Motorcycle Discussions > European and Other Bikes

Terrot MT 1, 100cc 2 stroke: non-starter!

(1/95) > >>

Terrotmt1:
Hello, I am at the near end of my restoration of my 1950 Terrot MT1, very much the French equivalent of a BSA Bantam.
single 2 stoke, all stripped, new rings, super clean carb and re-magnetised magneto. Fat blue sparks when you turn it over by hand on the kick start.

Should start?
Not a chance. Fresh fuel etc but absolutely nothing.
The plug has never got wet while I have tried and tried to get it going. I've tried Easy Start too, nothing. All the passages in the barrel are clear as is the lower crank case, head gasket it tight.
I've tried different timing positions, the French say 5mm piston Down from TDC, I've tried this and 2mm, nothing. Points gap is 0.4mm.

The fuel level is exactly to the top of the vertical main jet that the tapered needle goes into, the carb is an AMAL/AMAK and every hole (there are not many) is clear.

I am at a loss what to do try next, but the skip next door is tempting....
What am I missing here?

Hope somebody can help. The people on the Terrot.org site are not very forth-coming.
Thanks, Graham.

33d6:
Two things.
First. the initial start of a two stroke after an engine rebuild can be a right stinker. No problems after that first start but that first start can drive you nuts. Don't ask me why. I've been known to use a large socket mounted in a big drill to spin an engine over at warp speed in this situation. It worked.

Second, the dry plug is telling you something. It doesn't matter what you say you've done if the plug is dry then no mixture is getting through the engine up to it. What does it have in the way of crankcase seals? Some rely on the presence of a lot of oil to work efficiently.

Many two strokes need a good flooding for the initial cold start but not once they're warm. Yours sounds as if it may fall in this category.
Cheers,

Terrotmt1:
Thank you very much for your reply. Another has said the first start is 'irritating'...
The engine has 2 seals, felt, in steel carriers. There are no spared for these engines, so I put them back, but just how effective they are....
The dry plug is a real signal as you say, and it seems to refuse to send a charge to the chamber.

I will see just how leaking the case is today. I'll hold the crank at 1/2 stroke which I think will have the inlet port exposed, the exhaust masked by the piston and with an foot pump pressurise the chamber and listen.

I had already thought of using a power drill to wind it up, but not sure if I could get the 16mm socket off the crank/flywheel nut fast enough if it fired.


If I have to I'll pull the whole engine apart and fit modern sealed brgs as a last attempt.
One seal is shown (# 33457) but the magneto side seal is missing off this diagram (it is the factory drg)

http://terrot.club.pyreneen.free.fr/basse_resol/pieces-detachees/100/mt1/pd6-22.jpg

murdo:
Looks nice job.
I have used the 'big drill' and socket many times on a Villiers engine. The socket will usually just fall off when the engine starts, if not stop engine and try again.

Terrotmt1:
Thanks, it is a nice bike and I chose it to have a bit of a challenge after the easy-but-expensive Lambretta and the similarly ££££ Honda CB 175.
I was hope for this start-up to be easy!

Getting info on this bike is hard work, even the French Terrot site is lacking in response as these bikes I think were not popular in their day. Parts are even harder, no gasket sets etc let alone more intricate parts, like crank shaft seals!

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page