Down in the depths, something stirred...

[Big Al]

  The engine, though brand new, seems to have dropped something in the crank or bore, as the engine rotates half a turn forward & half a turn back & encounters an obstruction. Its sat on the bench awaiting botherance to open it up to see what, where & why.

This engine is appropriate for the car as it is not only the non original engine but not a Honda engine either just one that looks like it. A sort of double bluff. My only concern with this is that some of this Chinese stuff is of pretty poor quality. I know several chums who bought motorised skateboards and minibikes. In most cases these died after 10 to 20 hours use. They would have been better to put the minimal but not insubstantial asking price of the bikes toward a real version and got something that not only worked well but could potentially hold its value. The true value of these imported toys is to see the piles of split down ones at jumbles that have suffered any form of damage on shipping. It is more lucrative to sell off the few items from them for a return, covering costs, than to repair them for retail as new machines in there entirety. That tells me they are crap and someone is making a lot of money.

Not familiar with the type of engine but if it has not been opened, plug out etc. and played with then fav is a stuck valve or bust/bent valve spring if made of case hardened cheese and left in compression for a year. Compression test. If it has been left on an angle with oil in it then it might be hydro-locking as the oil has got passed the rings. Should find that exiting the valves if turned over at the right angle and turned or with plug out upside down.
Still got my real Peel engine etc if you get stuck. That would be a triple bluff!

[Bob Purton]

I agree about the Chinese bike stuff. A pal of mine bought a minimoto and after a few prods of the kickstart the shaft snapped off! Baring in mind that this part should last out the life of the machine this says volumes about the quality of the rest of it. Another pal has a Chinese Monkey bike which soon developed a neutral in between every gear making it too frustrating to bother riding. The stories are endless. A guy in the moped club bought a 125 bike and bought another just for spares, he soon found out that he really needed at least three! As you say, better off putting the money towards a real one. Obviously quality will vary from make to make so lets hope the Evans have sourced a decent one for there Bamby's.

[Big Al]

Marketing this rubbish is an own goal for Chinese products. I already look to see if stuff is made there. If it is and I cannot verify the quality then I do not buy it. If they send cars here the same will be the case. However there are enough people without caution to think they are getting a bargain I suspect.