Q&A  (Questions & Answers)

In this part you may find answers to your questions.


  • Ignition system
  • How can I test a condensator?
  • Why not an electronic ignition system?
  • Why do my bulbs blow?
  • Dismantling Dimoby clutch
  • Cleaning carburetorand needle jet
  • Tuning / more speed
  • Tyres for 21 inch rims.
  • Taps for mobylette.
  • Sprocket for SP93, AV92 and SP94TT
  • M5x0.9, M3x0.6 and M10x1 ??? French thread?


  • Why English as main language?
  • Why is this website so fast on smart phones?
  • Where can I find a Pantin order list?
  • Where can I find files to print mobylette parts by myself?




  • IGNITION-SYSTEM

    In the past most questions concerned ignition.
    We are delighted to say: Problem solved!In the past 20 years Pantin has done a lot to promote the conversion from old internal coils to external coils.
    From 2006 we have promoted the use of external capacitors, too.
    Several publications saw the daylight and some years ago an extended version in Dutch saw the daylight.Perhaps an English translation will be made or even a French version.
    Most questions about ignition can be find in the ignition manuals under Technical Publication ignition.

    Nevertheless we will give here a summery of the problem:
    Many internal high tension coils show the same problem: theyare just worn. Even brand new coils (NOS), which never have been used show thesame problem: the insulation properties of the thin windings of the coilhave become quit poor. As a result of the high tension in these windings- about 15.000 Volts -there will be a lot of short circuits. The sparkbecomes very weak. The signs are often like this:

  • Starting can give a lot of trouble.

  • After 5 minutes, when the coil is getting warmer and the resistance of the copper windings has increased, ignition fails.
    Remind that the pressure of the mixture in a hot cylinder is higher and the spark meets more resistance.

  • Sometimes the engine runs fairly well, but doesn't reach its top speed.
    Anyway a common problem, but an affordable solution is shown in the publications that doesn't interfere withthe authentic looks of your old timers.


  • Coil and capacitor hidden in front of the rear mud guard.



    HOW CAN I TEST A CONDENSATOR?

    Lately somebody asked by way of our guestbook for a test method.
    Well, there several ways to test a condensator:

  • 1. By way of a professional ignition tester such as Prüfrex

  • 2. Check the resistance: this must be more than 200,000 Ohm

  • 3. Charge the condensator with a current of 12 Volts.

    Addendum 3: Disconnect the battery or battery charger and wait for one minute.
    Check by way of a led-light if the charge is able to light the led. If nothing happens turm the led and connect it the other way. Remind a led is a diode. Instead of a led you could use a multi-meter.


  • 4. Test your condensator on an other moped that is running well.
  • Test tool for ignition components

    Coil and capacitor are being tested with a Prüfrex-tool.




    WHY NOT AN ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM?

    People often ask why we don't apply electronic ignition systems, though there are sets for the AV7-engine available?
    Well, there several reasons why we don't:
  • The flywheel should be replaced by a smaller one. This will spoil the authentic looks!
  • Modern electronics are not always reliable; in a hot environment electronic parts are vulnerable!
  • Modern electronics cannot be repaired easily when you are in the middle of nowhere.
  • The steel core of the former high tension coil can be used to make a feeding coil. Thus we never meet fitting problems.




  • WHY DO MY BULBS BLOW?

    The trouble mostly starts with the lighting coil that offers a current with a high tension of 40 Volts.
    This happens when there is no or a low load. When there is normal load of a front and rear light, the voltage will decrease rapidly.
    Three important reasons why bulbs will blow:

    1. You are using bulbs designed for a bicycle.
    2. A bad connection at the bulbs or switch.
    3. A single brake bulb or flashing indicator will not decrease your current voltage sufficiently.

    What van be done regarding these problems?

    Ad1. Apply the right bulbs with prescribed power (Watt).
    The more power the bulbs will use; the lower the voltage in the circuit will be.
    A mobylette with an 8 Watt electrical system, requires bulbs with a total power of at least 10 Watt.

    Ad2. Check your wires and mass cables. Remove oxidation at the connectors and bulbs. Consider the use of contact spray.
    A bad connection at one of the bulbs or switch lowers the total bulb power and the tension becomes automatically too high.

    Ad3. Mount a zener diode that will stabilise your tension in the circuit.
    For a brake system or in case of flashing indicators this is a good solution.

    The zener diode on the right side (red arrow) protects a bulb in the tail light,
    which will light when the brake is used. In the electrical circuit the zener diode is mounted behind the brake switch, so normally it does not waste energy. Just when the bulb is activated, this zener diode will limit the tension to 6 Volt.

    Modern zener for brake circuit

    A lot of space at the AV92/SP93




    DISMANTLING DIMOBY CLUTCH

    Dimoby couplingFrom time to time an experiencedmechanic is calling, because he is not able to dismount the centrifugalclutch.
    Let us see how we can fix it.

