Dynatek ignition question

[Boriqua]

Still dealing with the aftermath of the fire.

Everything seemed to be in order but the bike was being a dog. I came home and tested and I have no spark at 2-3.
I have power to the coil.
Did an ohms check across the coil terminals and have 3.3 ohms
I did an ohms check and the signal wire from under the seat to the coil is clean and not grounded. OHM reading 0.00

So I went backwards and decided to check the ignition. I took a light and attached it to ground on battery and the signal side of the 1-4 and rotated the engine and the light would blink on and turn off appropriately.

I then put the light on Ground from battery and to the signal side of 2-3 and the light just stays on and doesnt blink. Turning the engine has no effect it just stays on.

So I cut the signal wire going to 2-3 and still when I go from battery ground to the 2-3 signal terminal I get a steady light and it does not pass the ohms test because it wont zero out.

 

[Gorminrider]

I am thinking I have a grounded wire from the ignition to the wiring harness under the seat

that'd blow a fuse wouldn't it? or, if it's shorting to any + carrying wire, it won't affect anything except maybe your kill switch won't work when your brakelight comes on ....something odd like that.

No experience with dynatek but Given your blinking test light sounds like a handy tool , you could maybe power it all up independent of the bike's harness ...you know, disconnect the Orange/White leads from coils, (and thereby the dynatek, harness, the kill switch,key and all )...then apply 12v directly from the battery to the dynatek's + side and turn the engine round again to see if you can get it to blink on the "2-3" side

or I have a bad module

that "assumption" sounds more correct...from the diagram you(?) gave me it looks like you can't do much with those modules seeing as the timing signal from the crank and the actual control of the coils looks to be all in one unit.

 

[Boriqua]

Well here is a bit of really confusing information.

I just did a voltage test at the coil in question and I get power at both terminals. On my working coil I get 12+ at the power side and get a reading of like 1.5 at the signal side. On the coil I am having trouble with I am getting 12+ on both screws even with the signal wire cut and unable to bring power.

I then removed the wire from the bottom screw. The top screw on my 2-3 coil is my orange white and carrying power. I left just the screw hole in the bottom screw. I still tested 12+ volts on both terminals.

Coil time?

 

[Steve]

Regarding your coil test, it's helpful to know what is actually there and what to expect. :-k

Inside the coil are two wires. One is on the primary side, the other is on the secondary side. Each of them wraps around a common iron core. Because it is just a wire, when you apply voltage at one terminal, you should expect that same voltage at the other terminal, unless there is something else connected to the second terminal. With nothing connected to what you are calling the "signal" side, you should see the same voltage on both screws.

Your "signal" terminal is actually your ground terminal. Under normal circumstances, the ignition module (stock or Dyna) will provide a solid connection to ground, so the coil has current flowing through it, which creates a magnetic field in the iron core. When the little flag on the end of the crank goes past the sensor, it triggers the transistors in the ignition module to open, momentarily stopping current flow. Stopping the current collapses that magnetic field, and that change is what creates the spark in the secondary winding.

If you have all your wiring connected correctly and check your coil terminals with the engine not running, the power side should have battery voltage all the time, the "signal" terminal should not have power. As you rotate the engine (manually or with the starter), your test light should flicker as the flag on the end of the crank goes past the sensor. If you remove (cut?) the wire on the "signal" terminal, it will be live all the time, as there is nothing there to ground it.

.

 

[Boriqua]

Steve .. thank you .. that was one of the best responses I could have hoped for. Not only did I learn something new but it helps me to trouble shoot. You da man!

 

[Steve]

Thanks. I get tired occasionally of all the responses that say "check this" or "do that" without explaining what is going on, what you should see and WHY.

Responders also have no idea of the original poster's mechanical ability or competence in troubleshooting, so there are times where a step-by-step approach is called for. If you already know the stuff, it might seem like I am talking down to you, but you are not the only one that might see the post, so somebody might find it informational. This time, it was your turn. :encouragement:

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