No spark

[Jack garcia]

I have a 1983 GS550E, and i just got it to the point where I can ride it. I rebuilt the carbs, cleaned the engine, cleaned the tank, and cleaned as many connections as i could. I had it running, but the last time, I went about 100 feet, and it shut off, and now I get no spark, at all. I just got a nother CDI box, and it still has no spark, so Im thinking it was not a bad CDI. The plugs are new, I have continuity from the cdi to the coils. The battery is suspect, but I tried to start it with the charger still attached to the battery, and still no spark! What else can I check before I call My favorite bike mechanic? I did wash the whole bike with a pressure hose, so maybe something got wet?

[SqDancerLynn1]

Welcome neighbor! Do the simple things check the start/run switch....Check the ign fuse, if you have a volt meter check & make sure you have 12 volts at the coils

[Nerobro]

also make sure that your signal generator is hooked up and working. the signal generator is on the right side of the engine under the "suzuki" cover.

[mr_r_lake]

no spark

This seems to be as good a place to post as any...( new to forums )

I bought a '83 GS450 (?) back in august and have put well over 1000 miles on it sence. I've started having some ingition problems early on but they resolved themselves over time. I figured it was probably because the guy I bought it from simply had it in storage for an unknown period of time.

Well, maintenance time, oil chang, new chain and sproket, etc. I was trouble shooting a battery problem saterday but otherwise no problems. Sunday I put the new chain and sproket on and and fired it up to go for a ride...It cranked for a seconed but never started, then one very loud back fire ( sounded like a small calabor riffle ) and now, no spark on either plug. Battery is fine, kill switch is on, checked all the connectors ( unplugged and plugged everything back in ).

The claymor manual said I could use a AA battery to simulat a signal from the signal generator to test the CDI. I couldn't get it to fire a spark plug that way ( yes, I made sure I had the polarity correct ). At the moment, I don't have a volt/ohm meter ( kids distroyed it ) so I can't test anything that way. The only CDI I could find on the web for sale was >$300. Is that right? Is there a more meaningful way to test the one on my bike? I bought the bike for around $900 and it just doesn't seem right to have to get a component for about 1/3 the total value of the machine.

Any advise or tips on where I could get a new CDI at a resonable price?

One thing that could be helpful information, this bike is an electronic ignition, not a point/breaker system. It's not computerized so I'm wondering how the timing advance works. If the timing advance works the same way as the old point breaker system, you should be able to build a new ignition circut for about $2~$3 from parts available at radio shack ( basically mimicking a lawn mower ignition circut but this will only work if its a mechanical advance )

M.

[duaneage]

Re: no spark

This seems to be as good a place to post as any...( new to forums )

I bought a '83 GS450 (?) back in august and have put well over 1000 miles on it sence. I've started having some ingition problems early on but they resolved themselves over time. I figured it was probably because the guy I bought it from simply had it in storage for an unknown period of time.

Well, maintenance time, oil chang, new chain and sproket, etc. I was trouble shooting a battery problem saterday but otherwise no problems. Sunday I put the new chain and sproket on and and fired it up to go for a ride...It cranked for a seconed but never started, then one very loud back fire ( sounded like a small calabor riffle ) and now, no spark on either plug. Battery is fine, kill switch is on, checked all the connectors ( unplugged and plugged everything back in ).

The claymor manual said I could use a AA battery to simulat a signal from the signal generator to test the CDI. I couldn't get it to fire a spark plug that way ( yes, I made sure I had the polarity correct ). At the moment, I don't have a volt/ohm meter ( kids distroyed it ) so I can't test anything that way. The only CDI I could find on the web for sale was >$300. Is that right? Is there a more meaningful way to test the one on my bike? I bought the bike for around $900 and it just doesn't seem right to have to get a component for about 1/3 the total value of the machine.

Any advise or tips on where I could get a new CDI at a resonable price?

One thing that could be helpful information, this bike is an electronic ignition, not a point/breaker system. It's not computerized so I'm wondering how the timing advance works. If the timing advance works the same way as the old point breaker system, you should be able to build a new ignition circut for about $2~$3 from parts available at radio shack ( basically mimicking a lawn mower ignition circut but this will only work if its a mechanical advance )

M.

You were troubleshooting a battery problem. Could you have knocked something loose in the process? A good visual inspection is the first step.

Don't buy a 300 box. Ask on this forum first or look at eBay. You should be able to get one for about 20-30 dollars at most.

