Help With Coils

[Guest]

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Hi guys, I have a 1981 GS650E. This is my firsts motorcycle and my first time ever working on a bike. I'm a little confused at the moment as the where the coils need to be connected. The depiction on the left side of the sheet is what the manual says they should look like but when I place the coils on the bike the (+) and (-) ends of the coils end up in the opposite orientation. so do I still connect the both O/W to the positive ends of the coils or do I connect them to the negative?

[Brendan W]

The coils are identical. Just hook up the O/W ( supply) wire to the positive side of each coil. The two odd ones are the triggers on the negative/ground/earth side.
The wiring diagrams can be confusing. Some show the supply and trigger wires at opposite ends of the coils. Consider them schematic diagrams.
Is this the diagram you're looking at ?

https://deepyjoe.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/1981gs650ex_wiring_diag.jpg

[mmattockx]

Connect O/W to the positive side regardless of how the coils are oriented.


Mark

[Steve]

Ideally, the orange/white wire goes to the + terminal. In reality, I don't know how much difference it really makes.

.

[sanfranciscoave]

yeah that's the diagram I was looking at. The thing is the bike doesn't start right now. I know the carbs are clean and have fuel in the bowls and I also have spark to all 4 spark plugs. I though maybe I had the coils connected at the wrong places but I guess not. What do you guys think I should check next?

[hannibal]

Timing? Coils hooked up correctly with the right coil driving cylinders 2 and 3 and the left driving 1 and 4?

I'm assuming the starter will crank, but the engine won't run.

[Brendan W]

Has it ever started in your time with it ?

Welcome to the forum btw, only just noticed.
This if you haven't already found it http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/
The links to the 650 wiring diagrams seem to be down but the manual is still there.

Depending on history you could be looking at some or all of the issues in post #1 of this thread
http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?171846-Top-10-Newbie-Mistakes/page14

[Johnny]

Charge the battery, be sure that itīs full, then pull the choke on your bike, spray starting fluid into the air cleaner and start it. If the battery is charged and it sparks, and the engine turns over and there isnīt some catastrophe in your engine, then it has to go with the starting fluid, has to make some noise at least. May take several tries though, if the bike hasnīt been run in a long time.

[sanfranciscoave]

When I first got the bike it would run on full choke but that was about 4 months ago. I think I'm going to get some starter fluid and see if that will get the bike to run. Thanks for all your help guys!!

[BigD_83]

Hmm,

be careful with the starting fluid. It may start with it, but you're still missing something.

Clean carbs, adjusted valves?

[habsdoc]

Starting fluid will get it start only for a few seconds. If it is not getting any fuel, it will not stay running. Don't try to keep it running on starting fluid only, damage will occur and then you will have a lot more work to do.

[Brendan W]

I've never used it.
As a diagnostic tool if it starts you can figure the ignition is working in some fashion or other.
As a one off it's hardly likely to make the sky fall but long term it has a reputation for washing bores of lubricant and accelerating bore wear.
You could fall into the trap of using it as a crutch to get a defective motor running and use it everyday.
TVO motors are still in living memory where you started on gas and then switched to paraffin.

If it only ran on full choke I would suspect a dirt in carburettor problem. Have you got the original airbox. Pods generally make the bike run too lean.