start enrichment valve

[jrcanoe]

The manual says the SEV is held closed by power. I think the manual is wrong. I hooked up a lighted switch and it is lighted when starting and untill the ruckus heats up. If it had been the way the manual says, the light would of been out when starting and warming up and turn on when the SEV closed: Then if I turned the switch off the SEV would have stayed open. I will have to rewire and run power to control the valve. In my test runs the way I have the switch wired I could only turn the SEV off and on when stock it would normaly be on; I couldn,t tell any change when I switch it on and off. I didn't get a chance yet, but am interested in the effect the SEV will have at max speed. My Ruckus starts just fine with the SEV off.

[Dandy Dan]

I'm working on this to. I bought a rocker switch so I could flick it on/off to get my jetting more dialed in. Using a clamp meter I measured 12V going to the valve when it was open and about 4.5 when it's closed. I hope to get this done this weekend. Which wires did use and where did you get the power from? If you have a CDI it will automatically open the SEV above 7000rpm.

[jrcanoe]

I now think the valve is mechanicaly opened and closed. The wires just let the ECM know what the valve is doing. I get no change turning on and off the power to the valve. I don't think or see how the aftermarket CDI has any control of the valve. Once the engine is hot the valve is closed no matter whether it has power or not.

[Dandy Dan]

My cold enrichment valve is definately open for about 1-2min when I fire my scoot up when it's cold. If the valve is indeed mechanical what controls when it's open or closed? Since the valve closes when things get hot enough it seems to me that there needs to be communication between the temp. sensor and the valve. All I'm really asking is what controls whether it's open or closed if it's just mechanical? I haven't actually rev'd my engine above 7k with see if my CDI turns the valve on but someone who had their CDI instructions translated said that the instructions claim that.

[jrcanoe]

I think it works just like a thermistat in a car (no electrical conection on those). When it is open it is just like haveing a bigger main jet installed. If it is mechanically opened and closed there will be noway to control it . When I turn the power off to it and start and ride a while, it is closed when I turn the power back on. The LED on my switch is on solid when I first start cold then as the moter heats up it begins to flicker and then it goes out.

[chanito]

Well that valve is electric and believe it or not it works on a timer by the ECM, when coolant is bellow 35 C or 95 F it is energized for about 5 minutes and closes the starter jet, the bad thing is that is not control by the coolant temp, so in cold days sometimes it kills the cold enrichment even thought the engine is still cold, so the engine idles very low and want to stall for a while, some time ago somebody said that the carton were the daytona CDI comes in states that it controls the timing, eliminates the rev limiter and richen the mixture after 7k, the kick is, i can not figure out how the CDI can control the CE (cold enrichment valve) and besides, even if you cut the power to the CE, it will take a while for it to fully open again

[Dandy Dan]

So it takes power to hold the valve shut? and all I have to do to open it is to cut this power? I was thinking of taking complete control over the valve with a rocker switch so when I fire my bike up it'll be open until I close it and then I can open it whenever I wish. Why would it take 'a while' for it to open again? Wouldn't it respond immediately when I cut the power?

I ordered the service manual yesterday so perhaps that'll help me out but does anyone know which wires I'd need to cut? The valve is controlled by 3 wires I believe on the variator side of the carb at the back corner. I'm just not sure which wire does what.

[chanito]

I am not sure and the service manual does not explain it either, but the cold enrichment valve appears to be a heater that heats a chamber with a heat expanding fluid, and when that chamber heats up it closes an extra jet, called the starter jet, the reason it is not a good idea to have a solenoid in the enrichment circuit is because you want the closing of this extra jet to be gradual and smooth, and a solenoid is either open or close, on your car you have something that is call an stepper motor to close in the valve gradually, but that requires the ECM to have some way to control this motor and that extra computing power is expensive so a fluid chamber is way easier, but you will have to wait for the fluid to cool down in order to open again
By the way the cold start enrichment valve only have two wires, the one with three is the throttle position sensor, the black wire will have power as long as the engine is running, the ECM controls the ground

[Dandy Dan]

I kinda understand. What I still don't get is that if there is a 'heater' which causes the expanding chamber to slowly expand and block the starter jet then:
1) Why does it seem like I can distinctly tell when my enrichment valve is open? When I fire up my scoot it idles fast for 1-2min and then all of a sudden it just dies down and settles into its regular purr. If the valve is slowly closed why would I notice this?
2) Is the expanding chamber heated by the coolant or by electricity? If it's electricity how long do you think it would take to open if I cut the power? If it's coolant then there really is nothing we can do right?

[chanito]

:)As far as i know it is electrical, as i do not see any coolant around, we might need to fabricate an enrichment valve that will open and close the start jet just with a solenoid, then we can play with it, i need to take it apart and check the operation of the valve, because it is not working since Katrina, then i might be able to tell some more

[eztravler]

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