vintagecota Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 A friend of mine bought a well used 348 Cota last year and rode it a couple of times without much pleasure. It was very hard to start and when it did, took time to pump up and go when you turned it on. It sat in his shed 'till last week when I went round to fetch it. He helped me move, so I told him I'd fix it. The bore was like glass and the piston clunked around in it, so I had it bored and put in a new 1st over piston. It started on the third kick after the new parts, and with a little fiddling with the Anal carb it ran very well. so... with my friend's blessing, I decided to give it a go last Sunday at the Blue Mountain trial, here near Vancouver, B.C. I took it out of my van and warmed it up, blipped around the car park a couple times and shut it off for the riders meeting. Ready to go, and no start.... kick, kick, kick, ad nauseum. Finally, after trying everything, it lit off, and away I went, already tired out. The bike ran good and started first kick at every section, but I rode like crap for the first loop and came in for a well deserved 10 min. rest... Loop 2, no start again. Loop 3, same thing except worse. Everyone else in my group left without me and made it through section 3 before I got started, rode straight through the sections, with fewer dabs than before, and caught up with the group. I was wasted for the two following days. Well, I figured it out. I had intermittent spark. Cota 247s and 348s (and 349s) have this nasty trait. The kickstart shaft has a nasty stop built into it that looks like a shark's tooth. The stop rests against a pad (at about 1:00)when the kicker is up and turns with the shaft to face down (6:00)when the kicker goes to the bottom. The problem comes when the rider removes the kicker and replaces it from the 1:00 position (where it can bump your shin on a climb) to the 2:00 position so now when you kick through, that nasty shark tooth ends up at the 7:00 position, punching a hole through the webbing between the chain drive and the magneto housing. The chain shoots dirt right through that hole and the mag makes sure pieces are distributed to the points. I fixed all that, and with a bit more carb fiddling, it runs GREAT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
348mate Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 Hey vintagecota, is the hole at the bottom of kickstart travel, or at resting position? Mine has broken thro' magneto case with the kickstart at rest position,,,,If you follow that.. How did you sort "your" hole in the casing? S.M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintagecota Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 "My" hole is at the bottom of the travel, and I've only fixed it temporarily until the mag comes off again, then some JB weld will hold it until the kicker goes through it again. Care needs to be taken, and each successive owner finds that out themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charliechitlins Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 I too have used JB weld for this. And some silicone to make sure it seals well. It's not easy making a 'machine' surface with glue, a straightedge and a razor blade, but it can be done with patience. The only other chouce is to take down the engine and have the case welded and machined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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