DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

[Rp0thejester]

Colgate, Sensodine, AquaFresh or smokers toothpaste for the grit?

[PaulC5]

Use whatever toothpaste you have in the bathroom. The calcium phosphate in it is a mild grinding paste. Just try on a small bit to see how it works (or not).

[Rp0thejester]

Oh okay, hopefully good weather tomorrow I'll give it ago.

[CitroJim]

Mick, I've chatted to you about this before....you don't get paid enough to look after Jim

He's doing a fine job so far Ryan

As for headlights, as a quick MoT fix, use a bit of Brasso wadding...

[myglaren]

I tried all sorts, including Autosol, that usually works well, on my C5. Got nowhere then realised it was on the insides of the lenses, looked a bit like some fungal growth.
Bought a pair of second hand headlights that fixed it.

[Stickyfinger]

"Mostly" it is the "protective coating/clear coat" that is applied to the light cover/lens that has reached its life-end. This needs to be polished off then another clear coating of a suitable UV resistance applied.
IF this UV resistant top coat is not reapplied then the pressure formed plastic lens will start to micro-crack as the material will start to fail (polymer cross linking starts to fracture under UV attack)

https://morelli.co.uk/products/clear-1- ... clear-coat

[Paul-R]

Flip, they're not shy with the price, are they?

[Rp0thejester]

I'm going to ask this question here as I'm pretty sure I'm the youngest person on this thread and YOU LOT will definitely know the answer. Does a 2 stroke moped have a fuel pump or is it gravity fed??

[mickthemaverick]

All the ones I have ever seen were gravity fed.

[Rp0thejester]

I'm asking as my son's friend brought his moped round because it wouldn't start, dead battery now on charge. It doesn't feel right to me though, for instance, there is an oil tank next to the petrol filler and the fuel line has a manual cut off switch running from the tank to the engine. He's been told to put the oil into the fuel tank not the oil tank, and to manually cut the fuel off when not in use.

[mickthemaverick]

Yes right to turn off the tap when not in use to prevent the carb overflowing. I assume the oil tank is a 2 stroke oil tank which would have been used to make up the mix but I'm not sure how that was achieved. It may have been superceded by simply premixing the oil and petrol in the tank at the right ratio. I used to run 50:1 in my Lambretta which was meant to run on 4% lub (25:1) but I found a bit more umph using less oil!!

[PaulC5]

In the 1970s I had a 2 stroke Casal moped that was a pig to start so used to run it down a hill and bump start it. It also left oil stains underneath. It was a long time before I found out the tap below the petrol tank did not fully turn off the fuel when it was not in use so the carb was flooded. A new tap sorted it and starting then was easy. The oil was put in to the tank before I put petrol in. I later had a 4 stroke Honda, a lot quieter. Neither bike had a fuel pump, just gravity flow. Another time the Casal stopped running and it turned out the carb jet was blocked. Sometimes it helps to empty the fuel tank to remove any water that can collect at the bottom.

[Rp0thejester]

That is what's puzzling me, it's not an old moped. Someone has done work to it. It's a modern body but the engine just doesn't look right. Like having a separate oil filler cap next to the unleaded filler cap yet being told to mix it yourself before putting it in. I've leant him my battery charger so tomorrow I will get photos once I fit the battery for him.

[moizeau]

The 2 stroke oil pump has probably packed up or there's a leak so they've gone to a premix method. Not a problem if the correct ratios are observed. With mixing the fuel the biggest issue with many people is adding too much oil. They think it will help but it doesn't, it just makes the mix less combustible and fouls the plug.

[Rp0thejester]

Well it turns out the engine has been swapped out for a 70cc, I knew something wasn't right. The oil tank is still for a 50cc so not supplying enough hence the pre mix.