ignitor test??

[rustybronco]

Put the side cover back on, put it in 2nd or 3rd, set the choke, turn the key on and try push starting it...

[BigD_83]

You may not be doing the test correctly. Shouldn't #2 spark when you DISCONNECT the meter? Did you observe this?

Try the test again the way Spyug recommended (without the plug cap). The cap may be faulty as well. What is your resistance reading across the leads?

[jordraatt]

You may not be doing the test correctly. Shouldn't #2 spark when you DISCONNECT the meter? Did you observe this?

Try the test again the way Spyug recommended (without the plug cap). The cap may be faulty as well. What is your resistance reading across the leads?

plug #2 and #4 should spark when i connect the voltmeter, and plug #1 and #3 should spark when i disconnect the voltmeter.. nothing happens.. also tried without the plug caps, nothing..

you mean the resistance between the green and the blue wire?? around 10 - 15 ohms

i guess the ignitor works almost like a relay??

[BigD_83]

That is the opposite of what my copy of the service manual says. Which leads are you hooking up to each of the blue and green wires?

I'm talking about the resistance from plug cap to plug cap (secondary resistance) on each set of coils. Should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 32 kΩ IIRC. If you are getting infinite resistance then you may not get spark.

[jordraatt]

i've checked all the plugs now, no spark at no moment.. also checked the restistance on the coils as you mentioned, and they showed somewhere around 200k.ohms..

i measured the voltage on the coils input, and it got a constant power of 11,5 volts.. that can't be normal??

[BigD_83]

i've checked all the plugs now, no spark at no moment.. also checked the restistance on the coils as you mentioned, and they showed somewhere around 200k.ohms..

i measured the voltage on the coils input, and it got a constant power of 11,5 volts.. that can't be normal??

200 kΩ is too high. I'd be surprised if you got any spark, even without a suspect ignitor.

Just to confirm...you're testing leads #1/#4 and #2/3 together?

What is the resistance of the leads without the plug caps on? Should be around 15 kΩ.

What is the resistance of each individual plug cap? Stockers should come in around 10 kΩ per cap.

The coil hot should be about the same as your battery voltage (0.3V drop actually), although it's not unusual in the posts I've read to see people have greater than a 1V drop before they clean up the electrical connections.

[BigD_83]

Nice one, Tom. That's a simpler test.

Will that work with the clutch lever out, assuming the clutch safety is still on the bike?

[tom203]

Nice one, Tom. That's a simpler test.

Will that work with the clutch lever out, assuming the clutch safety is still on the bike?

I think that's just for the starter! I tossed mine-the less safety switches the better!

[jordraatt]

i find it strange that there's no reaction on the ignitor's outputs (the wires that go to the coil) when i hook the voltmeter up to the green and the blue wire (signal generator input).. isn't it supposed to be working as a relay, giving electrical pulses to the coils??

is there another way to test the coils?? how about hooking up the battery directly to the coil, then i'm supposed to get spark i guess??

[Steve]

plug #2 and #4 should spark when i connect the voltmeter, and plug #1 and #3 should spark when i disconnect the voltmeter.

You are testing something wrong there. #1 and #4 should be coming off the left coil, #2 and #3 should be coming off the right coil.

Will that work with the clutch lever out, assuming the clutch safety is still on the bike?

The clutch switch only prevents using the electric starter. It does not prevent anything else from working.

.

[BigD_83]

You will not get spark just hooking the battery directly up to the coil. You have power there anyhow. The spark is created when an induced magnetic field collapses. There was a recent explanation:

The way coils work is like this:

"First, they are energized. They get a constant +12V when the bike's ignition is on. The ignition's job is to ground the coils, creating a current in the coil primary circuit. That current builds a magnetic field around the primary where the current is flowing, but also around the intertwined but much larger secondary. This does not cause spark.

When it comes time for the coil to fire, the ignition system pulls the ground, and the magnetic field collapses very quickly. That magnetic field collapse is what induces the current in the secondary. It's when the coils are turned OFF, so to speak, that spark occurs. On a points ignition, the coils fire when the points OPEN.

Coils are basically step-up transformers. Rather than sinusoidal transfer, it's a repetitive pattern of slow build and sudden collapse. The induction in the secondary is the derivative of the surrounding magnetic field. The sudden and rapid collapse of the surrounding field induces a large voltage in the secondary."

From this thread:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=191900&highlight=magnetic+field

Hope that helps

[jordraatt]

thank you very much for the information.. i find it very strange if the coils aren't working, because they worked perfect the last time i parked the bike.. and nothing has been changed there..

so i'm still suspecting the ignitor.. as i'm trying to say, there's no reaction on the outputs.. i've checked the outputs with voltmeter, while i'm at the same time disconnecting/connecting a voltmeter (ohm) to the signal generator's input.. this simulates the signal generators operation, and is supposed to do something about the output (wires to the coils)... but nothing happens..

[tom203]

I agree the coils should be OK, but you're measurements don't make sense (200kohm..etc), so I suspect your measurement technique or your meter. Since you rewired the bike, there's a lot that needs to be doubled checked- real easy to get things wrongly connected. I trust you got a nice color wiring diagram from Basscliff. Have you made sure that 12 volts positive is being fed to ignitor ( mine has connector plug under seat) ? The ignitor is just a switch turned off suddenly by a small signal pulse, but it needs power to work .

[jordraatt]

I agree the coils should be OK, but you're measurements don't make sense (200kohm..etc), so I suspect your measurement technique or your meter. Since you rewired the bike, there's a lot that needs to be doubled checked- real easy to get things wrongly connected. I trust you got a nice color wiring diagram from Basscliff. Have you made sure that 12 volts positive is being fed to ignitor ( mine has connector plug under seat) ? The ignitor is just a switch turned off suddenly by a small signal pulse, but it needs power to work .

yes, i might have measured in a wrong way.. i have the color diagram yes, am going to doblue-check everything tomorrow.. and as you are saying, the ignitor is actually a simple unit.. but i have heard of people who have got their's broken by accidently switching the polaritys..

and as i said earlier, there is no reaction on the output signal of the ignitor.. so maybe i'll have to look for a new one