1&4 coil getting hot

[steve53]

Hey guys, I was doing some electrical troubleshooting on my 1981 gs1000g and I touched the 1&4 coil and noticed it was quite warm. This was with the key on and kill switch on run. Is this normal or do I have an issue? When I push stop on the kill switch, It kills the power to the coils as it should. Also, on the top of the motor, under the gas tank, I have 3 wire connectors (one 6 pin and 2 9 pin) that suffered a serious melt down. I don't think it was from electrical overload due to the wires overheating, but from engine heat. Anyone else have this problem? The PO did a hell of a hack job on the wiring on this bike and I am trying to clean it up as best as I can. Thanks for any and all assistance.


Steve

[earlfor]

I dont think its possible for the engine to run hot enough to melt plastic multi pin connectors located on top and around the frame which is aprox 6 inches above the valve cover. You have wiring shorts/problems.

Earl

Also, on the top of the motor, under the gas tank, I have 3 wire connectors (one 6 pin and 2 9 pin) that suffered a serious melt down. I don't think it was from electrical overload due to the wires overheating, but from engine heat. Anyone else have this problem? The PO did a hell of a hack job on the wiring on this bike and I am trying to clean it up as best as I can. Thanks for any and all assistance.


Steve

[Steve]

Meltdowns in electrical plugs are usually the result of dirty or loose connections. Electricity tends to flow along the easiest path. If the connection is a bit dirty (oxidized) or loose (which accelerates oxidation), there is resistance, and the resistance generates heat. If the connection is not quite there, the current might actually arc across the gap. Any guesses why an electric arc is used in welding? It's pretty darn hot, that's why. This is just a miniature version of it, but it still gets the connection hotter than it should be, resulting in plastic meltdown.

This is a good illustration why you want to make sure your connectors are clean and tight, and maybe even use some dielectric grease in them to keep water and other nasty stuff out.


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[steve53]

Thanks for the responses. The bike used to have the Vetter fairing on it and I was curious if this may have created a hot spot on the top of the engine due to lack of air flow? The wires do not look like they got hot themselves from the wire overheating, it is just at the connectors. Any ideas about the 1&4 coil getting hot while not running? Thanks.


Steve

[Steve]

If the key is ON and there is current going through the coil, I would expect at least some warmth.

Do you feel that it is warmer than it should be?

Is it considerably warmer than the other coil?

Does the bike run?

How well?

If the bike runs, I would not worry about it unless other problems start showing up. If you have a lot of time to tinker, you could try swapping the coils. If the same coil stays hot, it could be a bad coil. If the other coil is now hot, it may be a problem with the ignitor.

Just guessing here, so let's see if it runs first. 8-[


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[steve53]

I am not sure how warm it should be. It wasn't hot enough to burn, just wasn't expecting it to be warm at all, and the other coil was cool as a cucumber.

The bike somewhat ran when I got it. I tore the carbs apart and found lots of rust and crap in the filter screens on the inlet seats. Carb mounts are also FUBAR.

I am going to Suzi dealer Mon to pick up some new carb mounts and will see how it does then with the clean carbs.

Thanks for the assistance all.


Steve