2003 SWing

I just bought an 03 Swing with 339 miles on it. It has set for several years, so i changed the oil in it before riding. There was a long aluminum spiral shaving that dropped out of the crankcase. Is this normal for the first oil change?

339 miles? Wow that could be a nice find depending on what you paid for it. Hopefully the fuel system has not been sitting with 10 year old fuel in it. Battery is most likely "toast" also. Good luck!!!

i paid $2000 for it. Not sure how long the fuel was in it. I put a couple gal of 93 in it, changed the battery and it started right up. The fuel gauge is stuck on E though. I added 1/3 can of SeaFoam to maybe clean up anything that is stuck. Right inside the gas tank the little metal bar that goes accross has rust on it. Going to change the final drive oil this weekend. and then the coolant. What kind of coolant is a good alternative to the honda type?

Long aluminum spiral shavings in the oil sump are not a good sign. That being said, that's the purpose of the oil sump screen, to not allow that kind of crap to be sucked up into the oil pump.
Any kind of coolant that does not use silicates or borates is acceptable for the cooling system. If the coolant says "Asian" or "Japanese" or "Global" on it, that's fine.

Prestone that mixes with all coolants is a good choice too. Not many use silicates any more but check to be sure.

any ideas on the fuel gauge prob? I also was looking into the dr pully sliders. whats thie difference in fuel mileage?

servin6154 wrote:

any ideas on the fuel gauge prob? I also was looking into the dr pully sliders. whats thie difference in fuel mileage?

Corrosion on the metal mechanicals of the gauge's sending unit in the tank could be interfering with its operation.

If the bulk of your riding is on the highway at legal speed limits, the lowered cruising rpm of the sliders will give you a noticeable gain in mileage. If you ride more in town and like to twist the throttle, your mileage will be somewhat less than with the stock rollers.

servin6154 wrote:

>>any ideas on the fuel gauge prob?<<

Does the fuel gauge display sweep to "full' when you first turn the ignition on? If yes then the meter board is probably okay. So the next step would be to remove the floor board (tunnel cover) and disconnect the 4 pin connector at the fuel pump. Use a jumper wire to jump the Green/Black & Gray/Black wires, turn on the ignition again to see if the fuel gauge sweeps again. If the gauge doesn't sweep check for an open circuit between the Gr/Bl or G/Bl wires and the meter harness plug on the front side of the meter (behind the windshield garnish).

Assuming that all of the above check okay then the problem is in the fuel gauge sending unit. It's probably not physically stuck but more than likely the old fuel has left lots of sulfur and varnish deposits on the sending unit. Short of replacing the fuel pump/sending unit assembly (~$300 + labor) you've got two other options: Remove the fuel tank (a major PITA) then remove the pump/sending unit assembly from the tank and use electrical contact cleaner to clean up the resistance unit & sweep arm contacts; Or keep using Seafoam or Techron additives to each fuel fill and hope that cleans those deposits from the sending unit. There may be other products out there which can help dissolve those deposits but I'm not familiar with them.

FWIW, while I replaced my own pump/sending unit for similar reasons, in retrospect I'd persevere with the Techron treatment, fill up every 150 miles and hope for the magic to happen.

BTW, the fuel tank is metal, not plastic. HTH

Tim

Cosmic_Jumper wrote:

BTW, the fuel tank is metal, not plastic.

Thanks Tim. I corrected my post above.

I have heard and read that a product called Star-Tron by Starbrite is even more effective than Techron at dissolving varnish in fuel systems. I've never seen it in Canada, but it's sold in the US. It might be worth a try.

Welcome from Seattle!

The display does sweep when i turn it on. Yesterday on my ride home the indicator started going up and then back to E. I think the SeaFoam may be working. I will look into the Star-Tron. Is there anything else i should check after it has been sitting for so long?

Also, what is the electrical capacity for this model? I would like to get some Gerbings heated gear, not sure if the generator can handle it though.

servin6154 wrote:

The display does sweep when i turn it on. Yesterday on my ride home the indicator started going up and then back to E. I think the SeaFoam may be working. I will look into the Star-Tron. Is there anything else i should check after it has been sitting for so long?

