Topic: What options do I have for replacement coils?

[Saml01]

I think the coils on my bike are dieing.
I have been making some consideration like bolting on universal coils, but they are HUGE.
MikeXS.com sells coils for a Yamaha XS650, 4ohm, so they might work, but will require a little work to mount.

I dont want to buy 35 year old coils on ebay only to have them fail again.

Nology, and Dynatek are too expensive.

Does anyone make a bolt on replacement thats as cheap as the Yamaha coils sold by MikeXS or similar for a 74 CB 360?

[HavocTurbo]

Cannot say for sure that the coils on the 360's were ever a huge problem but you never know how they are taken care of before we get them.

I'll look and see if I have any lying around, if so they are yours for the cost of shipping.

If not... I'll start looking for you as well.

[Saml01]

That would be fantastic.

Thank You.

[tbpmusic]

Read this - it applies to CB360's as well - almost a bolt-up.......

http://www.hondatwins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=782

[Saml01]

Read this - it applies to CB360's as well - almost a bolt-up.......

http://www.hondatwins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=782

Excellent.
Someone had made the recommendation on caferacer, and this seals the deal.

[Saml01]

I had my mechanic bring me some motorcraft coils off a ford 4.6l, and they are inductive type. Says try them for "random symbols" and giggles, but I dont want to burn the bike down.

My only theory is that the extra current draw of the lower primary resistance will either:
A. consume points a lot faster because it will demand a higher current.
B. The electrical system wont be able to provide enough juice and eventually the battery will run down.

Does anyone have a logical explanation as to why I cant use an automobile coil with a .7 ohm primary resistance?

A .40 plug gap is enticing.

[Markcb750]

Below about 3 Ohms your battery will rundown, among other things.  

Look for Hondamans and TwoTireds posts on the subject.

[Bodi]

With a 0.7 ohm load at 12 volts, you draw about 17 amps. That's for one coil. The main fuse is 15A. Even if the fuse doesn't blow, you'll melt the points in a few seconds, the contacts and connections are not capable of that much current. I can't recall if the CB360 has one or two coils (360 vs 180 crank)
There are lots of more normal resistance coils around, but they are usually pretty large. Is there a reason you don't want to use stock ones? Dyna has 3 ohm miniature coils. With a 3 ohm coil you can add a ballast resistor if you want a 5 ohm (stock) load, this will work OK, but a 0.7 coil will not work with a 4.3 ohm resistor.

[Saml01]

I didnt want to use the stock ones because until yesterday one was dead so I figured ill replace them both.

Today I went to the garage and swapped the coils left to the right and still the left cyl was dead, so I now know both coils work.

In fact at some point they both started working for some strange reason and now they are working so well they are fouling plugs at idle.

I have a theory though, I think they always worked but for some reason on the left cyl I was putting the spark out with excess fuel while the right was still lighting.

I ordered new pilot jets , #25 and 27.5. I think I should have gotten them from the very beginning seeing as I went to lower needle jets, and main jets as well, it would have only made sense to go down on pilots as well.

[Saml01]

I think I know how I fixed it.

I put in the bikes old plugs, and thats when I noticed it was working. Afterwords I compared the plug gap on the old plugs to the new. What do you know? I forgot to gap the new plugs. I figured since I bought them off bike bandit and they were listed under my bike, then they would be gapped properly. No.


Can anyone tell me if the wires on the stock coils are replaceable?

[HavocTurbo]

They should be... Unless they are glued in. (seen some wierd stuff on scooters)

[Saml01]

Might do a coil on plug setup in the future with these. I guess I can always bring the resistance up to 3ohm with a ballast resistor. Could be fun to try.

[Rampage1967]

Here's another option for you. I have been running mine this way all summer with no problems.
I have put around 2000 miles on the bike & have not roasted the points or had to reset them yet.
This home built system fires .060 plug gaps with no problem on my CB360.

This is not a bolt on, but, it works great.
Get 2 coils for an early 90's Chrysler 2.2.
A ballast resistor for a 1967 Chrysler.
A pair of plug wires to suit your installation.
Weather pack connectors for the coils.
These are the small square coils mounted next to the thermostat housing if you are Pick-N-Pull hunting.
These are 1.6 ohm coils, they WILL roast the points without a ballast resistor.
Go to your favorite auto parts store & get a ballast resistor for a 1967 Chrysler Newport with a 383 V8.
(this is a commonly stocked part at Auto Zone & cheap).
you will also need assorted wire, terminals & a diode or a relay to bypass the ballast during starting.

I do not have any pics of this  to post, but you can mount the coils in the stock location with the connections hanging down by fabricating adapter plates to mount to the stock holes in the frame.  I trimmed my stock coil mounts & put them back to retain the harness & condenser mounts. This allows the plug wires to come around the front of the engine above the exhaust pipes to the plugs. The wires i used are shortened 2.2 coil wires with Honda plug caps on them.

To hook up the wiring. Mount the ballast to a motor mount bolt. Connect the stock coil power lead to one side of the ballast. run a wire from the switched side of the starter relay to the other side of the ballast with a diode somewhere in the wire .. make sure the diode passes current from the relay to the ballast terminal. This will bypass the ballast during starting. Run a par of wires from this ballast terminal, one to each coil hot terminal. Run the other  wire from each coil to the proper point wire for each coil. Regap your spark plugs to .060 & enjoy the hotter spark!!

[Saml01]

Very cool idea.

How is the stock system getting power for the coils prior to starting or it doesnt?

I understand the purpose of bypassing the ballast resistor, but if this is going to be re-purposing it to power the coils as well it might run it out of spec?

Also, so I know we are talking about the same thing, the starter relay is the silver regulator?

Edit:
Before I had those coils and figured out the problem I was having, I was contemplating these.
http://www.shopatron.com/products/productdetail/COIL+BLACK+OIL+FILLED+%282.9+OHM%29/part_number=28010/591.0.1.1.9435.0.0.0.0?

[Rampage1967]

Very cool idea.

How is the stock system getting power for the coils prior to starting or it doesnt?

I understand the purpose of bypassing the ballast resistor, but if this is going to be re-purposing it to power the coils as well it might run it out of spec?

Also, so I know we are talking about the same thing, the starter relay is the silver regulator?

The stock system with no ballast simply turns on the power with the key & kill switch. This stays on during cranking. The added bypass on my system simply allows it to provide a good, hot spark during cranking. It does this by eliminating the ballast during cranking. Otherwise it operates just like stock.

The starter relay is the round thing behind the battery with the two heavy gauge cables attached by 10mm nuts.

[Pinhead]

Try GM HEI modules to power those Ford COPs (or any low-resistance primary coils for that matter).
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=53773.0

[Saml01]

Try GM HEI modules to power those Ford COPs (or any low-resistance primary coils for that matter).
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=53773.0

very awesome link. thanks.

The page for the cavalier coils is pretty much exactly what I need. The motorcraft coils are about .7ohm. This will surely come in handy in the future.

The stock system with no ballast simply turns on the power with the key & kill switch. This stays on during cranking. The added bypass on my system simply allows it to provide a good, hot spark during cranking. It does this by eliminating the ballast during cranking. Otherwise it operates just like stock.

The starter relay is the round thing behind the battery with the two heavy gauge cables attached by 10mm nuts.

Yes, OK. Now I know exactly what you are suggesting.