    Firstly you remove the hexagon nut and the grease nipple. Next you need an extractor,which has to be screwed into the cover of the clutch. An inner bolt pullsthe cover off the camshaft. If you cannot find an extractor contact me.When you look at the drawing , you will see in front of and behind the red ring a so called "Seeger ring orcirclip ring ". Mostly people manage to remove the first ring and thinkthat the job has done. They are looking against the (in this drawing = red colored)  washer, which covers the second circlip (Seeger) ring, and they are very surprised that they cannot remove the coupling housing.The red washer has to be removedwith a magnetic extractor or with two small pins. Because of the greasethis simple ring has been stuck on the second Seeger ring. Sometimesit helps when you shake the engine a bit.
    After the washer has been taken away, the second Seeger ring can be dismounted quite easily.
     


    Detail of Dimoby centrifugal clutch.

    The red washer has to be removed off the camshaft before you can see the second circlip ring.

    Dismantling Dimoby clutch




    CLEANING CARBURETTOR AND NEEDLE JET

    Carburetors can be very polluted.
    Most people are aware of that fact and will cleanthe carburetor thoroughly.
    However, often they forget to check the little hole of the needle jet.This hole provides the mixture with some extra petrol when the throttleis nearly closed.

    When your engine has stationary problems this may be the cause.
    For the 12 mm carburetors and higher you must dismantle the needle jet atthe underside of the carburetor as shown in the picture on the right.

    For older models (without needle jetholder) the needle jet must be removed and inserted top-down via the throttlevalve bore.











    Some carburettors like the ones for BG and early AV42 have a threaded needle jet, so with a socket wrench it has to be removed.


    Examples of jets for a 12mm carburettor


    threaded jet

    Example of a threaded needle jet

    By coincidence we found a lot of different jets a long time ago. We still wonder about the great differences in geometry.
    The one in the middle proved to be excellent in a 12 mm carburettor.



    Some examples of needle jets with holes for stationary speed.

     



    TUNING & SUFFICIENT POWER

    Our mission is not to ruin ancient engines by increasing their performance, but getting them on the road again according theiroriginal specifications.
    Though they are old now, they should run like in their young days or even better, when improved sealing, ignition or lubrication additives have been applied.
    Unfortunately many people complain that their engine is not running well after they have restored that engine "perfectly".The reality is - without any doubt - different. We always note many mechanical defects in vehicles. Transmissions malfunctioning because of worn chains, sprockets, chain wheels and bearings. Crankshafts, pistons and cylinders with too much clearance.
    Ignition is an other source of failure. If the spark fails regularly then the performance is considerable lower.

    The best and cheapest start for power enhancing is: make sure that the basics are good.
    - All parts should be in a "pretty" mechanical condition.
    - Strong ignition system.
    - A cylinder with Nicasil lining as manufactured by Airsal .
    - Better lubrication by using oil enhancing additives as TSL


    TSL: a great oil enhancer

    If so, then you can start thinking about improvements. Mostly your little bike will run fast enough now.Its design was not meant for high speeds. Frame, brakes, tyres and suspension are inadequate for use at high speeds.
    Sometimes people use 66cc and 75cc cilindres, but are not aware of the fact that more power and higher speed means less safety on the road, moreover this could give insurance problems in case of a major traffic accident.The famous French poet La Fontaine used to say: "Do not hurry, but leave on time!" We only can agree with that statement.
     

    Top 12 of problems that influence factory speed

  • Pre-ignition is wrong
  • Poor ignition coil
  • Poor capacitor
  • Spark plug failure
  • Diffuser in carburettor is too largeor too small
  • Piston rings too tight (play shouldbe 0.2 mm)
  • Worn piston and piston rings
  • Gas throttle cannot be opened totally
  • Leakage of crankshaft seals
  • Exhaust is silt (AV92 and SP93)
  • Decompression valve doesnot seal enough
  • Transmission problem (coupling, brakestoo tight, chain)



  • TYRES FOR 21 INCH RIMS

    Several years ago these tyres were a problem, but suddenly some manufacturers started to produce these tyres again.
    There are several tyres fittingon the same 21 inch rim:

    • 600 x 50 B     Chambrier (F)
    • 25 x 2            At jumbles in the Netherlands or Belgium.
    • 24 x 1.5 x 2   Motorrijwielhandel van Gestel in Eindhoven and Pebro-wheels Meijel both in The Netherlands.




    TAPS

    A large number of different taps can be found on mobylette. Some are availabele from stock, while others cannot be repaired ; at least they say so.
    At Pantin we are able to fix those taps.In chapter Creations - Parts-overhauled we show some solutions.




    SPROCKET FOR SP93, AV92 AND SP94TT

    A hard to get sprocket and especially when you want to apply a small one (12 and 13 teeth).
    Since we prefer small ones, we had to make those by ourselves.

  • At the old worn sprocket all teeth will be removed by way of grinding.

  • The very hard sprocket has to be annealed in a fire of about 800 degrees Celsius.

  • The sprocket will get its definitive core diameter on a lathe.

