May I ask about my wife's 2009 Honda Metropolitan please? Carb issue

[Don Sterchi]

Hello. New here and joined because I'm starting a minor restore on my one owner 1970 CT70. I've posted elsewhere and thank those who took time to help me on my beloved CT. Ordering a carb rebuild kit this week.
Here's a trouble I'm having.:
My wife has a 2009 Honda Metropolitan we bought new. because of life events, it sat unused 3 years. With a new battery and fuel, the only way I can start it is to shoot carb cleaner in the air intake. With effort I can get it running at road speed. We can ride our neighborhood, but at a stop sign, her scooter dies. If the engine's warm it will restart and rev up and away we go.
When we come home thought and "Blue Lightening" as she named her Honda cools down, I have to again remove the air filter cover, shoot the carb cleaner in the air intake and repeat the "get the old girl warm" again process.
Dealer wants $200-$250 to install a brand new carb, saying it's cheaper to put a new carb on than clean the old one. We live on a fixed income. Not a large one either.
I've studied online and am hoping I can remove the carb, clean the low speed pilot jet and fix the issue.
Any thoughts please? Suggestions for a Honda Metropolitan forum I should join to ask? I hate to join a forum just to ask one question and then fade away until another issue arises.
Thank you Don

 

[Tripod]

The carb on the GET (met and ruck) engines is very fussy. The slow jet is hard to clean, even with the smallest of wire. The main jet is larger, so it's not as bad.

If the bike sat for a while, new fuel really wont help with the damage the old junk did.

Pull the carb off and open it up before you order parts in case you get a surprise. I'd get new jets and gaskets, a few screws for the top plate. They strip out easily. Inspect the vacuum piston for tears. Make sure the bystarter pin moves freely. If you remove the throttle position sensor, you will need to do an ecm reset which is easy.

You should replace the fuel filter. Remove the fuel line from the carb. Ensure you get good flow with the pump on. The pumps dont like to sit. There is also a one way check valve after the fuel pump.

Mets rock. Im on my second one.

 

[Don Sterchi]

Thank you so much. As I look at it, should I not be successful, I would have to buy a new carb anyway. But at the dealer price to me of $200 for a new carb, I believe I should try. Can true complete Honda carburetors be bought for less online would you know? A google search for me only shows dealers offering carb parts.
I make no claim to be a mechanic, and to fix my wife's is an effort to save some hard earned money in the first place. The dealer told me a carb cleaning would be $150, an that he could sell me a new one for $200.
Don

 

[Tripod]

A new complete carb is $143 on partzilla.com

But yea, after cleaning the old one and shop labor its close to the same. You should be able to rebuild yours for $30-50 if its just dirty.

FWIW, my 08 met ran like a champ hot, cold, after sitting three weeks etc. My 07 is a turd when its cold.

 

[Don Sterchi]

OK. What I planned to do, (told my beloved wife I'd do my best) is remove the carb, remove the low speed jet( I think it's called that) as seen on a video, soak and clean it with a thin wire from a bread twist tie, put the jet back in and reattach the carb. Your instructions are helpful. Some things I had no idea about. Please suggest any fault in my simplistic thinking.
I so admire and respect you folks with skills and talents for such things as this. I'm a medically retired tool and die maker and RN. Back in the day I could repair or make you a stamping die, and care for you in the ER during a heart attack or stroke. But a carburetor is a mystery to this old man.
Don

 

[Tripod]

There is a couple of good youtube videos that go over the teardown.

 

[Don Sterchi]

Thank you so much. For some years, Youtube has "been my friend". I wish it had been available 40 years ago, but likely I'd have gotten in a lot of trouble in the garage LOL. Don

 

[Don Sterchi]

A short followup here and another thank you all. I did have to fight to clean the slow speed jet. Soaked both well in injector cleaner and worked both with wires. The low speed was so clogged I began to wonder if I misunderstood how a jet is made, and if I was trying to clean a passage that is not there. Finally used, at my wife's suggestion, a needle threading wire loop. The kind seamstresses push through the eye of the tiniest of needles, then pass thread through the loop and pull it back through the eye. High tensile steel wire, it made a passable "drill" to get the gunk out of the pilot.
Reasembled it and per the Youtube filmer , reset the electronic throttle position sensor with a jump wire. A few scary moments cranking while I guess the fuel pump got gas to the carb and the Metro fired up. Grin. Not a mechanic, that evening I fired the old bike up maybe half a dozen times to make sure she'd still run. Happy Happy Joy Joy! What a feeling of accomplishment. Thanks again.
I now have the confidence I've sort of been lacking to begin working on my ancient CT70 I've discussed elsewhere here.
Don

 

[Britton Lockie]

How do you reset the throttle position sensor my met is acting up I will crank it over for like 15 minutes (in intervals) and it will finally start to fire and then once it’s running and warmed it is fine. I replaced the carburetor, but don’t know how to reset the TPS.

 

[Tripod]

How do you reset the throttle position sensor my met is acting up I will crank it over for like 15 minutes (in intervals) and it will finally start to fire and then once it’s running and warmed it is fine. I replaced the carburetor, but don’t know how to reset the TPS.

You might need a new starting enrichment solenoid if it's hard to start. Here's how to reset the TPS.

I picked up another metropolitan in May. They sit well next to the rest of my little Hondas.

 

[WipeoutWm]

Dadgum wife on her dadgum metropolitan outruns me on my 78 CT70.