Changing bits

So on with replacing bits.

First up - the clutch plates.  No problems (ive had the clutch apart before when I first got the scoot so I was cool with this)

Next up - Stripping the secondary shaft in order to replace the gear-change cruciform (aka 'spider' though im not quite sure how a 4 legged cross resembles a spider).  Without even looking at it, Dan had recommended changing this while the engine was at this level of overhaul.  And he was right, the original cruciform was quite heavily worn which can cause gear-change slips.  Apparently the cruciform is made from a relatively soft metal and is in essence sacrificial in order to protect the gears from damage

And then I sort of titted about for a while - cleaning this bit and polishing that bit.  I was avoiding the decision to change the main bearing.  Ive read all sorts of recommendations for changing this bearing, and Ive read all sorts of warnings about getting it wrong so I was a little anxious.  However in the end you simply cant tit about all day, and so I went for it..... and it was a piece of cake :-)
I didn't get to photograph this process as due to all the fretting, So, to any other PX main bearing virgins, heres what I suggest you do...

1. Get everything nice and clean and dry
2. Get a comfy, clean and clear working space, and set up some blocks of wood to hold the engine case level and solid for when it comes to bashing the bearing - I happened to have a few pieces of 2-3" dia bits of tube which I used for bracing the case to hammer against - I used these, but in retrospect I think I could have done the job without these
3. Remove the retaining circlip - this was the biggest hassle for me. My circlip pliers were up to their max on this one, but with a fair amount of persistence, i got it out without pinging it across the garage
4. With a hand held calor gas flame (the sort you use for paint stripping) i warmed the engine case around the bearing.  Just like the bloke does in the youtube video I posted earlier).  I reckon I played the flame around the area for 4 to 5 minutes trying to warm it up evenly.  I wasnt sure how hot to get it, but didnt want to over do it.  I took it to the point where the aluminum engine case was too hot to touch with bear fingers.
5.  Turn the engine case over and onto the wooden blocks you set out earlier and get ready to knock the bearing out - I used a 2" square block of hard wood as a drift.  Using a regular hammer, I knocked the bearing out - i reckon that I hammered no harder than I would knock at a front door - ie - this is not 'belting it out', or 'whacking it out' - this is 'tapping it out'
It came out without any fuss..... so why not pop the new bearing in while the casing is still hot and expanded?
6.  I cleaned the bearing housing out, and squirted a good load of engine oil around the place
7.  I DIDNT chill the new bearing like the bloke does in that youtube video, i didnt even put it in the fridge (which I had considered).  I simply offered the new bearing up, and pressed it as far as I could, then with a block of wood as a drift again I TAPPED it home - Dan had warned me of not knocking too hard as some people have been known to knock the case lugs off the back of the bearing housing
8.  Put the circlip back - and watch your eyes, as it spitted oil at me when it snapped back into place!

And that is it!  Simple!  slosh in some engine oil, tap in the oil seal - job done!
I was delighted, and celebrated by decarbing the piston, barrel and head

Buying bits for engine rebuild

top = 200cc,   below = 125cc

I took a lunch break today and went over to see the chaps at Gransport.  As requested I took a box of engine bits with me for them to have a look at and advise me.

Dan is a lovely chap.  Head to toe in oil, so clearly a hands on man, and I immediately liked his style - he was interested, knowledgeable and happy to teach me some tips and tricks.
My first surprise was when Dan simply said
   "Thats not a 125.  Thats a 200!"
And to prove it he went and fetched a 125cc piston to compare mine to.  As can be seen from the photo, mine clearly is not a 125cc engine.  Now that presents me with a bit of a predicament, because in order to ride anything larger than a 125, i have to have a full motorcycle licence.  Dan asked if my log book said it was a 125cc.  It does.
"Happy days!" says Dan.  And I take that as ...... well..... "Happy days!" ;-)


The next surprise is that Dan says my crank, bearings, piston, and rings are ok! they dont need replacing! He says the barrel, engine cases and port surfaces are "mint" and the gears look OK too.

While Ive got the engine to this level, he suggested (and I went with him on this) replacing;
- Main bearing and oil seal (this is the seal that had no alternative)
- Output shaft oil seal
- Clutch plates
- Gear selector crusiform
- Kickstart gear (that was a little worn)
- Gasket set (obviously)
- Input shaft (this is the knackered one) and nut/tab washer - he had to order that bit for me - have a guess how much?
- and while we are at it why not a good quality gearbox oil

I was worried about the worn rivets on the primary drive gear, but with the tuned ear of a Vespa expert Dan gave the assembly a good shaking - no rattling - and therefore declared it as 'mint' (apparently the shock absorbing springs inside the assembly can go, and you will know this by the rattle)

All in all then, a lovely hour of discovery with Dan, and a grand total bill of £119.
I left with some sound tips on how to remove and replace the main bearing, and a big smile on my face.  Shame that I cant do any work on this now for a whole week.

