Topic: grrr bog down then dies on highway SOLVED!

[mrbreeze]

One thing I don't see mentioned is the ignition switch itself. People have had problems with that before.

[scottly]

One thing I don't see mentioned is the ignition switch itself. People have had problems with that before.

Good point!

[Ayrity]

I assume the ignition (key) switch is good because I always have electric to the lights even when it dies. That is also the reason I know my charging system is working, almost died on me when trying to start it up at one point, but once it ran for even a few mins again, battery was def stronger.

maybe the kill switch?

[scottly]

I assume the ignition (key) switch is good because I always have electric to the lights even when it dies. That is also the reason I know my charging system is working, almost died on me when trying to start it up at one point, but once it ran for even a few mins again, battery was def stronger.

maybe the kill switch?

Could be. Maybe you could monitor the voltage at the black wire that goes to the coils, tape the meter to the tank?

[Ayrity]

ill try that in a bit, I am melting in the florida sun here... doesnt help that I am sweating haha.

[scottly]

Just to be perfectly clear, I'm talking about the SMALL black wire, not the spark plug wire. (you'll fry your meter!)

[Duke McDukiedook]

If it runs fine for a while then goes to crap after warming up that would point to a bad CDI.

Some of these units are known to go south sometimes after getting to running temperatures, means the unit is bad and needs replacing to a new CDI or switch it back to points.

[Mdub]

ok big big EDIT!!!!!!!!! I rode it around some more, till it really wasnt going at all, hard to restart. checked for spark... none! so now I am pretty sure I know my problem. What would cause all plugs to not fire once its heated up? could BOTH coils have gone bad at the same time??? maybe it is something to do with the ignition "cam"? people with aftermarket ignitions please help!

o.k., now we're getting somewhere.
1 and 4 are sparked by one coil and 2 and 3 are sparked by the other.
It'll run and get you home on 2 cylinders, so, if it dies COMPLETELY you probably don't have any spark anywhere.
It'd be helpful to know for sure though.
Maybe you could check the 2-3 side of life after it dies.
The chances of both coils taking a cr@p at the same time are about slim to none.

If you had the original points plate to reinstall, that would eliminate the pickups.
In lieu of that, I would just cut to the chase and call Dyna @ 1.800.928.3962 and describe your pickups to them.
They have excellent customer service and will be able to shed some light.
Even if it's not a Dyna sensor you have, they'll be able to help.
If you do, they may offer a discount on a new one.

Don't get discouraged, sometimes you really have to bulldog these things to get to the bottom of them.
As in downright stubborn tenacity!

[Ayrity]

thanks for the dyna number. Maybe if I play dumb and tell them its one of theirs, they will cut me a deal and not ask me to send in the broken one? heh. otherwise I think its cheaper to go to points right? like 30 bucks for new points and condensers. Could I mount them to the same plate?

[Mdub]

You can get points and cond. on a plate for $38 right here:
https://www.partsnmore.com/cat_index.php?model=cb550&category=electrical
About 3/4 down the page.
$22 gets you just the P's/C's
Don't know what shipping is.
Good luck!

[vegataxkc]

from a yahoo q and a post: "My 450 honda started cutting out at higher rpms. Turns out the bolts holding the coil were not tight enough. the vibration would cause the misconnection."

[Duke McDukiedook]

I would watch out for the cheap points and plate that partsnmore sells, spend your money on the Honda OEM in this case.

This is one place you don't really want to skimp.

[scottly]

If you go back to points, you will also need the point cam and probably the matching advance mechanism. You might want to do some looking on the "for Sale" page; maybe a member has what you need?

[Ayrity]

good idea scottly. I will do that. I thought I still had the mechanical advance unit on my bike even with the dyna? Im pretty sure I can still see it even

[manjisann]

Ayrity, the pulser coils (the thing on the right side cover) is the same as the one on the 1980 CB650. To test it, find the connector that connects to the wire harness, it should be under the seat area, and disconnect it. On the side that connects to the pulsers (the side with the wiring that is insulated by what appears to be braided cloth of some sort) test the same colors for resistance, blue and blue, and then yellow and yellow. The resistance should be 530 ohms plus or minus 50 ohms.

