[SEL] O.T. 43CC Little Gas Scooter - Need Help

[Paul Maples]

I purchased one of those little 43 CC mini gas scooters for my 10 year old grandson I am raising for Christmas. The rear sprocket is attached to the wheel hub that apparently has a slip type configuration in it to allow you to back it up by pushing it. When he goes to take off the rear sprocket will just spin on the hub and then all of a sudden it will engage and snap the chain and take off. I have removed the wheel, taken the sprockets off, and tried to get into the hub to see what is going on but have been unable to get inside of the hub area. It has an approximately 3/4" to 1" inside nut in the outside of this hub that takes a spanner to remove. I removed this but can go no further. I think it must have a mechanism like a socket wrench has where a ball or pin drops down to engage the sprocket.

I thought that it might be full of cosmoline from being shipped overseas and found that if I heated the hub area then the sprocket would engage as it should and work. On cold days it would not engage until I heated it. Now it is getting worse and does not want to engage properly even when I heat it. You go to take off and like I said the rear sprocket will start spinning and then all of a sudden catch and snap the chain, spin the wheel, and take off.

Does anyone know anything about this unit?

Paul