Author Topic: Need some help trying to start bike with suspected frigged kill switch (Read 21431 times)

scottly · « **Reply #125 on:** July 25, 2016, 05:25:11 PM »

So you didn't replace the coils with the stock ones?

b1jackson · « **Reply #126 on:** July 25, 2016, 05:37:05 PM »

Nope. Just reversed the black/white and blue wires at the end of each coil. I'm not running yet but the presence of a spark was a good enough sign for me to leave the shop tonight

scottly · « **Reply #127 on:** July 25, 2016, 05:45:05 PM »

Those coils are messed up! Even if you have the presence of a spark, it may be very weak compared to properly functioning coils. Do us both a favor and use the stock coils.

b1jackson · « **Reply #128 on:** July 25, 2016, 06:14:38 PM »

Argggghhh! Don't rain on my parade! Let me at least try and hear this thing run as is. Hahaha

scottly · « **Reply #129 on:** July 25, 2016, 06:37:19 PM »

Pulleeze install the stock coils and hear that baby run. Then, if you want, go back and install the #$%*ed up coils and see IF it still runs at all, or how well.
I'm guessing that when the coils failed on the PO and blew the fuse, he installed a larger fuse, which may have caused the melting on your fuse block, and may have also caused the short in the original kill switch, if indeed the switch was shorted.

b1jackson · « **Reply #130 on:** July 28, 2016, 07:14:32 AM »

It ran! Not that great. But it runs. Cylinders 2 and 3 don't seem to be firing but I'll dig into that abit more tonight. It's loud too. Baffles in the muffler have been drilled out and even running on a few but not all cylinders, its got quite a bark to it. Short sputtery trip down the road but at least I've gotten it this far.

Couldn't have done it without the suggestions, patience and prompting of scottly and others. Thanks so much! I hope my thread has helped others with no wiring experience tackle something like this.

Its a one circuit at a time type process and write everything down. I know there were connections and such that would have given me future problems so overall, it was a good idea and good experience to go through connection by connection, clean them up, and dab them with some dielectric grease and fix frays and previous owner hacks.

b1jackson · « **Reply #131 on:** July 28, 2016, 03:04:23 PM »

Quote from: scottly on July 25, 2016, 05:45:05 PM

Those coils are messed up! Even if you have the presence of a spark, it may be very weak compared to properly functioning coils. Do us both a favor and use the stock coils.

Ok..favour in the process. Taking some more time at it tonight I had strong spark in 1, none in 2 and 3, and weak in 4.

So just to make sure when I swap in the old ones, to check the wire pattern wasn't out of whack by the PO, left coil is 2 and 3, right coil is 1 and 4 correct?

scottly · « **Reply #132 on:** July 28, 2016, 06:31:20 PM »

The left coil normally serves the 1-4 cylinders, and is connected to the blue wire. The coil on the right is connected to the yellow wire. If the PO has connected the coil feeding the 2-3 plugs to the blue wire, he reversed the green wires where the Pamco wiring connects to the yellow and blue wires on the lower right side of the bike. It doesn't really matter, but it can be confusing later on, when you try to remember why the blue coil wire is plugged into the yellow harness wire, and vice versa.

b1jackson · « **Reply #133 on:** July 28, 2016, 06:48:59 PM »

My original wires (plug wires) also seem a bit short. Perhaps they were trimmed back or something at one time, so I may try a splice in of new wires.

scottly · « **Reply #134 on:** July 28, 2016, 07:07:22 PM »

The 2-3 coil with the yellow wire has shorter plug wires.

b1jackson · « **Reply #135 on:** July 30, 2016, 05:20:05 AM »

So I swapped in the original coils. Hooked up blue wire to blue wire...yellow to yellow. Black and whites to harness. Reversed the yellow and blue and the same thing.

Spark at 1&4. None at 2&3

scottly · « **Reply #136 on:** July 30, 2016, 08:14:51 PM »

How are you checking for spark?

b1jackson · « **Reply #137 on:** July 31, 2016, 03:15:40 AM »

All plugs pulled out with wires dangling. Grounding each plug to metal screw on engine block and cranking it.

b1jackson · « **Reply #138 on:** July 31, 2016, 04:57:24 PM »

I checked the instructions on the Pamco website. Everything appears to be wired correctly. I fixed up my connections earlier and they are all tight.

