Terrot MT1 Motorcycle restoration project

[911hillclimber]

Well, I bought this bike because the Honda and the Lambretta were easy restorations and I wanted a challenge.

Well, I have one.

Magneto back in and I have sparks as long as you give the kick-start a good hard shove down, so this is progress.
Set the points to 0.4mm and the piston to 3mm BTDC. There is no degrees for this bike, just the piston set at 3mm down the bore before TDC....simple?
Set the flywheel to the crank, the magnetic pull is very apparent now.

Tightened it all up, fuel in the carb and nothing.
Re-set the lot a further 5 times and nothing as nothing had changed!

Plug is bone dry after all this kick starting game so no fuel can be getting in.

Take the carb off and kick the engine over with plug out and you can feel sucks and blows out of the plug head and sucks from the inlet manifold so I am presuming I have primary compression.
The piston is in the engine the correct way round so the ports must be matching.

Nothing. There are all of 3 holes in the carb, all clear and link up.
All jets are clear.

But nothing.
Really naffed off with this bloody bike, and the next door has just had a skip delivered and I've been eying it up.

[smallspeed]

Hahaha! Please don't do that - it's such a lovely bike
Have you tried a can of easy start to see if it will catch? Assume that would rule everything but fuel 100%
Are there any vacuum connections in/to the carb that are preventing fuel?
Is the piston you made for the carb still free to move?
Not really sure on the carb function but could you blow air through it with an airline and check its drawing fuel?
I know some of these old bikes can be a bear to start at times..

[barryb]

Hi

When you get it running well I spotted this long range tank if you intend to go touring on the continent. One tankful should do you to Italy and back.



Barry

[911hillclimber]

Same tank as mine but shiny!
The carb is really basic.
All parts are smooth to open and close, all drilling so are clear, as are all jets. The needle is centralising and fuel is reaching the main jet from the bowl.
Thought Easy Start was no more, will see if Halfords sell it as it just might do the trick.
The plug is bone dry and that means the mixture is too weak or not getting from the crank case to the chamber.

[smallspeed]

Yeah you can still get it - can't remember where I got mine from but either there or some random motorfactors.. might be once it gets going it will start drawing and go, even if it doesn't it confirms everything else is ok

[C3s]

It's been re-named 'cold start'! Had me fooled for a while

[911hillclimber]

I have a wonderful 'old skool' car parts shop in the village, he'll have some I bet.
Frustrating to say the least.
I had a really difficult time with the Honda's carbs too! Ran on one cylinder all the time, but got it sorted in the end, all down to balancing the twin carbs.
Lambretta fired first kick. Never did that in 1967 and that's for sure.

[KS]

My Monet & Goyon suffered the same symptoms - cleaned out carb, coughed but wouldn't run. Ton of E-Z-Start, fired and kept running. Always started after that BUT a big problem with these early Villiers-based engines is that the kickstart doesn't spin the engine over enough. Many people 'paddle' them along with their feet and start them that way. The new owner of mine reported that he does that and it starts right up every time... Do you have a handy downhill slope you can try it on?

[911hillclimber]

You are dead right.
When I re-fitted the re-magnetised magneto I turned the engine by hand via the kick start lever. no spark.

Tried much harder and a series of fat blue sparks followed!
Got a fresh can of Easy Start (as the shop man called it, told you he was old skool)
Need to put the carb back on etc and try it.
No slopes or hills around here, so will be hard work....

[911hillclimber]

Easy start did nothing, nothing at all.
I decided that there is not enough compression as I have petrol/easy Start concoction, I have sparks so the missing bit is compression.

Took the head off and added Blue Hermitite to the copper ring gasket, made no difference when re-assembled.
Going deeper, put a latex glove on the inlet and exhaust using cable ties for a seal.
Put a foot pump into the spark plug hole with an adaptor, placed the crank at TDC so all the case ports are closed and managed to blow the inlet glove up like a balloon.
Exhaust stayed deflated.

THUS, air is leaking through the piston rings, to the case and trying to pass out of the inlet, hence the glove pumping up!
Time to remove the cylinder the rings and check the ring gap.
Because this is a 2 stroke, there is a pin in the piston to stop the ring rotating round where the open end would go into the transfer passage with instant seize-up of the engine. The gap less the pin diameter will equal the 'normal' ring gap.
Tomorrow could be a hunt for fresh rings which I think are available.

[911hillclimber]

double post!

[smallspeed]

Progress! Not necessarily what you wanted but in the right direction

[911hillclimber]

Found someone in nearby Telford who might help and a company inFrance who certainly can, rings for 7 euro each!

[Ashley James]

Thorntons in Shrewsbury are I believe the oldest engine parts suppliers in the country. They have everything and are most helpful.

[911hillclimber]

Indeed, they are now in Telford, quite a company.
I am now waiting to hear what they can do.
Plan B is to buy a pair from chambrier in France.