Points/condenser replaced..now no spark

[Super]

I guess you mean swapping the condenser leads and see if I get the same problems on the 1&4 coil? I should probably try that then...I have switched the coils to confirm that the 2&3 side of the points were bad. I'll let you know what I find by switching them.

By the way, I saw your GS1000 rebuild post. If I can help, let me know.

[Super]

Okay...I switched the condenser leads and got the same results!...spark on 1&4 and no spark on 2&3..? Perhaps I have gotten 2 bad coils...the original coil and one I had laying around.
But that can't be because I switched coils earlier and got the same results..I guess I'm going to have to continue to chase the wiring, maybe something is broken or crimped where I can't see it easily.

[Super]

I feel like I'm missing a ground wire somewhere in the points/condenser/breaker plate area? The white wire and black wire going through the casing to the points both have power so is there some kind of grounding wire behind the breaker plate?

Thanks in advance...I need to take a break and my neighbor invited me over to his pool. I guess I'll have to meditate on this for a while in the water and hope for some help from the experts/experienced. Will check back in a little while.

[Suzuki_Don]

OK Super, WIWT (wish I was there) in person and we would sort this out. You've been given a lot of good advice from Flyboy especially and the normal, everyday issues seem to have been covered. So now it gets down to some serious trouble shooting.

You say there is power (12v) to both the white and black wires. Yes. And you say that there is only sparks at the 1-4 set of points when separated. Yes.

This is how I would approach it. Remove the white and black wires from their respective set of points. Using a multi meter with the ign ON test each lead (white then black) to earth and you should see whatever the battery voltage is, roughly 12v, but could be lower (maybe 11.2v, etc) if the ign has been ON for some length of time doing testing. One lead of multimeter is clipped to a good earth (cylinder fins, crankcase, etc) then other lead goes to the white or black points wire.

Get back to us with the results.

If you have 12v (or whatever battery voltage is) on both points wires and that voltage is the same (both wires need to have equal voltage) then attach each wire in turn to the 1-4 set of points with a condenser wire. Make sure this set of points is closed. Turn ign ON and separate this set of points (1-4) and there should be a spark between the point contacts as they separate. If you see a spark with each lead (white and black) attached in turn then that proves two things. That the set of points is installed properly and working as they should. And secondly that both sets of wiring from the points back to the respective coils is intact and working as they should.

If these tests result in the above senario then there is a problem with the 2-3 set of points and probably the way they have been installed. There are no earth or ground wires on any of the points or backing plates. The points earth to the backing plate through direct contact and the backing plate earths to the crankcase housing which in turn earths to the battery via the negative lead.

Remove the 2-3 set of points and make sure all the fibre or plastic washers are in correct orientation. The 12v coming to the points must be insulated from the baseplate when the points are open, when the points close the 12v is allowed to go to earth. So make sure the 12v does not have a path to earth when the points are open. Check against the other set of points for clarity.

Also make sure the 2-3 points are actually closing when on the low part of the cam, this can be done using the multimeter set on the ohms scale. Although me being an old timer I insert a cigarette paper (no I'm not a smoker) between the points and rotate the engine and make sure as the points close they clamp the cigarette paper good and tight. This is how we used to do the ign timing in the "good old days" before we had multimeters, you would put the cigarette paper between the points and rotate the engine and you would pull lightly on the cigarette paper and as the points just started to open they would release the cigarette paper and it would pull away slightly letiing you know the points were just starting to open. Anyway I've been side tracked. Sorry!!!!!

Get back to us with results.

P.S. If you put the white or black wire from the coils on the wrong side of the insulating washer then that can run the 12v straight to earth.

[chuck hahn]

The black hot wire from the 1/4 coil comes down and goes to the points on the 1/4 timing plate and a condenser is hooked to that as well. the same set up for the 2/3 coil. Be sure that both the blcak wire and the condenser spades are connected on the NUT SIDE of the fiber disc insulator. I saw the ;pic of the wires on the head side too...really makes no difference as long as they are on the outer sides of the insulators. As for wire color...mine are black on the 1000s ( which i recently done ) Guess you need to identify which is the hot wire that corresopnds with which coil.

[Super]

I figured it out!!

Following everyone's help I began to see a constant issue. That the 2&3 points had to be insulated COMPLETELY for them to work. I went back and reviewed my order of changing the points from the beginning and remembered that the original points had a different insulating washer setup.

There was a very small insulating tube that went around the screw that was then followed by an insulating washer on the original points. The new set of points had a single insulating washer with a dimple in the middle. I guess the dimple was to take the place of the small tube and when I looked at the newer washer, it looked as if it had been compromised/squashed. I pulled the small tube and washer from the original points, put them in and MAGIC!! I got spark on the 2&3 coil!!

Thanks to everyone for their help and support. This site is awesome!! Now I will set the timing tomorrow and try cranking her up...

[Suzuki_Don]

Well done super. Glad you got it sorted.

That's great. You're sons will be happy. Keep us updated on the results.

[Super]

Will do..and again, thanks for the help.

[Flyboy]

WoooooHoooooo