coil relay mod problems

[bonzo]

On sunday I installed the coil relay mod on my 82 GS1100g by following the instructions on basscliffs site. Hooked everything up, tested the voltage from the + on the battery and it was 11.8v all the way to the relay (30) then from the relay to the coils(87) 9.8v. figured it should have been around the same as the V from the battery but OK. The switched input (86)was the same as the coils 9.8v? which is what the coils were getting pre relay mod??? regardless I put the tank back on and fired it. Started easily and out on a road test ran better than before. Good accelaration, no popping and a smooth idle. Felt very good about the world, even gave the bike a rub like winning nag and whispered very nice things to it. Then this morning, I went to start it and the battery was d-e-a-d. Was fully charged pre the coil relay mod and only kicked it over once on completion. battery should be good only 12 months old. Obviously my first thought was that I've stuffed up and the battery was draining all night. Is that possible, thoughts?

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Do you have a good ground on post 85 of your relay? Do you have the orange/white wires reversed at 86 and 87? Once you turn on the ignition switch you should see the battery voltage at 30 and 87. Where did you get your hot wire for post 30?

Reference:

Coil Relay Modification
(by Mr. oldryder and Mr. Matchless)

More On Coil Relay Modification


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[bonzo]

Hi,

Do you have a good ground on post 85 of your relay? Do you have the orange/white wires reversed at 86 and 87? Once you turn on the ignition switch you should see the battery voltage at 30 and 87. Where did you get your hot wire for post 30?

Reference:

Coil Relay Modification
(by Mr. oldryder and Mr. Matchless)

More On Coil Relay Modification


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

I think I've realised what has happened. I looked at another diagram from your website. The one on your yellow tips sheet. It has 30 being the hot wire but the other bosch diagram linked from that page has 30 as the switched input supply. I thought they were standardised? So I reckon Ive got 86 and 30 the wrong way around which is why my voltage to the coils matches the switched input. Heres a tip for anyone about to do this mod. make sure you use the right wiring diagrams!! now just to make sure Ive got it right:

86= kill switch
85= ground
87= coils
30= + to battery (with in line fuse)

[bonzo]

I've swapped them over and the batteries on the charger. The improvements i noticed must have been from just playing with the harness and cleaning up the orange/white wires....either that or a placebo effect

[posplayr]

W

I've swapped them over and the batteries on the charger. The improvements i noticed must have been from just playing with the harness and cleaning up the orange/white wires....either that or a placebo effect

well you had whispered some niceities into. It's ear Before

[BassCliff]

I think I've realised what has happened.... Heres a tip for anyone about to do this mod. make sure you use the right wiring diagrams!! now just to make sure Ive got it right:

86= kill switch
85= ground
87= coils
30= + to battery (with in line fuse)

Hi,

Nice work. This is just how I explained it in my own little coil relay mod story using the "GLC" mnemonic.

Did you notice an anomaly somewhere in one of the diagrams? Let me know so that I can fix it or provide additional explanations.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[bonzo]

Hi,

Nice work. This is just how I explained it in my own little coil relay mod story using the "GLC" mnemonic.

Did you notice an anomaly somewhere in one of the diagrams? Let me know so that I can fix it or provide additional explanations.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

Yeah the diagrams are different. The diagrams on the one pager by Mr oldryder and mr matchless is correct. Theres a link to another explanation (2nd one down) that has a diagram of a bosch relay that says 30 is the switched input. That was the one I was orginally following.

All working well now. took 5mins to get the tank off and swap over again and test. close to 12v running to the coils now when the ignition is on. I got the benefit even with the + and switched power around the wrong way orginally because one of the coils was getting fluctuating V from 10.8 to 4. so bad connection at the orange and white 'hub' in the harness. I rewired the 2 coils wires together for a single connection to the relay so even though i was still getting the switched voltage it was still better than before. But now....even better. Like a different bike. It took me 18 months to get around to doing this mod. I should have done it as soon as I picked up the bike...or at least taken the 5 secs to check the V to the coils. Oh well we live and learn.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Do you mean this diagram is bad?