I had a set on my bike that the blue side was measuring 524 and the yellow side was measuring 540. I had a spare set that measured 514 on both sides. I swapped them out and rode the bike around, it seems to have fixed the problem. For fun I tested the pulsers after riding and it heating up and they both read 656, so as you can see after riding the resistance goes up. If your pulsers are reading too much over 530, once it warms up you may be getting too much resistance which is causing the coils to not fire correctly or at all.

This is just my unproven 2 cents.

Brandon

[Ayrity]

thanks and Ill check it out, I seem to have maybe fixed the problem though? I filed down the battery posts and checked all the wire connections I could see, and I had a tiny float leak, but I dont think thats what was causing it, since it was a bad gasket, there should still have been plenty of fuel in there. But anyway, I rode it around for about 8 mins and it didnt shut up once on me   I will take it for like a 1/2 hour ride tomorrow and see how it goes, and let you guys know. The only thing that worries me is I didnt "find" the problem, so if it is gone, it might come back... We will see how the test ride goes tomorrow.

[Hush]

That tiny leak may have been stuffing up your gas supply but would only have affected one cylinder so your shutdown problem is still a mystery.

[Mdub]

thanks and Ill check it out, I seem to have maybe fixed the problem though? I filed down the battery posts and checked all the wire connections I could see, and I had a tiny float leak, but I dont think thats what was causing it, since it was a bad gasket, there should still have been plenty of fuel in there. But anyway, I rode it around for about 8 mins and it didnt shut up once on me   I will take it for like a 1/2 hour ride tomorrow and see how it goes, and let you guys know. The only thing that worries me is I didnt "find" the problem, so if it is gone, it might come back... We will see how the test ride goes tomorrow.

 
Did I miss something? What gasket was bad?
 

[Ayrity]

OK it finally wasnt 10000 degrees or raining here in central FL, and I took it out, at about 17 seconds, it died again. It is for sure a spark problem, I checked all 4 spark plugs with a few spare spark plugs, nothing at all, but if I wait 30 mins, it gets spark again. Probably not both coils at the same time.... so I will be checking all the wires to and from the ignition system, starting with those wires that should measure 530 ohms.

[raymond10078]

My 2 cents.

I would swap the wires that come from the pickups (at the Dyna), and then also swap the wires that come from the Dyna to the coils (the "hot" wires controlled by the Dyna).

If you do this, and the problem "moves" to the 1-4 coils/plugs, then the problem is the "2-3 half" of the Dyna.  If the problem stays with the 2-3 coils/plugs, then the problem is with the 2-3 coil.

This all assumes that you can actually swap wires at the Dyna (from the pickups).  You can swap the wires at the coils pretty easy.

[Ayrity]

the whole system seems to be shutting down, not just 1-4 or 2-3...

[Mdub]

Did you ever call Dyna and ask about the sensors?
They're very helpful.

[raymond10078]

I thought you only had a problem with 2-3?

If you're losing spark to all four plugs, then its most likely your Dyna, or the power supply to the Dyna.

Both coils at once - not likely.  The same goes for everything else (pickups, wiring, plugs/wires, coils, etc.).  The only thing in common with all of the above (that I can think of right now) is the Dyna, its power supply (its switched 12v power source), or maybe the ground path for the points plate (that be odd to not have all three screws loose, though).

[Ayrity]

OK here we go, after a long few days with the volt meter, I figured out that my ignition system was fine all around. Got a hunch and swapped out the battery (stupid wal mart letting me just trade it in with no receipt hehe) and the problem is GONE. I think the battery must have had some kind of defect, since I only got it 5 months ago or so. I checked and it charges around 14 volts at its highest. Hopefully it was the battery and not something the bike is doing TO the battery. Here's hoping! Thanks for everyone's help!