[eric Livy]

Hi guys I am new to this forum,bought a gL500 for spares for my cx not realising that they are almost completely different.my cx was misfiring when up. About 5,000rev,s also only run on one cylinder when first started, after some research found out that it was the pickup s which you can't buy or repair.so decided to swop CDI for to ignition had quite a few problems as you can imagine, no cam chain adjuster hole in casing on gL so decided to swop manual cam adjuster from cx to automatic adjuster from g.L small problem,the bolt on auto adjuster is bigger than on manual one,so drilled out the casing and retapped thread worked ok had to leave the straight slider in as it does not fit the casing of the cx.after doing all that casing fitted ok.so. On to the wiring,a lot of head scratching, but managed it in the end, but now I can't get a spark,I have checked both coils no secondary reading, have checked with David silver etc.discontinued.does anyone know where I can get coils to fit.thanks.eric

 

[reclinedrelic]

Are you still using the kill switch and wiring from the CX? The CX kill switch grounds the CDI whereas the TI kill switch controls the 12 volt supply to the ignition system.

You are using the ignition coils from the GL, not the CDI ones?

There are many usable coils available for the GL ignition system. See GL500 plug/play NEW ignition coils?

 

[Sidecar Bob]

BTW: Welcome to the forum. Please add your location and your bike's model and model year (NOT year first registered as UK paperwork shows) to your profile so that you don't have to remember to tell us every time and we don't have to keep asking when you forget (see Forum Settings link in my signature).

And welcome to the world of antique vehicle ownership (they own us, not the other way around). Your bike is about 4 decades old and may or may not have had all of the maintenance necessary to keep it safe & reliable so current problem aside, it is highly recommended to download the Factory Shop Manual for your model (available through the CX Wiki - link in my signature) and go through all of the service procedures, regardless of whether your bike has reached the specified mileage.
And while you are in the Wiki get the Honda Wire Color Codes chart and the colour wiring drawings for both of the models you are combining (they are for North American models but the ignition circuits are the same as UK models and they are much easier to follow than the factory drawings) to help you figure out what you need to do.

I also recommend looking on all rubber parts with suspicion because rubber does not age gracefully. Check the date codes on your tires and replace them if they are over 5 years old no matter how good they look & feel (old rubber simply cannot flow around the irregularities in the asphalt well enough to grip, especially if it is cool or wet). If your bike still has the original rubber brake line(s) (should be replaced every 2 or 3 fluid changes = 5 or 6 years) I recommend shopping for modern stainless braided ones (they last practically forever and double the life of the fluid). And don't forget things like the rad hoses and the boot between the engine and swingarm (they can crack on the bottom where you don't see it).

 

[eric Livy]

Eric in Scotland. I did not know that the power for coils came from the kill switch, good to know,I cut both of them in case they were shorting out, I'll reconnect them and have another try.Yes I'm using the coils from the gL till I tested them and found they were done.I read that the coils on the cx. Wont work on the gL. Ignition. You get a weak spark.But I wasn't getting any spark, possibly because the power wire was disconnected.will check that out tomorrow.i don't know how to download the spec. For the wiring.this took me a while to figure out.will see if my son can download for me.thanks for the info

 

[eric Livy]

Eric in Scotland. I did not know that the power for coils came from the kill switch, good to know,I cut both of them in case they were shorting out, I'll reconnect them and have another try.Yes I'm using the coils from the gL till I tested them and found they were done.I read that the coils on the cx. Wont work on the gL. Ignition. You get a weak spark.But I wasn't getting any spark, possibly because the power wire was disconnected.will check that out tomorrow.i don't know how to download the spec. For the wiring.this took me a while to figure out.will see if my son can download for me.thanks for the info

Hi guys, Eric in Scotland,I can't use the kill switch from the gL as it has 9wire connection, the CX only has 6, haven't been able to check where the wires go on the harness.will get to that later.good news, wired up the gL coils with a live, and they are both sparking, one weaker than the other, but sparking all the same.so I took engine back out as the rear casing from the gL has been painted black,so I have got myself some stripper to clean it off, should have done it when casing was off, would have been so much easier, but wasn't sure if this conversion would work, but so far everything seems to work, and I'll have the paint stripped soon, will let you guys know as soon as possible, Christmas coming up so busy doing stuff at home.cheer,s

 

[Sidecar Bob]

As Mike said, with the Capacitor Discharge Ignition (CDI) used on the CX500 a part of the CDI box is shorted to ground to shut the ignition off (both with the kill switch and with the keyswitch) but for the TI system you need to interrupt the power from the charging system to turn the ignition off (both with the kill switch and the keyswitch).

The keyswitches for the CX and GL should have the same plug but one of them only uses 5 of the 6 pins. They are NOT compatible.

There are a lot of other differences in the wiring for the ignition system too so if you are going to use the Transistor amplifier Ignition (TI) from the GL it would be easier to use the main wiring harness, handlebar switches and keyswitch from the GL too.

BTW: Don't forget to take a few minutes to fill in your profile.