81 Spitfire 340 Kawi Won't Start This Year

[bdreese27]

I've got an 81 Spitfire than ran great last season and now I can't get it to start at all. Over the summer I did pull the engine to degrease it and clean out the bellypan. I did not disassemble it at all, just pulled the whole thing. Now that I have reistalled it I can not get it to run. I know it is getting fuel and does have spark, but I can't get it to run. It sometimes will pop the first time I pull it, but then after that there is nothing. Any ideas?

[jdrob]

First off start with the carb. Remove,disassemble,clean throughorly re-assemble and hook back up. While you have it off check the rubber boot it fits into. Remove it from the intake and inspect it closely for dry cracks,holes, etc. Secondly check for compression in each cyl. you should have at least 120 psi in each cylinder. If the problem is still there,pull the primary duster clutch off of the crank shaft and inspect the crank seal. If that seal checks out ok remove the recoil,flywheel to get into the stator plate. remove both screws from stator plate and inspect the seal behind it for the same damage as mentioned before. Now after re-assembly and still no luck. Well re-post after these steps are finished. Then we can guide you from there. If the engine has never been torn down before,I would suggest you remove engine and tear it down for replacing all the gaskets and seals. http://www.newbreedparts.com will assist you in a gasket kit and 3 bond for re-sealing the case halves. Also here is a link for the dis-assembly and re-assembly process. http://vintagesnow.com/John_Deere_files ... July79.pdf
it covers all of your needs,torque specs,timing marks,etc.... it walks you through everything step- by-step. Good Luck let us know how things work out for you.
A couple other steps you may consider checking before you tear it down is your carb settings and choke setting. Good luck.

[jdrob]

1 more thing I forgot to mention. Make sure that your muffler/exhaust system is not obstructed. Mice,chipmunks,and squirrels can be the death of a 2 stroke.

[bdreese27]

Thanks, I'll start simple again and tear down the carb and clean it out. I'll check the carb boot out as well. I had the pipe and muffler off over the summer and repainted it, I looked it over pretty good I thought but I don't need to take any short cuts.

[bdreese27]

I took the carb apart and cleaned it all out and put it back together, carb boot looks good, exhaust is not plugged, did a pressure test on the crankcase according to the Spitfire tech manual and checked out fine, I have not checked compression yet, I ordered a tester and haven't received it yet. When I got it back together it fired up the first pull. I ran it for about 5 minutes and then shut it off and it would not restart. I have found that if it sits for few hours, it will pop on the first pull, but if it doesn't start right away, it won't even pop unless I let it sit for a while again.

[bdreese27]

I also cleaned the gound to the chassis on the voltage regulator and cleaned all my electrical connections with electrical contact cleaner.

[jdrob]

Ok are you still getting good spark after it shuts down ? Also fuel ? what color are the plugs ? Not sure exactly what is wrong. It could be an electrical issue dealing with heat. Or it could be a fuel issue dealing with vapor lock,choke plunger setting,impulse line failure. Is the pick-up line in your tank good/new and the check valve. Also did you re-build the fuel pump with a new diaphram?

[JDT]

If it has lost spark after warm up I would put a new CDI box on it.

[bdreese27]

I need to check spark after shut down. It is still getting fuel and it has new BR8ES plugs gapped at .025". The choke plunger has seemed odd to me, if I pull it all the way out, it pulls back in an 1/8" or so and the cable doesn't seem to fit quite right. It has new fuel line and impulse line but there are no clamps on it so maybe it is leaking pressure. The fuel pickup in the tank is clean and I did replace the diaphram in the fuel pump.

This doesn't have an external CDI box on it.

Is it possible the coil gets hot and shorts out or something? What coil fits this? I was looking on newbreedparts.com and can't find one for the Kawi Spitfires. Is it the same as in the Trailfires?

[markzrt1]

My '82 Trailfire 340 is doing the same thing. If you let it sit a day or two it will pop off a little bit and then forget about starting it after that. I suspect it is flooding out. I will dig into it more.

[bdreese27]

You might be on to something there... This morning my Spitfire was dripping gas on the floor.. So it might be something in the carb after all.

[bdreese27]

Well the carb wasn't dripping at all. It was my fuel line from tank to pump that is just a little loose and dripping at the pump. There aren't any clamps on it so I guess its time to get some. Maybe that's what is causing all my problems.... I can only hope.

[jdrob]

Clamps are a wonderful thing. Same scenario here left off the clamps on her lines and it sucked enough air to shut her off every time. let us know how you make out? Make sure if your using yellow tygon that its tight, tight, tight. I was hell bent on using this line but no I have witnessed it no being "stay on" friendly I may change to a different type.

[bdreese27]

So now I have added clamps and replaced the fuel pump and it still seems to have the same issue. It will start on the first or second pull but if I shut it off it won't start until it sits for a little while. I have noticed that there is "something" fuel or exhaust in my impulse line for the first inch right out of the block while the sled is running. Is that normal? It seems odd to me. I also know that I am getting fuel because it will drip out of my exhaust manifold where it attaches to the pipe.

I am now planning on tearing down the engine and replacing the gaskets and seals, but where can I find a fly wheel holder and clutch holder to loosen the nuts?

[JDT]

Matt's store, New Breed Parts, will have the tools, seals and gasket kit you need.