You could try and apply power to a coil, and then pull the power lead off to see if you get a spark when you break the conection . This is what happens in the ignitor ( it is not a CDI box, just an ignitor. Capacitive Discharge Ignition is a different beast and I don't think your bike had that)


Dumb question: Do you hae a kickstand safety switch? If the switch is bad, wires pinched together, or not hooked up properly the bike won't run. Also check the Run switch on the handle bars, work it a little and see if it has a bad connection.

I would strongly recommend getting acheap voltmeter, GS bikes need voltmeters in the toolbox. Then you could verify having voltage on the coils, at the Ignitor, the ignition switch, etc.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Jack, I'd check the main fuse. Be sure to try another fuse even if the main fuse looks good. Kill switch would be my next check. Spray connectors with contact cleaner.
Don't use hi-pressure water anymore. Terrible for a bike.

[mr_r_lake]

Jack, I'd check the main fuse. Be sure to try another fuse even if the main fuse looks good. Kill switch would be my next check. Spray connectors with contact cleaner.
Don't use hi-pressure water anymore. Terrible for a bike.

gee....how many wires go to that kill switch? I know if the switch is off, the starter doesn't turn over. The main fuse is good (everything else works...lights, etc) but I have a handfull of others I can try another one incase there is resistance on the one in there ( that would indicate its about to blow anyway ).

I don't believe there is a kickstand safty switch but I'll double check ( The only wires under the bike are the signal generator wires on the right side.)

Also, sorry for calling it a CDI if thats not what it is, it's the only name for an ignition box I can find on the web. Searching for "ignitor" on ebay google or the various M/C parts web sites give no hits.

M.


ps. I'm not Jack but since I have a no spark problem too, I just used his thread.

[duaneage]

Flipping the run switch off stops the engine, it's a safety thing. It also interrupts the starter as well. There are two poles in the switch if i recall so it is possible that the bike would crank but still not start if one circuit was open.

[mr_r_lake]

Ok, got a volt meter, everything checks out. 12 volts on the coils...checked the signal generator...50 Ohms..thats ok, Kill/Run switch was intermittant so I took it apart and cleaned it, now it's good. Spark plugs are good. Full battery charge...

I got a very week spark on one plug, one time, then nothing again.

I'm almost convienced my ignitor went bad....
It's a '83 GS450L
23k miles.

Does anybody have a replacement ignitor that is known to work? I really don't want to pay $300 for a new suzuki one and I can't seem to locate one on ebay. A sugestion of an alternate brand that will fit my bike would be very welcome before I pull out the soldering iron and head to radio shack for componants...

I really want to get this thing back on the road. Any help would be apprecieated....

Thanks

M.

[RicGS850]

No Spark

Might want to check out oldbikebarn. I have no spark on cylinders 2 thru 3 and have been looking for a new igniter, too. oldbikebarn has an igniter and signal generator combo for about $160 plus shipping.

[duaneage]

Check out the Deadbeat list forst. Oldbikebarn.com has had issues in the past, now under new management it may still be under watch anyway.

[mr_r_lake]

Re: No Spark

Might want to check out oldbikebarn. I have no spark on cylinders 2 thru 3 and have been looking for a new igniter, too. oldbikebarn has an igniter and signal generator combo for about $160 plus shipping.

I'm still in shock...it takes 2 pnp power transistors, 2 capasitors, 4 resistors, and 4 diods to build an ignitor for a 2 cylinder engine...thats like $15-20 at radio shack ( I actually took the time to price the components this time ). I even found some ready to assemble kits for do-it yourself electronic ignition ( search google for tim-6 ignition...it's 6 volt but easily adapted for a 12 volt system with some basic electronic knowhow. ) A friend mentioned there is a motorcycle scrap yard in my area I think I'll check out.

I'm actually seriously looking into building two of these things: http://www.homepower.com/files/ElectronicIgnition.pdf

modifying them to use the existing hall effect sensors ( instead of points ) and coils already on my GS bike...I'll keep you all posted.

M.

ya...ya...so I'm a nerd 8) ...just cant see spending that kind of money for something I can build for less than $50.

....
I checked out oldbikebarn and the $150 is reasonable for the complete conversion of a 4 cylinder bike ( that would be building the device above 4 times stripping the points, installing sensorsors, etc ). The problem is the GS450 is a two cylinder. Oldbikebard didn't have any ignition systems for 2 cylinder engines.

[duaneage]

radio shack sells a good transistor for these ignitors, TIP 122 I think. It is a power darlington npn that has a 60 volt collector limit and handles enough current for the job.

You could use a 4 cylinder ignitor if you only use 1/2 of the circuit.