Ign. Coil replaced but still Running on two cylinders...??

[TBAdventures]

hi,
i was cruising down the highway the other day when my '81 GS 850 GX hiccuped. i twisted the throttle to ride it out but slowly my speed decreased and i just managed to get off at the next exit. after a much appreciated trailer-ing home from my buddy i gave the bike a look. i had a blown ignition fuse. upon removing the tank i saw that my left coil (which prompts 1-4) had what appeared to be wax pouring out of it, as if it had melted down. i popped in a new fuse and started her up. 2-3's pipes got hot in 30 secs but 1-4 stayed cold. i was running on 2 cylinders. I ordered a new coil (aftermarket, EMGO) and after a 4 week wait (COME ON!!) installed it, reconnecting the wiring and plugs. fired her up without success. my manual offers little in the way of guidance...other than telling me that when a coil goes it need replacement (no sh!$). any thoughts on what my next move should be would be appreciated.

[salty_monk]

Ignitor & ignition trigger (or associated wiring) are the only other likely culprits if the hot wire to the coil isn't fried (i.e. coil is getting 10v plus)....

[wkmpt]

Make sure all of your connectors (especially the ones dealing with your ignition system) are clean and corrosion-free, then put a healthy dollop of dielectric silicon on/in each one of them.

Related anecdote for example of previous suggestion: I just repaired a GS500 twin that was running poorly on one cylinder. Was running like garbage and no matter what I cleaned, tested, replaced, and so on, fixed it. Finally went through the whole system wire by wire and discovered significant corrosion (and subsequent heat damage) inside the connector between the signal generator and the igniter. Got rid of the bad connector and cleaned up the wire, hit the starter, and it fired up and ran like a new bike on both cylinders.

Also if you haven't already, consider the Coil Relay Mod, to make sure that your coils are getting the appropriate voltage. It's a good thing. There's a ton of write-ups on how to do it here on the forum.

[tom203]

Ignitor & ignition trigger (or associated wiring) are the only other likely culprits if the hot wire to the coil isn't fried (i.e. coil is getting 10v plus)....

Yes to this. Have you tried switching coil positions to see if this new coil will fire 2 and 3 ? Was your aftermarket coil about the same ohm resistance as your remaining good coil?

[TBAdventures]

thanks for the tips everyone!! i'll be sure to get on it an check these things...unfortunately i've been called away to work for the next ten days...get back on it after my return and let you know the scoop. gracias amigos