I'd plan on changing the belt very soon. Seems that they dry rot if not used regularly. There have been several reports here about belts disintegrating mid ride and leaving riders stranded. In all cases the scoots had sat unused for several years before being sold.

While you are replacing the belt you might want to consider upgrading the 28gm OEM Variator roller weights to Dr Pulley sliding weights --28 or 26gm sliders are quite popular with many here on the forum.

money is kind of tight right now. I did talk with the Star-Tech people, and got some good info on how to get the fuel system cleaned up. I need to change the Final Drive oil. I read somewhere i can use the same engine oil? I bought a 5qt jug of Mobil 1 10W 40 Full synthetic. Is there a post that can help me with how to change the Final drive oil? I imagine I can also inspect the drive belt while i change the gear oil.

You'll need a syringe to fill the final drive. BTW that goofy final drive fill bolt sticking thru the belt case needs a 5.5 mm allen wrench.

You won't see the belt unless you remove all three pieces of the belt case cover.

Service Honda and Partzilla seem to have the best prices for Honda parts.

servin6154 wrote:

Also, what is the electrical capacity for this model? I would like to get some Gerbings heated gear, not sure if the generator can handle it though.

I use Gerbing gloves and coat liner often on my Swing. No issues in two cold seasons of use.

You  should inspect your tires for age cracks.  Tires are coded to determine the manufacture date. You can search this forum for instructions on how to determine the manufacture date. Replace them if cracks are showing, or if older than 5 years. This is something you do not want to ignore.  
You should also flush the brake fluid with DOT4 rated fluid. A service manual will help you understand how your linked brakes work.  You need to flush the center piston located on your front brake caliper when flushing the rear brakes. Your front brake lever activates the outer two pistons on your front brake caliper.

Aloha and welcome to the best Swing forum.  Ride safe.

The tires apear to be in good shape, but they are the factory tires. It has been in a heated garage since it was bought new. The fuel guage has started to work after the SeaFoam has set in the tank for a bit. There is a bit of a rattle at around 40mph, but i am guessing this is normal for a CVT bike?

servin6154 wrote:

The tires apear to be in good shape, but they are the factory tires. It has been in a heated garage since it was bought new. The fuel guage has started to work after the SeaFoam has set in the tank for a bit. There is a bit of a rattle at around 40mph, but i am guessing this is normal for a CVT bike?

I recommend that you not drive anymore until you get new tires put on. That is the only thing between your bike and the road. Especially since the Swing can exceed 100 mph. I would not feel comfortable at any speed with 10 year old tires.  Please ride safe.

Servin6154  Some aluminum spiral shavings is OK . My 2010 Silverwing had some aluminum shavings come out on my first oil change and I now have 18000 miles on it and it is still running great . Just keep the oil pump pick up screen and spring in place that is at the drain plug .

I agree with the tyres comments. Recently on UK TV there was a documentary showing factory testing of 10 year old unused tyres along with split new tyres.After a while chunks of rubber started spinning of the older tyres as they completely disintegrated. Concerns in the documentary were particularly for occasional use caravans and car spare tyres as most cars  tyres are replaced though usage within 5 years. The science I think was due to rubber compound changing  as it ages even if unused....Anyway the problem was considered so serious that they are considering introducing this to the annual MOT in the UK where tyres older than 5 years  including spares must be replaced...and as caravans are presently exempt from the UK MOT to bring them into that annual testing...seemed an excellent idea to me..tyres and brakes?...not worth taking any chances with.

What tires do yall recomend? What setting do yall prefer on the rear shocks for preload?

Do a search on here regarding tires. Lots of good info. As to preload for rear shocks, it depends on your weight and how firm do you want your ride? Suggest you experiment until you find a setting that works for you. Mine is set on level 4.

I know this is old, but a couple of things:

1) There were some recalls (don't remember the details) around that year of scooter. You want those recalls (look for the double-nut on the center stand, for one; the rim failures and fuel tank failures are also potentially life-threatening). It's all able to be dealt with, but please make sure it's done if needed.

2) Tires - yep, replace them.

3) You're not talking about the spring that holds in the oil screen, when you talk about aluminum spirals, are you? If not, how long? Can you give us a picture?