Whats the damage?

With the crank out, it was now a simple case of knocking the output shaft out and dropping the input shaft out.  I havent yet taken the gears of the shafts, but with the engine case now clear of gears and crank, I could at last inspect.  Heres what I found

1. Yup thats a split main bearing oil seal! no wonder it was burning gear oil.  I cant tell the condition of the bearing, but im going to replace it anyway.  You can see some scoring on the engine case and matching side of the crank - not sure whats caused that, and is it problem?

2. The sheared retaining thread on the input shaft is quite obvious now and the subsequent drift of the input gears has scored the engine case and damaged the rivets of the primary gear - I await to hear what Gransport think of this. I am intregued by the woodruff keyway on the input shaft - there was no matching keyway or key anywhere to be found!

I havent looked at the gear selector yet - they say this can be pretty worn sometimes, but all in all, not a major fail I dont think.

Next step, box it all up and see what the experts think

Crank shaft removal tool

I still wasnt comfortable with just whacking the crankshaft out - its not so much the distortion on the crank that worried me, but the stresses on the aluminum engine housing.
Haynes manual says;
"When removing the crankshaft from the left-hand crankcase half, it must be borne in mind that the crankshaft is a pressed up assembly and can be distorted if the ends are struck.  The official method of removal is to use a special tool. Part Number T.0038886 consisting of a thick steel plate which bolts to the three clutch over threads, with an extractor bolt at its center.  The ingenious and well equipped owner may be able to fabricate a suitable version of this tool, but failing this another method must be found"
Well, that sounded like a challenge to an ingenious and well equipped man, and within the hour, my version of the tool was in place and gently pressing the crankshaft out.  Genius :-)
The tool is now up for sale to any would-be vespa mechanics wary of the 'whack-it-out' technique - £500 ono

This is a 'budget project' - please take note.

I had to drop eldest daughter in town this morning, and it seemed like a good excuse to pop into Gransport seeings as I was passing their door.  I thought I would tap him up for some advice on how to get this crankshaft out without creating any damage.
I am warming to Gransport - my first couple of dealings with them have left me a little cold - as if I wasnt part of their special club (I guess I wasnt much of thier club when all I was buying were bits of fuel pipe and rubber grommets)  But today, they appeared to have much more time for me and my questions - maybe Ive misjudged them, and I'm glad that I was wrong because I have a suspicion Im going to be seeing a lot of them over the next couple of weeks.
I asked about the safe removal of this crankshaft from the main bearing which is still stuck in the engine casing.  Ive read many different reports on how to do it, and how to bugger it up by doing it wrong.  Gransports reply was to hit it! With 'engineering skills', hit it.  There is an indentation on the shaft and a punch lined up with this will keep it central and minimise any damage to the thread.
I asked if I could bring in my box of bits for them to assess, and they were very up for that and warned me that while the engine is open like this it is false ecconomy to not replace bits that you think you can get away with.  He went on to say "You would be better off spending your £500 now than have to keep dropping the engine out and replacing more damaged bits"
500 quid!  500 quid!!  Oh my gosh I hope its not going to come to that.
I will take him up on his offer to look over my parts once they are all out, and take advantage of his prior experience - but he has got to understand - this is a 'budget project'

One Job a Day

A retired neighbour told me the other day that you know when you are getting old when you are content with doing "one job a day" - he was talking about; going to the post-office, washing the car, phoning the doctor etc, but this made me think about this scooter.
Just recently Ive been trying to get lots of things crammed into my day and it would be very easy to simply let the scooter drop off my list of things to do - and so Ive been trying very hard to get an hour or maybe two in each day to keep progress - and the way ive been working is to have a plan for "one job a day" - i usually work out what the next step is while I am in bed each night
So bit by bit - in baby steps, I manage to keep the momentum - Even today when Ive got a lousy cold and would much rather be indoors watching black and white film with a cup of lemsip - I just know though that if i were to not press on, i would kick myself when Im well again for not keeping the pace up, even if it is just one job a day.