Do the units themselves fail or half of them? (2cylinders worth?)

scottly · « **Reply #139 on:** July 31, 2016, 07:14:56 PM »

Quote from: b1jackson on July 30, 2016, 05:20:05 AM

So I swapped in the original coils. Hooked up blue wire to blue wire...yellow to yellow. Black and whites to harness. Reversed the yellow and blue and the same thing.

Spark at 1&4. None at 2&3

If you got spark from the 1-4 coil with either the blue or yellow wire from the pamco connected, but no spark from the 2-3, with either wire connected, the pamco isn't at fault.
Disconnect the 2-3 yellow coil wire from the harness, and measure the voltage at the coil wire with the key on and kill set to run.

b1jackson · « **Reply #140 on:** August 01, 2016, 04:56:46 AM »

Ok. I know my battery is not quite at peak but it's close. Still reads 12v at battery.

Unplugged the yellow wire and with key on and in run position it reads 0.04 volts. This is taken from the yellow wire coming out of the coil.

Unplugged the blue wire and it reads 10.89 volts. Taken from blue wire coming out of the coil.

Tested voltage at the black/white wires where they plug into the harness and it reads 10.89 volts.

scottly · « **Reply #141 on:** August 01, 2016, 08:17:00 AM »

With both the black/wht and yellow coil wires disconnected, measure the coil resistance again. Meter set to 200 ohms, one meter lead on the black and the other on the yellow.

b1jackson · « **Reply #142 on:** August 01, 2016, 08:38:17 AM »

Done.

3.47

scottly · « **Reply #143 on:** August 01, 2016, 08:46:52 AM »

Is this a stock coil? Should be about 4.8. What does the 1/4 coil read?

b1jackson · « **Reply #144 on:** August 01, 2016, 08:58:30 AM »

sorry, mistaken. Had to re-read my notes from previous test.

Yes, these are the stock coils in it now. 5 ohms on the yellow wired coil. 4.7 on the blue wired one.
Tests taken with one probe on the blue or yellow wire coming out of the coil and the other on the black/white coming out of the coil. Meter set at 200 and the numbers reflect the subtraction

scottly · « **Reply #145 on:** August 01, 2016, 09:05:50 AM »

OK, now plug both black wires back into the harness, and measure the resistance between the blue and yellow wires; one meter lead on the blue, and the other on the yellow. Should be 5+4.7=9.7 ohms.

b1jackson · « **Reply #146 on:** August 01, 2016, 09:51:30 AM »

hmmm. Not even close actually.
Black/whites both plugged back in.

One probe on yellow feeding into coil, other on blue feeding into coil = zero ohms or null. That was with the key on. When I turn the key into the off position leaving things hooked up, the meter shows 5.8.

scottly · « **Reply #147 on:** August 01, 2016, 10:00:08 AM »

I think when you say zero or null, you mean no continuity: the same reading on the meter as when the leads aren't touching anything? In any case, I suspect you have a poor connection at the harness black/wht wire junction.

scottly · « **Reply #148 on:** August 01, 2016, 10:18:03 AM »

Quote from: b1jackson on August 01, 2016, 09:51:30 AM

hmmm. Not even close actually.
Black/whites both plugged back in.

One probe on yellow feeding into coil, other on blue feeding into coil = zero ohms or null. That was with the key on. When I turn the key into the off position leaving things hooked up, the meter shows 5.8.

The blue and yellow wires were disconnected from the harness for this test? The key should be turned off.

b1jackson · « **Reply #149 on:** August 01, 2016, 10:36:56 AM »

yes, I tested both with the key off and then on to see any difference. And yes, null reading or no continuity on my meter is a 1 and then a couple spaces and a decimal point.

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Author Topic: Need some help trying to start bike with suspected frigged kill switch (Read 21431 times)