Topic: Pamco ignition + kickstart = headache?

[Greyhound]

For anyone running the Pamco ignition with the E-advancer... Have you found that it is damn near impossible to kickstart the bike when engine is cold? (And still more difficult than usual when warm)

I’m thinking the kickstarter just doesn’t crank out enough juice to power the Pamco setup?

Anyone else experiencing this?

[kerryb]

Pamco...isn't that an electronic ignition?  Aren't they supposed to make it easier to start than points?  I'm no ignition guru, but I have a lot of practice going back and checking to be sure all the basics are correct because I didn't get it right enough the first time.  Now I can start it with the kicker using my arm.  I suspect you have a detail out of place because the battery should provide plenty of spark power for the first bang.  Go back and check timing, advance, spark plug caps, choke working, idle jets clean,...I'm sure there's more, those are just the recent ones that were my culprits!
Oh, and how 'bout accelerator pump jets, got those clean?

[kerryb]

Is this the 550 with pods and open exhaust?  I just went through that with my '77 cb550 with pods and cold starts were the hardest part because there is no accelerator pump to get some gas in there.  After you check the timing and plug caps again, try full choke and holding the throttle wide open while kicking it.  I'm running stock points, emgo pods, and 4 into 1 exhaust, cold starts are the hardest!  Timing and plug caps solved my problems.

[Greyhound]

Yes that’s the one. Hmm okay I recently cleaned out the carbs meticulously, set timing when installing the Pamco ignition. It has new plugs, wires and caps. I guess I’ll have to go back through all of it again to be totally certain. It would kick over fairly easily before the Pamco.

I’m also running a smaller lithium battery, all lighting is LED including the headlight bulb to decrease power consumption.

I’ll also try the wot with full choke while kicking.

I’m tempted to go back to points and installing that Hondaman transistorized ignition system.

[Scott S]

 Did Pamco ever make an E-Advancer for the SOHC4? Are you sure you have the correct Pamco? I thought he only offered the E-Advancer for twins?


 EDIT: The E-Advancer may be part of the issue. The SOHC4 doesn't use it.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=138073.0

[PeWe]

I had Pamco on my CB750 until it fried the 2:3 module.
Used CB750 stock advancer that advanced way too early due to the springs which I fixed.
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,131339.msg1464986.html#msg1464986

[Stev-o]

I've read many problems with Pampco products and he retired last year and is out of business.

[dusterdude]

That's nice to hear.so when mine finally takes a dump,I have to find something else.yayyyyy

Sent from my LM-X420 using Tapatalk

[Scott S]

 I put 10's of thousands of miles on Pamco equipped bikes. XS650's, Honda 4's and twins. Never had a single issue.
 In fact, I limped home on an XS650 with less than 6 volts on the battery. Brushes were shot. I turned off the headlight and the Pamco work with just a little over 5 volts.

 Pete got ripped off by one of his vendors so he retired.

 But, I digress. I think the issue here is 1) trying to run the E-Advance on a bike if wasn't designed for and 2), pods.

[Greyhound]

I posted in the wrong forum! This is in regards to my CB450 (twin). Sometimes I only have time to post late night before bed after working all day, and get a little loopy. My apologies.

Pete retired..? Meaning, no more Pamco units being made??

[Scott S]

 Ah...  but earlier in this thread you said it was on a 550 with pods.

 MikesXS ripped off Pete and had Chinese copies made. The quality was poor and lots of people had issues.
 When and where did you purchase your unit? It's possible that you have the rip off and that can be a big part of your problem.

[Korven]

Ah...  but earlier in this thread you said it was on a 550 with pods.

 MikesXS ripped off Pete and had Chinese copies made. The quality was poor and lots of people had issues.
 When and where did you purchase your unit? It's possible that you have the rip off and that can be a big part of your problem.

Exactly what happened?

[Scott S]

 With what? Pamco?

 Pretty much what I stated above. MikesXS was his first and biggest distributor, along with CB750Supply.

 A lot of the XS650 guys started reporting failures and quality issues that weren't on par with Pete's record.  Upon investigation,  Pete found out Mike's has reverse engineered his product and was having copies made in China; right down to the "Pamco" printed on the circuit board. Inferior copies.
 Pete got (rightfully) pissed and shut down production and went back into retirement.

 So..... if you have a "Pamco" for any model, look at when, where and who you bought it from before bashing Pamco Pete the man.

[Stev-o]

  So..... if you have a "Pamco" for any model, look at when, where and who you bought it from before bashing Pamco Pete the man.

Just to be clear, I wasn't bashing Pamco, just stating that I've read about a lot of complaints
[a buddy mentioned this just last week when I stopped by his shop]
I dont have a dog in this hunt.

There are multiple threads....

https://www.google.com/search?q=pamco+ignition+uissue&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS786US786&oq=pamco+ignition+uissue&aqs=chrome..69i57j33.12654j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[PeWe]

I bought my  Pamco from vintagecb750  2012, Ultimate kit.
Started to use it late 2013, fried early 2014.
Warranty was no longer valid, usage a few months, mostly some starts in garage.

