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Ignition trouble

1314 Views 8 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Blue Fox
Ok I started out with a bike that was sitting for a long period of time. carb issues were first , now I have had intermittent spark but I think that was the kill switch. Seems to be sparking but appears weak, still won't start. Every now and then it will attempt to run barley and only for a moment. The coils have the S symbol them but if I attempt to take a meter reading from the black and white lead to the high tension, I get nothing. I have ohmed the leads together and they spec. The pulse generator ohms out as well about 510 ea.

I am at a point that i could use some been there done that knowledge . So anything you can throw at me I would appreciate. If I have already done it, I'll let you know.



Thanks Tim
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Whats the year / model? Add it to your signature so folks know what bike you have. If it has a CDI ignition, do the stator check referenced in the sticky reference thread in the general discussion forum. Does it have weak spark on both sides? What if you swap the coils? Make sure your connectors are not corroded or anything like that, mine certainly were, some contact cleaner might help you out.



There a a bunch of things to check out, having the year and model will help folks help you.



Oh, and welcome to the forum!



Mike
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If this is a CDI ignition bike then the coils should have a resistance between the HT and LT cables of around 7.5k Ohms.



Click here,



http://globalcxglvtwins.hostingdelivered.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=335
The coils have the S symbol them but if I attempt to take a meter reading from the black and white lead to the high tension, I get nothing.


I think he may have a TI bike,,there is no black & white wire on CDI type coils.
I think he may have a TI bike,,there is no black & white wire on CDI type coils.
just shows the importance of putting your bikes details into your signiture line,along with,of course your location
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Whats the year / model? Add it to your signature so folks know what bike you have. If it has a CDI ignition, do the stator check referenced in the sticky reference thread in the general discussion forum. Does it have weak spark on both sides? What if you swap the coils? Make sure your connectors are not corroded or anything like that, mine certainly were, some contact cleaner might help you out.



There a a bunch of things to check out, having the year and model will help folks help you.



Oh, and welcome to the forum!



Mike
ok Mike sorry about the signature
I have gone through the connectors. A little history, initially this bike started and had left side problems, with the choke on the left cylinder fired but not with it off. Did some carb cleaning and still the same. Swapped coils the problem did not follow. Swapped spark units still didn't follow. put it all back together and wala it seem to be working on both cylinders. I went to start it a couple days later and barely wants to start. In fact it wont stay running. I have what appears to be weak spark and its intermittent. I have ohmed the pulse gen and it rings out fine. The crazy thing is that this bike was running, so it has to be something simple that I probably touched. I am a aircraft mechanic and I have found that usually if something worked before, more than likely you caused it. In this case the bike was left in a running state but now.... well..... NOT !!
I am not thrilled with the manuals instructions on testing the spark units, that dose not seem to be the problem anyway. I can only guess that maybe the pulse gen is failing at the pick-ups, maybe there is junk in there. I have not gotten into it that far yet.
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Go to this page at DaveF's site. He explains how to do ignition tests. Let us know what your results are.




edit; check all the grounds too.
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Your bike has the TI ignition system. Related info can be found here.



Also, check your main fuse for a possible hairline fracture.
It could well be electrical, but I am leaning more towards the carbs. You said that the choke allowed it to run better during one test. That would indicate that the engine is reacting to fuel rather than spark. Or, it could be a combination of both. The ignition on the 650's are very robust and usually don't cause problems. Maybe try new plugs and check the resistor in the plug caps too. A "weak" spark is sometimes hard to identify visually. If there is any spark at all, it should start and run, even if badly.



I know it is easy for us to sit here and type that you need to re-clean the carbs again, but in more than a few cases it takes 3 or more cleanings to get all the crud out.
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