Splitting the engine

My Flywheel extractor tool arrived today, so after a successful morning in the office, i took a lunch break to see how it worked - it worked a treat! so why not strip a few more bits and split the engine case?

note the sheared thread on the input shaft in bottom right corner!

Im not sure if I was pleased or disappointed to NOT see anything disastrous inside, there are a few signs of wear but not terrible.  My hopes and curiosity were raised..... until I noticed that the input shaft seems to have at least an 1/8 inch of back and forth play in it, meaning the big gear (Im sure I will learn the names of these eventually) that is driven by the clutch is slopping back and forth - and there is signs of wear :-)

Turns out on closer inspection the input shaft pin has been buggered - the locking nut and thread has been smashed off! - and by the look of the sheared thread surface, its been like this for some time.  So certainly a new shaft is going to be required. Maybe new gears?? I hope not.

My next focus for problem solving is how to get that bloody crankshaft out of the clutchside bearing.  Haynes and many others say not to wack it out.... but some forums are suggesting it would work.  I might have to make up a tool to press it out against the clutch cover studs...... but then how do i get the bearing out?





I rather liked this chaps approach to bearing fitting (I wonder if it works for bearing extraction?) .....



I am sure the clutch side oil seal is gone but i cant see this until i get that bloody crankshaft out of the way.  A job for tomorrow now maybe

First sight of inside

I had to look as soon as possible.

So off with the head and barrel

 Well it doesnt look too carbonised, but I was surprised by the amount of oil that ran out of the barrel! Clearly all that gearbox oil is finding a easy route out of where its supposed to be.

The barrel doesn't seem to be too badly scored - but im not sure what a healthy piston should look like - the rings look good, but the aluminum piston itself certainly shows signs of scoring

Unfortunately I couldn't get the piston off tonight as I dont have the right circlip pliers (but ive since bought a pair off ebay - £5)  There is yards of lateral movement in the big end and small end (is that supposed to happen?), but I cant at this stage sense any bearing wear.

Im convinced the crankshaft bearings are shot (seals certainly are) as there seems to be some movement in at the flywheel - further inspection will reveal.  Ive got a £6 flywheel extractor on its way to me, but Im not sure if I should buy some bearing extractors or get Gransport to do them for me

So not being able to get the piston out or flywheel off tonight, i stripped and cleaned the carb box and oil pump (thats a jolly clever little device)

Heres a very useful site for anyone stripping a Vespa engine
http://www.vespamaintenance.com/engine/teardown/index.html

Phase 2 begins

In the garage at 7am. 
Engine out and on the bench by 8am.
In the office to start work by 8.30 am.

Phase 2 begins.
It occurs to me that regardless of how nice (or not) my welding is, how neatly ive fitted the floor runners, or how well ive chosen the colour scheme - this bike is rubbish if it cant run properly - and by properly, i mean smoothly and reliably.  I am sure i could get it to run around town as it is now, but it would be rubbish - and so Ive decided I'm going to strip the engine and overhaul it.
With the engine on my makeshift engine bench, i dont see this being a major hassle (major cost? not sure yet)

Having read through the Haynes manual chapter on engine overhaul, they suggest that big-ends and cranks need to be done by a specialist with presses and special tools, and so Ive just phoned GranSport scooters to enquire.
His first question to me was "why are you rebuilding the crankshaft and not buying a new one?"
My first thought was "this could mean one of 3 things"
1. A sign of the throw away times we live in? I cant believe that piaggio himself would have created a component to be expendable - in fact I am rather surprised that the big-end and crankshaft cant be serviced by the average Italian waiter on his way to work on the side of the road with nothing more than 3 spanners and a hammer.
2. Maybe Gransport are just a boutique, interested in only in selling chrome mirror bars and stickers.
3. Maybe he is genuinely giving me some sound advice based on his experience and simple economics.
I pressed him further to explain his first question.  He told me that his 'engineer' charges about 60 quid to do the labour of splitting the crank and pressing it back again with a new big-end bearing (that sounds reasonable - 2 hours work?) but I would also have to buy the bearing and maybe con-rod - could be about 40 quid (Im not sure why he doesnt know these prices exactly).  However a brand new crankshaft and conrod will cost about the same at £100ish.
He suggested I got the engine apart, brought the crankshaft into them to have a look at and then work out what to do from there.
So I am getting my head into gear now to spend another £100 plus another £100? for seals, gaskets, rings? etc? - lets call it another £250.  A lot of money.  But not a bank-breaker and it would at least give me a complete and reliable scooter.  I shall let that number linger in my mind, so that it wont be so painful when I have to pay it out.
My plan now is it do an hour before breakfast and an hour after tea each day - shouldn't take me too long i don't suppose

A 3 foot bike

Yup Hugh you are right, from 3 feet away, it doesnt look too bad - as long as you are either deaf or you are looking at it parked up and not running

Im rather liking the old english white now - it kind of works with the pale blue and chromey bits

Really want to get that engine out now

And then what?

