outboard motor, a chainsaw, a snowmobile and a lawn mower. This conflicts with what jerry says about outboard oil and snowmobile oil are different. im confused

jthom152 · Post by **jthom152** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:30 am

Well, I totally went through the de-carbonizing step. No bad build-up anywhere. Still good compression, new set of rings. When I jumped on it, it had it's same old power back, but within about 30 seconds I could feel it go back to it's sluggish state. I took off the outer clutch cover and cleaned it out. It was a little slick in there and also kind of dirty. This helped a lot and it worked for a while again and than went back to no good. I am maybe thinking it could be worn clutch plates? Still runs great and winds out great on the stand. Muffler is clean and all that good stuff. Also, I switched oil. Any other ideas of what could be causing me this problem? Thanks again guys

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:59 pm

Check the thickness of the clutch plates. Also the outer hub for size. I've got a spare clutch if you need one, but I really don't think that's the problem.

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:06 pm

Check wheel bearings and brake shoes while you're at it. Front and back. If the bearings are gone just far enough to cause intermittent problems, the brakes could be dragging under load and not on the kick stand. Check the tranny for excess play also. By all means keep us informed. I haven't personally had a problem that I couldn't figure out, but sometimes the elusive or intermittant ones are where we learn new things about these little guys.

jthom152 · Post by **jthom152** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:56 pm

Bearing are just fine. Don't seem to be any problems there. The clutch shoes do appear to be worn and the ID on the clutch casing is almost at it's service limit. How much do you want for that extra clutch? Feel free to email me if you want and discuss this option. Thanks again for everything.

jmt00@yahoo.com

vette76 · Post by **vette76** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 8:33 am

i use the same oil as jim on my good spree and its worked for me so far.

Post by **noiseguy** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 11:30 am

If that clutch is slipping, it should be getting really hot. You might try running the scoot around for 10-15 min or so at WOT, then quickly pull the LHS cover. If the clutch is slipping the outer ring should be noticably hot (sizzle.)

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 6:57 pm

I'm mailing him a spare clutch that I have. If it is the clutch, this will fix it but I still have my doubts.

Post by **noiseguy** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 8:22 pm

Just b/c the engine will ying up on the stand doesn't mean it will do it under load. For some reason you're not getting generating any torque. For the clutch to be out the engine should be screaming, and the scooter not moving. Either way you'll have a good part soon to check.

Why is your clutch oily? Is there a crankcase leak? If so, you need to fix this b/f replacing the clutch.

I think it's probably something basic that's been missed, but as for other things to check:

- Condition of plug wire and cap (poor contacts act as "rev limiter")
- Condition of reed assembly (poor condition causes fuel to push back into intake)
- Position of carb slide on main needle (too rich or too lean, gets mis-set during reassembly.)

jthom152 · Post by **jthom152** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 11:09 pm

Just waiting on the clutch to check out and than I will let you guys know what is going on. Do you guys know how hard a new/good plug wire is to come by? Just in case this may end up being an issue I am just curious. Thanks again for all the help......will keep everyone posted.

I will never give up!!! Long live the SPREE

jthom152 · Post by **jthom152** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:52 pm

Thanks for the clutch Jerry....just got it today. Well I took one look at it and realized how shot my clutch plates truly were. They are destroyed. In any case a new problem has arose. The new clutch went on just fine but is a bit different from my old one (year?) I have an 85 spree. Anyway, this clutch only has two plates and mine has three. It did fit on well though. The problem is with the basket cover for the clutch. The new one bolts on fine but rubs the inside of the LHS cover. It is very stiff for the back tire to move with this clutch cover on. When I use the clutch cover from my old clutch, it fits well but when run, it is two snug apparently as the tire is constantly in motion, regardless of idle. Is there somehow a fix to this problem? Again, thanks for all the help.