Starting Problems - MZ ETZ 125

[Two stroke addict]

Hello to you all! I hate to start with a problem, but I'm at my wits end..

I've owned MZ's for a number of years off and on, (I passed my original part one test on a TS 125 a loooong time ago )
After a break for kids and large family estates, I decided that the time was right for me to renew my addiction with these machines.

With a little hunting I managed to acquire two old ETZ's - one has been stood for lord knows how long so will probably become a parts doner, it is the second one which is causing me the headaches. When I went to buy it spares or repair, I wasn't expecting much, but the owner wheeled it out and after a couple of kicks there it was running perfectly. Great I thought, get this home, bang on an MOT and we're away.... not quite. I work shifts so it was a couple of weeks until I managed to have a closer look at the bike. Everything is there and appears to work, except for now it refuses to start. Unfazed I put some charge into the battery, checked the condition of the plug and added some new fuel... still nothing.

Here's what I know;
The lights all work brightly so the battery is good.
The fuel is fresh.
There is a spark at the plug.
It doesn't seem to be an air problem as I have tried with and without the air filter.

Is it time to ditch my plans and get a four stroke?? I need something reliable for work and at the moment am obviously quite disheartened.

Come on experts, what am I missing?

Many thanks
Pete

[djsbriscoe]

Hi,
I started learning on a 125cc engined TS150 in the 1990's, cost me £50 and I really enjoyed cleaning it up.
First thing I'd do is take the carb off and give it a good clean, some gum or grit could have been disturbed when it was started and blocked some of the carb internals.
Do that first and let us know what happens.

David.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

both Davids agree carb needs a clean and while its off give engine a small squirt of petrol
and give it a few kicks and see if it fires if it does the carb is where to look
i know my 4 cycle rt125 is a pain to start when it sets over the winter if i do not start it often
current petrol seem to clog up carbs or vaporize very quickly or both
i recommend starting them every 3 to 5 days for a few minutes
dave

[Eric Frith]

I suspect the crank seals will need replacing

Eric

[djsbriscoe]

Hi,
If it is bad seals the following web page will give some idea of what's involved in their replacement

http://www.mzclubhungary.com/Letoltesek ... html#a3211

If you need to get the engine rebuilt the best people to do it are Burwins in London

http://www.burwin.co.uk/

Also try the mz_riders yahoo group for friendly advice

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mz_riders ... =330951138

HTH,

David.

[Eric Frith]

I'm changing the seals on my ETZ125 at the moment (amongst other things) and they are realy straight forward to do, even with the engine in situ.

..........But you will need a primary gear puller.

Eric

[manumensa]

Hello Pete!

I agree carburator need a clean and new spark plug.
Perhap tank need also clean and change all old fuel.

For seal you can smell the oil. If oil
smell "spice", if mix oil/fuel smell "sweet" left seal
need replace.

If you decide replaced oil seals, firstly right side. Extract with a bolt M10
the rotor. After try start again.

[Two stroke addict]

Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for the wealth of replies!

Well to those of you who said the carb, get a sweetie from the jar I guess the old girl had been stood a while longer than I thought:

After removing the carb, the first thing I noted was the lack of plunger on the choke plug, this I later dug out perished from the carb body. Fortunately I have a bike for spares and this was soon remedied.
I cannot describe the 'fluid' (and I use that term loosely) that I poured from the base of the carb.. suffice to say I think it is old two stoke oil mixed with condensation and lord knows what else! The nearest comparison is that of off milk with a green tint..pretty darn disgusting I can tell you!
We cleaned out the fluid and left it a day to dry off before blasting all the jets with some canned compressed air.
Put it back on this morning with the addition of some vigorous shaking of the bike to make sure that the oil and petrol were properly mixed beforehand.
She started up third kick with a quarter choke.. and (rather more surprising for me as I've never known one to) she will sit there ticking over quite merrily

Another great thanks to you all, I'm off now to find an mot checklist so I can get her on the road as soon as

Laterz people

Addict

[Two stroke addict]

A quick update. I have recently discovered that memories are a wonderful thing and that our mistake sometimes is to try and relive them. When getting an MZ again, all I could remember was the hours I spent shooting down country roads leaving a trail of blue smoke, and the funny looks I'd get from old gents, convinced I was riding an old Brit bike. What I didn't remember was the hours spent tinkering to keep her sweet, or the oblivious engine rebuilds if I had pushed her too far...

Despite my efforts, on the day of the MOT I got less than a hundred yards before the bike stopped and dumped engine oil over my boots As I am no longer as physically able as I used to be, I am going to admit defeat and try and sell her and the complete bike of spares I have or swap them for the safer option of a little 4 stroke that will reliably take me to and from my work as a carer with minimum stress... Not by any means the ideal answer, but I think at least, the most realistic one.

Any of you tinkerers and fellow addicts out there interested in her? Drop me a line...

Many thanks
Pete