No Spark

[Guest]

Hello,
I just bought my first bike on the weekend, a 1980 GS550L
The previous owner said there might be a fuel problem that I have since sorted out, but when I tried to start it up it didn't fire.
It has a brand new battery and I've checked and the coils are getting about 11V (Could be a little low because I've been trying things and cranking)
I pulled a plug from each side and I am not getting spark on either side.
I will be running out to get new plugs anyway just to eliminate the problem, but in the meantime, any suggestions as to what to check? I bought the Haynes manual for $45 today and don't find it much help in anything I've done thus far.
One issue of note, the coil going to cyl 1 & 2 is getting warm to the touch with the ignition to the ON position. The terminal underneath where the plug wires connect is HOT to the touch. The other coil is cold.
Any help would be wonderful. I can't wait to take it out for its first ride.
Thanks

[doctorgonzo]

550 may be different, but on mine one coil is 2 & 3 and the other is 1 & 4 (just an FYI).

[cp___32]

Yes, you would be correct.
I checked again and both coils get voltage when key is to the run position.
No spark on any of the 4 cylinders, and just to clarify, the coil for 2 & 3 gets hot only after cranking the starter. The other coil remains cold no matter what.

[doctorgonzo]

I'd look downstream from the coils, wires, plug caps, plugs. Are they stock coils? If so, the wires might be in bad shape (cracked, etc...) bend them and see if there is any visible cracking. If you can get a probe in there (on stock coils) check resistance in the wire (should be zero), check resistance in the plug cap (should probably be 5 ohms). I wouldn't invest much more effort until you get new caps and new plugs. At 25 dollars for plugs and caps all around, worth it to eliminate those right off the bat. You said the one coil gets hot. I can't remember... did you check the coil resistance. It getting that hot might indicate too much resistance in the coil.

[Nessism]

Sounds like a bad ignitor. The manual should have a test.

BTW, you can download the Suzuki factory repair manual for your bike for FREE from repairmanualclub.com

Good luck.

[cp___32]

Yeah they are stock coils, and I've read that the wires are somehow attached or something so I'm definitely leaning toward replacing them. I figured the heat generated was a good indication that electricity is being wasted inside the coil somewhere. I was also reading that there is an aftermarket coil that most people tend to use.
Anyone have advice on where to look for them? What ones are the better ones to get?

[Nessism]

Green Dyna coils. Check Z1 Enterprises.

[LarryA_Texas]

Hello,

I pulled a plug from each side and I am not getting spark on either side.

One issue of note, the coil going to cyl 1 & 2 is getting warm to the touch with the ignition to the ON position. The terminal underneath where the plug wires connect is HOT to the touch. The other coil is cold.
Any help would be wonderful. I can't wait to take it out for its first ride.
Thanks

I'm going through the same thing with a GS850 Right now. I'm not an expert, so if anything I say is contradicted here go with the one that knows more.

As for the hot coil...I put an ohm meter on the coil connector and found one to be reading about 4 ohms. The hot one was zero. I replaced it and the bike started. Before that replacement my igniter box was smoking and when I opened it I found one resister was burned to a crisp.

My guess is that a bad coil put stress on the igniter box causing the resister to burn out. This became a red herring making me think the igniter was bad when in fact it was driven to failure by another bad component.

Something else I haven't quite figured out yet. When I put the spark plugs on the engine I can't see a spark, but the engine fired. I haven't worked on it since it fired up yesterday, but I'm thinking part of the problem was the paint on the engine kept the plug from grounding so I kept thinking I had no spark when I might have if it had been better grounded. I'll get to that next time I can work on it.

Last, you need to make sure the signal generator has a pulse. Check the resistance on the blue and green wire per the repair manual you are using.

Hope this helps. good luck.

[doctorgonzo]

As Nessism says, the green dynas (will need a 2 ohm resistor as well if it's a points bike not electronic). I love the Dyna if for no other reason than you will then have the ability to replace the plug wires.

[cp___32]

Awesome!
Thanks for the help. I'm getting a price on the green 3ohm Dynas from the local shop (though I assume they will be really expensive) So I will probably order direct from the link that Nessism sent. I know very little so far, but the guy I got the bike off of told me that this one doesn't have points, it's the other kind (?) So I would assume it's the 3ohm green puppies I need.
I like the idea of changing plug wires too and if everyone else is using them it's probably for a good reason.

[catbed]

if you go to the shop, ask if they do competitive pricing. might get them to lower the price a bit.

[doctorgonzo]

Awesome!
Thanks for the help. I'm getting a price on the green 3ohm Dynas from the local shop (though I assume they will be really expensive) So I will probably order direct from the link that Nessism sent. I know very little so far, but the guy I got the bike off of told me that this one doesn't have points, it's the other kind (?) So I would assume it's the 3ohm green puppies I need.
I like the idea of changing plug wires too and if everyone else is using them it's probably for a good reason.

If you know what a set of points looks like (or can find a picture) they (or your signal generator if it's electronic) are under the round cover on the right side towards the front of the engine (careful not to strip the screws, invest in an impact driver, $12.99 at your local auto parts store), forward of where you put oil in. If it's a black thing on each side with wires coming out it's electronic. If it's a mechanical device kind of like 2 clothes pins designed to bring together and apart electrical contacts, it's points. Somebody else chime in, but think 1979 and back (most models) points, 80 and forward electronic.

[sloppydawg123]

Yeah, should be signal generator, you can check the resistance from green to blue to see if it's working as it should. Also check the coils, just check the resistance between two primary wires (non-plug side) should be 3-5ohm. than check between the plug boots, should read like 30,000ohms or something, not sure on that exact number, but it's in the manual. If the coils are getting power, and check fine, probably not them. Probably ignitor, but double check all your connections to make sure signal generator wires to ignitor is good, and grounds and such are strong.