  • A flat annealed sprocket will get a new bore, corresponding the hub of the machined old sprocket. A special collet is needed to guarantee the concentricity.

  • Both parts will be welded to one piece.

  • The teeth must be hardened and tempered for long life quality.


  • If you want such a small sprocket do not ask us, but consult a professional company. We just like prototyping.
    On the right you see a sprocket with 12 teeth, which is ready to be welded.


    swprocket

    Special sprocket





    FRENCH THREAD

    Everybody who wants to repair a mobylette will meet this problem: normal metric bolts and nuts will not fit. It is not a matter of strange French thread, but it is just metric thread with a different pitch. The well-known screws for the engine side panels are an example. They choose a long time ago not for standard M5x0.8 but instead of this for M5x0.9 (mm).
    Why did they not choose for standard thread?
    The only reason is a commercial one; as customer you cannot apply a cheap standard bolt or nut.
    The fact that Motobécane often used bolts and nuts with a pitch of 1mm, is an advantage when you make the thread on a lathe. You do not have to change the pitch every time. We found a pitch of 1mm at next threads: M7, M8, M10, M11, M12, M13, M14, M24, M26 and M46. This list, however, is not exhaustive. Happily most taps and dies can be found on the net.






    WHY ENGLISH AS MAIN LANGUAGE?

    This website will focus on technology for people all over the world.We will not exclude a lot of interested people for just a few that cannot understand English.Besides www.translate.google.com translates English to Spanish and French better than from Dutch to other languages.





    WHY IS THIS WEBSITE SO FAST ON SMART PHONES?

    Actually this website was not special designed for smart phones, in spite of the fact that many visitors are using a smart phone for web browsing.
    We simply love clean code and keep our images small. This website is less than about 15MB!; just 3 high resolution images of a camera.




    WHERE CAN I FIND A PANTIN ORDER LIST?

    There is no such list, where you can order parts at Pantin.
    Our stock of spares is limited and meant for our own projects and to help friends with their projects.




    WHERE CAN I FIND 3D PRINT FILES?

    Public sharing of files for 3D prints and public sharing of specific process information is not our policy.
    Nevertheless we cooperate a lot with friends and third parties; exchanging special information is part of it. When you want to design a special part and you need some help, you should ask us.



    CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR LONG RIDES IN FRANCE.

    Failing is positive, when it leads to improvements.

    Some years ago during a trip to the south of France, we had chosen for the most basic way: riding on a mobylette and sleeping in a tent at a camping site.
    This choice will always lead to an extra burden for your mobylette.
    In spite of all preparations we had to cancel this trip for several reasons.
    Bottom problems, loosening of exhaust nut, navigation problems and most important time.
    Getting at the event in time had become impossible... A new approach was needed to prevent such problems in future.

    Critical success factors of our last long rides are:

  • The availability of a Tom-TOM Rider

  • Ditto a big power bank (battery) for smart phone, camera and navigation

  • The ability of speaking and understanding French.

  • Knowledge and skills to repair your mobylette by yourself.

  • An excellent saddle or a standard buddy seat with an extension made of NASA memory foam.

  • A strong mobylette provided with: a variator, strong brakes and all in perfect condition.

  • A special set of lightweight tools and spares.

  • Procedures for standby, whenever the problems cannot be solved by yourself.

  • Enough time for your trip, because you have to count on setbacks.



  • MODULE FAILURE ANALYSIS


    In many manuals you can find information about the cause of engine troubles.
    Nevertheless in reality it is often a hell of job to find the malfunctioning part(s). It should be possible to build an interactive knowledge system, that will be able to locate possible failure(s).
    Building a database system, that will contain entities like: cause, part failure, system failure, part and solution, will not be enough for an intelligent expert system. The occurrences of failures can be irregular and different failures can occur at the same time. Theoretically a system may malfunction, though all components are fine when checked in an equivalent system. Lately we solved a lot of strange problems; finding the cause was hard, whereas the solution was mostly quite simple. Nevertheless it is a nice challenge for next winter.
    When a distribution will be available is hard to forecast. So when you have problems read your manuals, visit forums and contact us when nobody can solve your problem.





    DIFFERENT QUESTION?

    info@pantin.nl


     


    TAPS
    Title and editor
    Description
    Image
    EBS-2015 Dutch

    By: Henk van Kessel
    A large publication about improving an ancient ignition system.
    This publication is in Dutch. It is the result of many years of experience with all kind of models and runs under heavy circumstances. Both manuals are as a downloadable PDF-file available. The newest version 6.0 NL will be ready in summer 2021.
    We always keep some ignition sets in stock for friends and interesting projects, but unfortunedly we are not able to help everybody.
    Warning: Many coils, condensators, spark plug caps and ignition points, you can buy via Internet or at jumbles, are often junk ware.
    EBS 2015 English

    By: Henk van Kessel
    This manual in English is written for people, who want to convert their old ignition system to an external coil system.

    New version 5
    Several additions from the Dutch version have been implemented.
    In summer 2021 version 6.0E will be ready.