Its Saturday, the sun is shining and Ive got nothing other to do until 6:00pm tonight.  Today is MY day.  My day in the garage :-)
Most bits are now fitted to the scooter, so after soldering up the wires that I had to cut in order to strip the rear side panels,  I titted around with various nothing bits until I had to face it; Im going to have to see if it starts.

Ive moaned already about the size of my garage, so I wont do it again now but suffice to say, there was no way I could even kick start the thing in the space that I'd built myself into and so I resolved to tidy the garage up.  Everything came out - including the Trike on its jig (yes! you remember the Trike? its still there and not forgotten).  I managed to throw some junk out (including the old rusted floor that I so wanted to keep for posterity until Hugh woke me up and I realised 'Why?') and at last I had some clear working space and access in and out of the front garage door - which I am going to need if Im going to use this scooter as a regular mode of transport

Again, I managed to find lots of fiddly bits to do to distract me from actually kicking it over - why was I avoiding this?  Finally however, i could delay no longer.  I checked the spark - yes, a good one, Fuel tap to "Aperto", Ignition on,  Kick - 1, 2, 3 - She Started!
I was delighted that she started so easily - all electrics seem to be ok - fantastic :-D
....... ooh hang on!....

....What the hell is all that noise? I drove it round in a circle outside the house - the clutch and gears seem to be ok (though there is still some fine cable adjustment to be done), but it sounds terrible.  A real clunking / clattering sound from the engine, and its blowing white smoke.  I remember it blowing smoke when I first started it a few months ago, but i dont remember the clattering.  I have to guess that the auto oil lubrication is working ok, but I thought I would check the gear oil (even though the noise isnt a gearbox noise).  Now, Ive never checked the gearbox oil - there was no need really until now - and I was surprised at how empty it was - 3/4 pint?
I started her up again - OMGosh - white smoke everywhere, and still clattering.
I switched off, tidied up and came in doors to write this blog.  I think this is my way of walking away from the problem to 'incubate' on it.
Clearly there is a big difference between "Starting" and "Running".  And a big difference between "Running" and "Running well"

So this is where I am at - Scooter is pretty well complete now - why Ive even fitted the mirrors and twist grips!  But it clearly isnt a runner.  My first guess is the crankshaft is, well, 'shafted'.  Im guessing the seals are gone and this is where all the gearbox oil has disappeared to - out through the exhaust in the form of thick white smoke.  And so I am starting to accept, that maybe this project isnt quite over yet - i can see an engine rebuild coming on.

Bit by Bit

An hour here and an hour there.  A moment before breakfast and a spell after supper.  Bit by bit ive been putting this scooter back together again, and all the while I keep saying to myself "I reckon if i had  full day on this I could get this finished"
I have to say, Ive rather enjoyed it like this.  As much as I want to get the thing finished, its been nice to have a gentle and regular run at it.  I imagine it must be a bit like doing a 2000 piece jigsaw on your dining room table - you want to get it done and out of the way, but it can only be done a bit at a time inbetween everything else thats going on.
Everything has been pretty straight forward really - as you would expect I guess - everything came off the bike so there is no reason why it shouldnt go back.
I decided not to check every wiring connection for continuity - this might come back to haunt me, but I just couldnt face it and really wanted to press on.

Ive fitted new floor board runners, and that was a bit of a pig.  The kit comes with some roughly bent aluminum extrusions, a length of rubber insert and a bag of odd rivets.  I couldnt work out what to do with the rivets provided, so improvised by using 3mm dia x 9mm long pop-rivets to hold the runner endcaps down, and a bunch of 2BA screws and nuts for the fixings in between.  It seems to have worked, but this is clearly not an efficient production method.

