No Spark Pt. 2

[Guest]

Hey,
Thanks for the help so far. Just for the record, you guys are much more help than that Haynes manual...but I suppose that's not saying a whole lot.

I have replaced the coils, caps and wires, as well as the rectifier but I still have no spark on any of the plugs. (Tested using an actual spark tester)

I have 12.0V at the battery, and on 3 of the 4 wires running to the coil I have 10.5V. Is that perhaps too low? If it is, what sort of thing would I be looking for since I have replaced the grounds on the coils?

1 of the coil wires (the white wire on the harness) is not getting any juice so I would assume that's part of the problem.

I traced that wire back and it comes from the ignitor. out of the 6 wires that come out, 2 of the 3 going to the coils have 10.5V. The other 3 wires go to the signal generator.

Does anyone know how to test the ignitor to find out if it's junk or not, or would the fact that it's not sending enough voltage, or not to all the wires it should be the indication? Is there a way to rework it since I do know someone who might have those skills?
Is there a way to test the signal generator to make sure it IS doing its job properly so I can order parts for that as well instead of waiting and having to do it later?

Thanks everyone!

[catbed]

10.5 is too low. search for the coil relay mod. that should help.

also, the haynes manual should have a igniter test that you can do.

[doctorgonzo]

Yeah, sounding like the igniter.

[Nessism]

If the ignitor is bad, depending on the bike you have, Dyna S may make a replacement - much cheaper than OE parts.

Good luck.

[cp___32]

I suppose I should clarify what kind of bike I have...it's a 1980 GS 550L

I had tested the rectifier and the coils and found that one coil and the rectifier were not functioning properly. Do you think it is likely that they would all go bad over time, or all at once?

I'll do more testing, trace wires for power and check grounds as I go and see where I get. Nobody in town can seem to locate a new Ignitor so it's either a salvage yard or ebay I suppose.

If any other ideas pop up please let me know and thanks again for all the help so far

[doctorgonzo]

I suppose I should clarify what kind of bike I have...it's a 1980 GS 550L

I had tested the rectifier and the coils and found that one coil and the rectifier were not functioning properly. Do you think it is likely that they would all go bad over time, or all at once?

I'll do more testing, trace wires for power and check grounds as I go and see where I get. Nobody in town can seem to locate a new Ignitor so it's either a salvage yard or ebay I suppose.

If any other ideas pop up please let me know and thanks again for all the help so far

You don't want a new igniter anyway as it will cost you between $300.00 and $400.00. Find a used one or get a Dyna S ignition.

[cp___32]

I brought my CDI into work today to see if the electrical engineer on staff has any thoughts on how to test it. I'm going to check/replace as many grounds as I can find on the bike because I figure that can't hurt anything though I don't know that will fix much with this problem.
I don't really understand HOW the CDI gets it's power though.
I have the key ON, bike not running, not cranking, and I get 10.5V on the 3 wires coming out and going to the coils. (Which I have tested for continuity and resistance and they're good as far as I can tell)
The 3 wires coming in are from the "Signal Generator" as per the Haynes Manual (Which I am assuming is what most people call the stator?)
I didn't get any voltage reading off of those wires from what I can remember when I was testing.
If I can figure out where the power supply is coming from I can check above and below it to see where the voltage loss is.
I have the wiring diagram out of the Haynes manual for the 80 GS550L, but it doesn't seem to indicate what wires should have 12V constant...anyone know where I might be able to find a diagram like that for this, and future reference?

[doctorgonzo]

First, nope, the signal generator is on the right side of the bike and replaces the points on an electronic bike. The stator is on the left side and is like a generator, it charges the battery. I THINK there is an igniter test in the manual.