the kinetic tfr project

Dropping the engine out of a kinetic TFR is a fairly simple procedure. As with previous posts, I experienced some differenced between what the service manual said to do and what actually worked. The service manual that I got from Cosmo must be fairly out of date, but it does serve as a fairly good general reference for what to do. (As an aside, it’s just a staples packet off photocopied pages that they charge $20 for. The images in the manual have degraded from the copying and the type is hard to read. I am thankful to have it, though.)

Here is what the service manual says to do:

Here is what worked for me:

1. Remove the exhaust pipe

2. Remove the side Panels

3. Remove the air filter

4. Remove the carburator

5. Remove the clutch unit: Loosen the three engine mounting bolts on located around the clutch unit (see diagram) with a 10mm deep socket. The two in the front go all the way through, so you may need to get another socket for the other side. A box wrench will work on the top one, but because of its location in the subframe, the lower one may require sockets on both sides.

Loosen them pretty good, but don’t pull them out. Once they are loose, slide the engine toward the rear of the TFR. This may take some jiggling at first. This will give you enough slack on the belt to be able to slide the belt off the pully (before, after, or during the actual removal of the clutch).

It says in the manual to stick a screwdriver in between the flywheel fins to keep the clutch from rotating as you unscrew the bolt with a 17mm socket, but that seems a little ambiguous and actually potentially damaging. I recommend doing something like I did which was to buy or make a tool for holding the clutch still while you loosen or tighten the nut. Also, this works in reverse when putting the clutch back on and tightening the nut which is much harder to get right.

Unscrew the nut and keep track of the washers that go with it. I believe there are a lock washer, a normal washer, and the nut, there is also a metal bushing that rests up against the little rubber bushing (cam) on the crankshaft. Be careful not to lose it. It may stick to the back of the clutch when you pull it out and fall off later.

Slide the entire clutch unit off the crankshaft. It should look like this:

6. Unplug the electronics.

There are two wires that come out of the Engine. They have connectors and can be unplugged, but for whatever reason, one of them is located inside the electrical panel toward the front underside of the frame. Unscrew the two bolts and two screws and remove the panel:

Follow the wire out of the motor and along the underside of the frame. You will need to clip the tie wraps as you follow it to the connector.

Make sure you unplug the Sparkplug lead, too.

7. Unhook the decompression cable: This was easier than I thought. I never got too much out of the decompression feature on this moped and felt like it was one more thing that could go wrong with the engine. Leaky valve means low compression. Plus it can be a pain to hook back-up.

Manual says:

To remove the Cable, with screw driver, press the Decompression spring (10204502) towards the Cylinder Head side till the outer cable is released from the hook, then take out the bottom end of the Inner Cable throught the slot of the Plate (10204902).

That’s pretty much right on the money. You just push in on the tensioning spring (the long one) that the cable hooks to, give yourself some slack in the cable and maneuver the cable end out of the hook and the cable pulls right out. It might be hard to see when you are doing it, though because of the angle.

Here are some diagrams and photos of the decompression valve and cable hook-ups:

8. Unscrew the bottom engine plate. I call it that because there is no mention of it in the manual. There is a sheet metal plate underneath the engine that is held in place by two screws - they are the same screws that hold on the condenser. I didn’t see this plate until I was actually pulling out the engine and it wouldn’t come out. it was blocked by this piece of metal (which bent easily) (see photo):

9. Unscrew all three mounting bolts. There are 3 of them. Not two like the manual says. There are two long ones toward the front of the TFR and one short one towards the back.

To remove the rear one, you just need to unscrew. It is about an inch long. The two in front are longer and run completely through the subframe. You will need two 10mm sockets to unscrew all the way. They should unscrew with the same technique used to loosen them.

10. Drop the engine: Inspect the engine to make sure nothing is still connected. You may want to slide the electric connectors through any holes in the subframe so they don’t get caught on anything when you pull the engine out.

When you are ready to drop the engine, remove the two long foundation bolts.

Angle the engine downward so the head faces the ground:

You should be able to maneuver the engine out of the opening in the bottom of the subframe. You will have to take care in getting the crankshaft out of the hole in the subframe. I was able to pull mine out fairly easily once I removed that metal plate. I have read on Moped Army forums that some people have to unscrew the rear shocks and pull the subframe downward or upward to give themselves more wiggle room. Fortunately it was not a problem for me.

The engine should look like this once it is out: