Kickstart piston problems

[Norrie Bodge]

Lads
a recently fitted new kickstart piston fitted on TS230 using SIL casings!
& on starting the engine in my test frame say 6 - 10 times whilst doin the timing etc...
this happened?





Im not gonna name the reputable dealer i got this from, but an issue i thinks i have is the piston is not IMO goin down deep enough
to get hold of the starter teeth on the 1st gear cog ? 1st gears starter teeth are all good with minimal wear.

has anyone had any issues with a similar problem to this ?

i have seen SIL engines with the endplates ramp chopped off & an SX/LI type fitted onto the side casing.
is this maybe the best way to have a kickstart setup ??

cheers

[HxPaul]

The slot that the reference pin runs may need elongating.

[Norrie Bodge]

The slot that the reference pin runs may need elongating.

done that m8, had the dremel out & took 1mm off it, still same issue?

cheers

[daniel whiteley]

What shim have you had to fit on the outside of the kickstart shaft to take up the slack before
You fitted the circlip ? You n my slip casings I had the same problem and because I had to use a couple of shims before the circlip went on I just fitted the thickest shim to the inside and that solved my problem

[HxPaul]

The slot that the reference pin runs may need elongating.

done that m8, had the dremel out & took 1mm off it, still same issue?

cheers

If you've done that and its no better,the ramp(if its a SIL engine case)may not be letting the piston (and reference pin) out far enough.The ramp can be ground down or cut it off and fit an Li type ramp by drilling and tapping the cover.

[Norrie Bodge]

What shim have you had to fit on the outside of the kickstart shaft to take up the slack before
You fitted the circlip ? You n my slip casings I had the same problem and because I had to use a couple of shims before the circlip went on I just fitted the thickest shim to the inside and that solved my problem

good call m8 ill give that a try !!

[HxPaul]

What shim have you had to fit on the outside of the kickstart shaft to take up the slack before
You fitted the circlip ? You n my slip casings I had the same problem and because I had to use a couple of shims before the circlip went on I just fitted the thickest shim to the inside and that solved my problem

Didn't that put your kick start shaft closer to the top plate of the clutch.

[Norrie Bodge]

The slot that the reference pin runs may need elongating.

done that m8, had the dremel out & took 1mm off it, still same issue?

cheers

If you've done that and its no better,the ramp(if its a SIL engine case)may not be letting the piston (and reference pin) out far enough.The ramp can be ground down or cut it off and fit an Li type ramp by drilling and tapping the cover.

did that earlier m8,


im thinking is the SX/LI type option the best to go for anyways??

[HxPaul]

Changing to an Li ramp gives you a lot more adjustment,but seeing that you've ground down the original ramp,I dont think that will solve your existing problem

[Norrie Bodge]

Changing to an Li ramp gives you a lot more adjustment,but seeing that you've ground down the original ramp,I dont think that will solve your existing problem

its better using an old kickstart piston fitted ( new one on its way) but im still not convinced m8, i only took say 0.5mm off the ramp?
it may need more taking off it ???

[Norrie Bodge]

What shim have you had to fit on the outside of the kickstart shaft to take up the slack before
You fitted the circlip ? You n my slip casings I had the same problem and because I had to use a couple of shims before the circlip went on I just fitted the thickest shim to the inside and that solved my problem

Didn't that put your kick start shaft closer to the top plate of the clutch.

another good call, best left where it is maybe??
its fitted with the thickest shim before circlip i have? say 1.5mm

[Storkfoot]

Would I be correct in assuming your kickstart shaft is SIL?

[Norrie Bodge]

Would I be correct in assuming your kickstart shaft is SIL?

yes

[Storkfoot]

In my experience, whilst SIL have produced some really good Lambretta parts in recent years, their kickstart shafts are not in that group. In particular, several years back I found that the slot for the pin is machined in the wrong place. I’d suggest that this may have contributed to extra strain on the pin.

I have GP endplates with Italian kickstart shafts (LI ones from Camlam). As long as you ensure the shaft clears the clutch top plate, I have never had a problem again.

If you compare the quality of a SIL shaft to the Italian one, they are streets apart.

If I was you, I would change the kickstart shaft and work from there. You may well have issues now because of what you have done to the ramp though.

[rossclark]

There's SIL and SIL I find - I had two in very similar packaging. One from eBay (as part of a job lot of other parts) and one from Restos. The Restos one seems fine but the other one is dreadful - fits nowhere. Splines are wrong, machining is rough as and the spring retaining hole half the depth it needs to be - binned.

I can only presume the ebay one was forgery in SIL packaging.

I also usually remove the GP ramp and fit the Li style one on the casing for two reasons -

More adjustable
Less strain on endplate

[daniel whiteley]

Didn't that put your kick start shaft closer to the top plate of the clutch.[/quote]


I only fitted half thickness of the 2 mm shim I had on (so 1mm either side) and it didn’t catch the clutch , worth a try just experimenting with it to help

[Norrie Bodge]

Thanks for the replies
I Ended up fitting the new piston to a different SIL kickstart shaft I had
& feels loads better, also fitted 2 shims before the circlip = 2.2mm

Here’s the old kickstart shaft that was fitted!!