I know it says #36 instead of #30. Is that what you mean? Otherwise it is correct.



Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[bonzo]

no I meant the attached diagram.

Also Im having ongoing problems. When the bike warms up it starts to run badly and progressively gets worse. I managed to get to where I was going yesterday and a few hours later when I returned thinking I'd have to get a mate out with a trailer it started and ran great so I took a chance and rode home but again about 6kms down the road a few splutters then it seems like 2 cylinders weren't firing. What the hell is going on? as Im about to attack it with a bat.

just to recap; Ive done the relay mod, + from battery is fused 20a. when i tested the voltage to the relay I had + from battery= 11.8v, switched input=10.4v. power to the coils was 11.8v with the ignition on. Ive got newish dyna 3ohm green coils. relay is zip tied to the frame brace behind the coils. the relay and its connections are exposed but I didnt think that would be a problem.

[spyug]

The fact that it runs worse as it warms up tells me its something related to electrical connections.

I had a very similar situation with an XV500 Virago. The first 15 minutes of the ride were fine then it would break down and ultimately stop running. After months of anguish trying to figure it out, it turned out to be a breakdown in solder points in the CDI ( actually TCI in the case of Yammies) box. When the bike was cold the contacts were being made, when it warmed up they would seperate. Luckily there was a chap in the States that rebuilt them. If possible you could test this theory by swapping out your igniter with another from a similar bike. That's how I found my problem.

It could also be a faulty coil and it is probably more likely to be a coil. The same thing happens. Good contacts when cold then it warms up and the contact breaks. Have you checked them? There should be info on coil checking on Cliff's site or in the archives. I've also had that happen but again on a Yammie ( that's why I'm a GS fanatic now).

Check the coils and let us know what you find.

Good luck.
Spyug

[posplayr]

The fact that it runs worse as it warms up tells me its something related to electrical connections.

it could be electrical but bear in mind, carburation can also have temperature related effects.

[bonzo]

The coils are only 10 months old but I know that doesn't guarantee one/both isn't faulty. Ill check basscliffs site for the instructions. In the meantime I've re-routed the earth from a common B/W running through the harness to the main frame earth. I ran the bike for a short trip yesterday and I didn't get the same problem. But I really need to run it longer to know for sure. Not sure why the earth may have been a problem when it heated up just thought I would run a better earth anyway. I tell you, I'm becoming very annoyed with these problems it as it takes so much time to resolve and eats into any riding time I just want it to run for a few weeks without drama.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Just be patient. When I got my 850 I spent 5-6 months on it as a spare time project over the winter ( what's that?? im in Ca) Anyway she has given me 25K trouble free miles. I don't ride on a regular basis, just knowing I can take off any time I get the urge

[bonzo]

I don't want to draw this thread out but just wanted to let people who read it down the track know what the result was. My issues with the bike bogging down after 15mins or so was due to a clogged fuel cap air vent. Couldn't believe it. Someone gave me the tip that it had happened to their gs1100 as well. So gave it a soak in fuel and bit of a spray with wd40 and after a few short test rides rode it for 120kms this morning including a squirt down the highway and no problems at all. Just noticably better since the coild relay mod. Just when I thought I was out it drags me back in...

[posplayr]

I don't want to draw this thread out but just wanted to let people who read it down the track know what the result was. My issues with the bike bogging down after 15mins or so was due to a clogged fuel cap air vent. Couldn't believe it. Someone gave me the tip that it had happened to their gs1100 as well. So gave it a soak in fuel and bit of a spray with wd40 and after a few short test rides rode it for 120kms this morning including a squirt down the highway and no problems at all. Just noticably better since the coild relay mod. Just when I thought I was out it drags me back in...

is a vent in the cap or in the tank itself. There are vents holes right in the gas tank neck that can cause the tank to over flow. What model/year bike again? This is the 82 1100G?