I was leaving the legshield trim to pretty much the end, as i thought this would be a simple cosmetic clip-on.  Turns out, it was a bitch of a job.  I had to resort to internet forums to see how others had done it.  There are a variety of ways but in the end i opted for 1. lashings of waxoyl to encourage the trim to slip on,  2. two bits of shaped plastic to help open the trim over the leg-shield edge,  3.  Remove the tool box.  I didnt want to do this, it feels like going backwards, but its only 4 nuts and it did give me some much needed access, and 4. work two inches at a time - this was a top tip on one of the forums - and i agree, focus on the now,  and not the flying end that is clearly out of control and wanging around all over your newly painted mudguard.

So have i fitted everything now?  my box of bits only seems to have some badges and a pair of new handle-bar grips (im leaving these till the very last moment - fitting these will feel like the launching of the Queen Mary).
..... hmm, I wonder if I tightened up all those nuts properly?

Christening the Scooter

I rather like the idea of projects having names - I like the way scooters often have their names and associated graphics airbrushed down the side or across the leg-shield.  And I like the way these names can become metaphorical themes around which magazine articles hang their whole story on.
And so Ive been wondering about the name for my own scooter.
I have been clear in my own mind that this project has not been a 'restoration' - that term tends to suggest work to bring something back to its former/original glory - and this scooter is a way off original condition.
But I have certainly breathed new life into an otherwise dead and written off machine.  And for that reason, Ive been talking about it in terms of "Resurrection" and "Resuscitation" (Ive avoided "Renovation" as that was a former project of mine)  The Jury is still out on what best fits this project.
However, another option for a name came up the other day when Hugh popped in to give some encouragement and quality check the friction of the throttle twist.  I was making excuses and generally squirming about the poor panel-beating finish of the leg-sheild (actually i dont know why i feel the need to make excuses as I am very comfortable with it - I guess I dont want people to think that this is the limit of my skill and craftmanship) - anyway he was very kind about the whole thing and called it a "3-foot bike".  I'd never heard the expression before - but it means that its a bike that looks great from 3 feet away!  I rather liked this - and so I'm wondering if i should simply call the bike "3-feet"

Is it all worth it?

Im a big fan of Google, but it does spook me out a bit when I get adverts at the top of my computer screen that speak to me directly, regardless of what I might be doing on the screen at that time.
I haven't done anything 'scooter' today, but nevertheless, a ticker tape ad across the top of my screen caught my attention;

£549 Road Scooter - www.scooter.co.uk - UK's No.1 Selling Scooter - Free Top Box & Screen - 1yrs Warranty

Blimey, I thought.  Thats a brand new scooter for at least 100 quid less than Ive spent on my rebuild!
Is it all really worth it?

Colour-ways

Hmmm,  Im not happy about the old english white that I chose for the plastic parts.  It just looks too insipid alongside the pale blue.
I think it needs something a lot more bold.
Im thinking Orange; though my family think that sounds horrid and have suggested brown - so I shall make my decision when I get to Halfords at the weekend


purple?

or maybe i should try to find the same colour as the frame (BS116C33) and make it all pale blue? 

Budget up date

Ive been keeping a running list of 'bits to buy', waiting for the last moment to actually go and actually buy them.  However, as I progress with the rebuild I find that I cant actually complete assembling any particular area fully as I'm missing a part here and a bit there.  Everything seems to be dependent on each other, and without all the bits to hand I cant make a logical or efficient progress.  For instance, Ive been dancing around finishing off the petrol tank area because I need to lay in the foot brake wiring, but I cant do that until Ive got a new return spring for the foot brake.
And so I eventually had to bite the bullet and order my list of items.
Once again I turned to the ever helpful Kevin Stannard at K and S Scooters in Derby .

1x  foot-brake spring (the one thats in the foot pedal assembly) - £1
1x  Stand spring - £3
1x  Leg shield edge trim (for sake of budget - probably not stainless) - £12
1x  Rear nearside indicator housing (not the orange lens - mine is ok - but the rest of it) - £10
1x  Vespa badge (for the front of the leg shield ) - £5 
1x  Rear bumper. - £12
1x  Pair of handle bar grips (I prefer simple black rubber ones) - £7
1x  Pair of side panel rubber trims (black) - £8
1x pair mirrors (standard handlebar mount.  chrome round?) - £50
1 x gearchange cable adjuster thread and nut - £1
All in all, with postage - £124.

So that brings my Grand total now to - £659.  Bloody hell - thats a lot more than I thought!  and a lot more than I was intending to spend.  And we have to remind ourselves here that Ive been doing this to a tight budget i.e. no frills, no replacement of parts that can be salvaged, and do all the work myself (though I guess the £320 powder coating might have reduced a little if I'd hand sprayed the frame myself?)