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Coil relay mod - what a difference!

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Guest

Guest
Today I did the coil relay mod on my 1981 GS650GL. The bike was running very well - when warm it idles nicely, returns to idle without hanging, good power, etc. There were no indications of it running rich with the exception of the black, sooty plugs. Even when I would adjust the mixture to intentionally run lean the plugs would still get sooty. The float levels are spot on so, after some searching, the coil relay mod seemed like it might be a solution.

The bike always started immediately on choke, but never ran smoothly. It kind of sputtered and would eventually take off as the bike warmed up. It was a good 2 minutes before the bike would idle nicely with the choke off. Well, today I loosely put together the coil mod wiring just to make sure my connections were correct. I started it on choke and the difference was immediately noticeable. It was smooth and the RPMs climbed almost immediately. Wow, I was quite pleased. So I went to work soldering my connections, cleaning up the wiring and making it all look pretty. I put everything back together and started it up again. This was about 2 hours after the first time so the engine was cold. It fired up right away but settled into a smooth idle at around 800 rpm. I thought that was odd, but it wasn't running roughly, sputtering or anything like that. I then realized that I didn't pull the choke knob out. The bike would never start and stay running when cold before this mod. I'm quite pleased. Now for a road test to see if there is any noticeable difference when riding.

Cheers!
K
 
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Your experiences mimic my own on my 850. Great mod to make time for.
 
It will pull smoother and run nicer when the LT connections are all clean, with the coils getting what they should.
The coil relay mod is something I've been meaning to do for a while.
 
Redman said:
What was the voltage at the coils before...?

.
Click to expand...
I was getting 9.8 volts at the coils before the mod, around 11.9 now. Well worth the work.

After a short ride last night I'm happy with the results. It now purrs like a kitten at idle and pulls smoother. It even sounds different both at idle and when accelerating.

Cheers!
K
 
I really have not had much luck searching here it is a challenge.
 
I did mine a couple of weeks ago. I was getting 10.1 at the coils and now 11.9. I cant even begin to describe the difference. Last year the best i could get was around 35 mpg. I am looking forward to seeing what I get now, if it ever warms up enough to burn a tank of gas.
 
mainiac said:
I did mine a couple of weeks ago. I was getting 10.1 at the coils and now 11.9. I cant even begin to describe the difference. Last year the best i could get was around 35 mpg. I am looking forward to seeing what I get now, if it ever warms up enough to burn a tank of gas.
Click to expand...

I got a question regarding the relay ignition coil mod. So in my case I was measuring 9.2 volts at my coils. Way low. I am currently in process of installing the relay mod and I understand the original orange/white wire in the big bundle (which is where I had the 9.2 volts) will be powering the coil of the relay and the new clean 12v will be on a wiper of the relay. My question is - how low a voltage on the coil of the relay before you would see chattering on the relay ? I see you had 10.1 volts and apparently there is no chattering.

I excited to see the difference after the mod. I had weak spark and fouling plugs before.
 
This mod is on my list. I had to clean up stator/rectifier issues before considering this. Make sure your system is already providing proper power from the non-battery components.
 
BillH said:
I got a question regarding the relay ignition coil mod. So in my case I was measuring 9.2 volts at my coils. Way low. I am currently in process of installing the relay mod and I understand the original orange/white wire in the big bundle (which is where I had the 9.2 volts) will be powering the coil of the relay and the new clean 12v will be on a wiper of the relay. My question is - how low a voltage on the coil of the relay before you would see chattering on the relay ? I see you had 10.1 volts and apparently there is no chattering.

I excited to see the difference after the mod. I had weak spark and fouling plugs before.
Click to expand...
I am not sure how low the voltage would have to be before it would cause problems to the relay. I read on here somewhere that it takes very little voltage to operate the relay. I am pretty sure 9.2 will work it fine. Hopefully some one who knows more about it will be along to give you a better answer.
 
You would have to test that one yourself, but it doesn't take much to reliably close the relay, that's part of the beauty of the mod. The first time I cleaned my kill switch the contacts were covered with a green waxy patina and the mod worked like a champ before I cleaned the switch.
 
well I have an issue installing the mod. I can not find the little brass spade connectors in town. I can buy the relay and relay base with pigtails already in place. However, no new brass spade connectors by themselves with the little side clips. I can find aluminum that can be crimped but the crimp bezel is too close and will not let the spades fully insert in base and beside those have no clip on the side to lock in place. I didn't want to splice into the pigtails with my wiring but at this point I don't have an option. I can remove the pigtail spade connectors with a little jewelers screwdriver but they are already crimped on the pigtails.

I have not seen anyone else run into this issue. I have checked locally with AutoZone, Advanced Auto, and even the local electronics store. I can buy the bases all day long with pigtails already in place but no connector spade contacts with the clips by themselves.

Where has anyone that installed the mod get those new spade connectors ?
 
Search the web for a place called Vintage Connections. They have all you need. They're cheap and ship fast.
 
BillH said:
I have not seen anyone else run into this issue. I have checked locally with AutoZone, Advanced Auto, and even the local electronics store. I can buy the bases all day long with pigtails already in place but no connector spade contacts with the clips by themselves.

Where has anyone that installed the mod get those new spade connectors ?
Click to expand...

[h=1]All the Wrong Places[/h]
 
LOL loved it !! I raised my hand at the end when asked any veterans
 
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