Another coil question on a 82 650E

[Anonymous]

Kept fouling plugs out on a 650 but have had the carbs apart twice and everything is clean as a whistle and set to stock. Floats are good a little on the lean side but good. The problem is if I throw in a new set of plugs it will fire up but get any build up at all and the bike will not start once it has cooled down.

I have tested the Signal generator and am pulling reading of 63ohms and 123ohms

I also tested the Coils and am pulling 4.3 ohms on the primary and am only pulling 15 on the secondary with the plug caps pulled off.

Does this sound like a coil issue? The readings are suppose to be 30-35ohms on the secondary. But then the readings on the signal generator are suppose to be in the 60's. I am getting some spark but it is very very weak. I was wondering if maybe I don't have enough resistance in the coils to build a good spark.

Any help is appreciated. I ran a search but after 3 pages I decided I better just post the question.

Jay

[dgeorge]

When you say that it is fouling the plugs is it black and fluffy or oily? If it is black and fluffy it is usually due to a rich mix. If it is oily then the rings or valve seals are leaking. When you have had the carbs off did you re-adjust the air pilot screws and resync them? If not this could be part of the problem also. As far as the spark goes, is the battery fully charged? If the battery is a little weak you will not get a good spark until the bike is up and running, and it is normal for it not to get a good spark on fouled plugs. Does it get a good spark on new plugs?

[Anonymous]

No the spark is weak with new plugs and almost non-exsistent on the "fouled" plugs. I do not have the settings for the a/f screws as the manual just says don't mess with them. I have them currently set at a 1/4 turn trying to get rid of the fouling. I don't believe it is oil as when I have it running there is no black or grey smoke at all. The battery is brand new and holding a good charge and taking a good charge so I don't believe it is stator related. I still need to check the r/r but don't believe this is the problem. I am leaning towards the coils or the igniter. Again I don't believe it is the carbs either. They are spotless and stock with a K&N filter with the screws turned to 1/4 turn so if anything it should be a touch lean. The floats are set lean also. I have not checked the sync but the bike runs to smoothly with no missing or backfire just white smoke. If I ride it around the block I can start feeling each cylinder giving out as the plugs foul to the point where it will finally stall at a stop sign or in the driveway. Replace the plugs and she is good for a handful of miles again.

[dgeorge]

Ok if the spark is weak with new plugs have you tried taking the plug caps off and cutting back the wire a little bit then reinstalling the plug caps? Try that and see if it helps. If not when I get home tonight I have a factory service manuel for my GS1100GK that has a detailed instrution on testing the coils (should be the same on a 650). I will scan and post it for you if you need me to.

[Anonymous]

I don't question how I tested the coils. I did it according to the manual. I am just questioning my readings. I got 4.3 on the primary well in the proper range. I had to remove the caps to get anything on the secondary coil and the best I can pull sticking the probes up the line is 15ohms. I am more prone to believe the wires and cap are shot but they do not appear to be removable from the coil. Otherwise I would pull the wires and test the coil directly. The range on the primary is 4.3 which I am well in the range on the secondary is 30-35 which I am way below at 15. I am assuming then that I do not have enough resistance in the coil to build up a good spark. I have to turn the multimeter up to 2000K to get that 15 reading also.

Thanks for the help and keep her comin! I am still a little shaky on the electrical end of things.

[dgeorge]

If that is the case you can replace the wires on the coils, but it is a major project. You have to dig out the epoxy that holds them into the coils then unsolder them and solder new wires in their place. Check Sqdancerlynn's post's they give detailed instructions in a couple of them. Myself I would just keep an eye on ebay and get a set of Dyna coils to replace them with.

[Anonymous]

Do I need the 3ohm dynas?

[dgeorge]

Thats the ones 3ohms Green, dual output, DC1-1. I know some on here (Buffalo Butt, I mean Breath) advise against buying used electronics, but with Dyna's reputation and durability, I would not hesitate to buy second hand ones.

[Anonymous]

I talked with the local non dealer shop and he told me to try new caps before anything. I never paid attention to the fact that they have resistor caps creating even more resistance. The fact that I could not get any reading off the caps tends to direct me that that is the problem maybe. I am going to cut the wire like you suggested and replace the caps as one of them has a crack in the casing anyways. Jay

[Anonymous]

Hey guys thanks for the help I think its all ironed out. I cut the wire back on the spark wires and reinstalled the inside boots and got 33ohms of resistance where before I could get nothing. Now the outside boots I did the same thing but still could not get a reading through the boots. I ended up checking the caps for resistance themselves and they are both dead. I orded new caps and should be ready to roll by tomorrow evening! Thanks for the help guys. Jay