The ultimate coils included in that kit real crap too, HT lead connections were small screws that fell out from the plastic. Tightened with thumb and index finger.
So if those coils are still sold, use Dyna 5 ohms instead or stock wirh replicas.

[70CB750]

I used Pamco in Dorothy from 2011 till I took her apart for a rebuild.  Total 25,000 + miles and zero problems.

Red is running Pamco ever since and never had a single problem starting with kick start.

[Scott S]

I bought my  Pamco from vintagecb750  2012, Ultimate kit.
Started to use it late 2013, fried early 2014.
Warranty was no longer valid, usage a few months, mostly some starts in garage.

The ultimate coils included in that kit real crap too, HT lead connections were small screws that fell out from the plastic. Tightened with thumb and index finger.
So if those coils are still sold, use Dyna 5 ohms instead or stock wirh replicas.

 Another thing to add: Pete never sold a "kit". CB750Supply and MikeXS put those kits together, often with coils that Pete explicitly told them not to use. That was another headache that Pete had to deal with when problems popped up.

 The vast majority of Pamcos that Pete produced were dependable.  Most failures were from user installation error (though not all, of course) and he STILL warrantied those units too.
 

[Scott S]

  So..... if you have a "Pamco" for any model, look at when, where and who you bought it from before bashing Pamco Pete the man.

Just to be clear, I wasn't bashing Pamco, just stating that I've read about a lot of complaints
[a buddy mentioned this just last week when I stopped by his shop]
I dont have a dog in this hunt.

There are multiple threads....

https://www.google.com/search?q=pamco+ignition+uissue&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS786US786&oq=pamco+ignition+uissue&aqs=chrome..69i57j33.12654j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 Read those threads. Pete was there offering support.  Ever seen Dyna do that? And his many times a  year do we get the same question about a Dyna failure.  I'd say their rate is much higher.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS786US786&ei=H2CHXtqLBeHm_QaNg5WQBA&q=dyna+ignition+uissue&oq=dyna+ignition+uissue&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAMyBAgeEAo6BAgAEA06BggAEA0QHlCoCViQMGCgN2gCcAB4AIABngGIAbcMkgEENC4xMJgBAKABAQ&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp

[PeWe]

I bought my  Pamco from vintagecb750  2012, Ultimate kit.
Started to use it late 2013, fried early 2014.
Warranty was no longer valid, usage a few months, mostly some starts in garage.

The ultimate coils included in that kit real crap too, HT lead connections were small screws that fell out from the plastic. Tightened with thumb and index finger.
So if those coils are still sold, use Dyna 5 ohms instead or stock wirh replicas.

 Another thing to add: Pete never sold a "kit". CB750Supply and MikeXS put those kits together, often with coils that Pete explicitly told them not to use. That was another headache that Pete had to deal with when problems popped up.

 The vast majority of Pamcos that Pete produced were dependable.  Most failures were from user installation error (though not all, of course) and he STILL warrantied those units too.

If you read my post you'll see that I bought coils and ignition from vintagecb750.

The kit was called "Ultimate Pamco ignition kit".
Item no:  14-082
$239,00 USD.
They sold different options.
This was with Pamco ignition, Ultimate coils, yellow HT leads also called Ultimate.

I still have the receipt, order date 21 July 2012.

[70CB750]

I had the same kit on Dorothy.

[Scott S]

 That's what I'm talking about.  Those kits were entirely put together by the vendor, not Pamco.

[gheorghe]

I've been away from the moto world for a few years but I had a PAMCO ignition on my XS650 and was super happy with it, never had an issue and the bike always fired up first kick. I had an issue with the stock charging system before going PM and limped the bike home on a very low battery like the comment above, I was happy with the system and was hoping to buy one for my CB550 project. I'm pretty bummed. Does anyone have a good ignition source as a backup?

[Greyhound]

I’m working on three bikes, CB550 (four cylinder), CB450 (twin) and a CB500T (twin), and got mixed up for a moment. Although glad I posted and learned some insightful news. The situation with Pamco/Pete is sad to say the least.

The Pamco unit I ordered did indeed come in a kit, which I ordered from 4into1, so hopefully it wasn’t one of the inferior knock offs.

[scottly]

For anyone running the Pamco ignition with the E-advancer... Have you found that it is damn near impossible to kickstart the bike when engine is cold? (And still more difficult than usual when warm)

Did the hard starting problem start after converting from points? If so, you probably have the ignition timing  set incorrectly. If it seems sluggish when starting, like it fires but just can't quite keep running, the timing is retarded. If it kicks back, the timing is advanced.

[Scott S]

I’m working on three bikes, CB550 (four cylinder), CB450 (twin) and a CB500T (twin), and got mixed up for a moment. Although glad I posted and learned some insightful news. The situation with Pamco/Pete is sad to say the least.

The Pamco unit I ordered did indeed come in a kit, which I ordered from 4into1, so hopefully it wasn’t one of the inferior knock offs.

 I'm not aware of 4into1 selling the knockoff unit. It was MikesXS and CB750Supply (who happen to be the same people). I don't know if 4into1 was involved or not.