82 GS550L electical starting problem, next step?

[jjs82gs550]

Bike was working great, no issues then one day I stop for gas and it goes dead. I thought maybe it was the on off switch b/c I rarely use that to shut it off, but it wasnt. I haul it to the dealer, because I had not heard of this sight and thats where I was headed anyway (for a new tire). Their first diagnosis is that it is the stator. They gave me the option of ordering new or buying one from a junkyard. I went the junkyard route and they installed it. Still no go so they say its the CDI box/igniter. I again order this from a junkyard, it tried to run, but would only fire on two and they blamed the box, so I get send old back and get a new one. Still nothing, try the box one more time, no go. They call suzuki and suzuki says its the cdi box. So we try some used signal generators and a used voltage regulator, after 11 hours of them trying to figure it out it will try to run on two cylinders, but not all 4. They didnt know how to fix it so they charged me 150 bucks to get it out of their sites. Though it is so close to so many other questions I am wondering, what I need to make this bike work. Will a new Electrex R/R and Stator solve my problems? Or is it a short in the wiring? When I charge the battery which is still good and holds a charge, it seems like it at first tries to start on all four and then goes to only two and runs and dies. Carbs were cleaned last year so its not them. I did not do the stator trouble shooting, b/c it wasnt a charging problem. It is a non starting problem. Though if it will run I would put in the new stator.

[Steve]

Sounds like it's time to break out the manual and a multimeter. It will help to have a car battery nearby for longer cranking times, if necessary.

Start with some logical troubleshooting.
1. Is there enough battery voltage? Charge the battery if necessary.
2. Is voltage getting to the main fuse (fourth from top) in the fuse panel when the key is turned on? This tells you the ignition switch is good.
3. Is there voltage on both ends of the third fuse from the top? That fuse is for ignition, and sends power to the kill switch and coils.
4. Is there power at the coils? You will have to pull the gas tank to check this, but it will tell you that the kill switch is working.

If you have all of the above, you can check the ignitor. There is a procedure in the manual that tells you how to connect a flashlight battery to the inputs and watch for sparks on two of the plugs. There are also tests for the signal generators that will confirm their operation.

You did not say which two cylinders are firing. There are two coils on the bike, and they fire pairs of cylinders. One coil fires 1&4, the other coild fires 2&3. If it is those pairs that are not firing, you might have a bad coil or just bad end caps at the plugs. You can remove the caps (they unscrew), trim a bit from the end of the wire and re-install the caps. Another test would be to swap the coils. You will have to remove the input wires from the coils and swap them, then move the plug wires to the other pairs. This will tell you if the coil is bad or something else.

Once you get the engine running, you can check the charging output. If the charging output is less than about 14 volts when the engine is running above 2500 rpm, go through an excellent diagnostic tool found in the Garage section of this forum that is called the Stator Papers. This will quickly point out where your problems lie, if you have problems with the charging system. Keep in mind that a bad stator or r/r will not keep the bike from starting or running. Yeah, eventually the battery will go dead and not let the engine run, but if you battery is charged (or if you have jumper cables connected to the battery in your non-running car), the engine should run for quite a while before that happens.

By the way, you have a gem of a dealer there. Really. First of all, they were willing to let a 25-year-old bike through the door. Next, they actually did some work on it. Can't say much for their troubleshooting skills, but at least they were willing to work on it. Last, 11 hours on the bike and they only charged $150? Don't feel cheated in the least with that. 8-[

.

[jjs82gs550]

status update

Coils are good. Can switch and get other pair of cylinders to fire. Run button is okay. Allows power to start.

Last thing they said was that they could get it to start on on either pair of cylinders depending on how they ran wires, if they disconnected headlight and by passed the fuse box.

I went through the wiring and got rid of some electrical add ons I had put on the bike. I hooked up the head light, reconnected the fuse box, checked all fuses, and now it will try to run on two.

I did hook it up to a charger when trying to start it and it does sound like at first it will run on all four, but after a few cranks it only tries on two.

Sadly I do not own a manual on this bike. The one vehicle I dont. Battery is good and holds a charge. They also tested the ignitor and believed it to be working. They were confused as to why it would only run on two when all the electrical tests out fine, coils, plugs, carbs, stator, battery, signal generator. Their calls to Suzuki even though the ignitor is working was that it was still the ignitor.


I am very thankful they only charged me what they did, maybe they just know they will get my future business. In rural MN most dealers do look at old bikes, so not super special, but am very glad they did.

[doctorgonzo]

I'd look at the wires and plug caps and how much voltage getting to the coil that doesn't fire.

[flyingace]

Sounds like you have multiple problems which are confusing the issue.

I would proceed like this:
1. Determine the condition of your battery. No sense troubleshooting electrical problems without a known good battery. It needs to hold an indefiinte charge of at least 12.72 volts.
If you don't have a multimeter, get one.

2. Once a good battery is insured, remove spark plugs, and tape the bases to the cylinders so you can see the electrodes. With plug caps on, turn the engine over and look to see if all four plugs have spark. If so, you can forget about the ignitor, coils and wires. If not, you will need to verify the leads to the coils have voltage. Then test/replace the components until all plugs fire.

3. Now the engine should run. Check the charging voltage to your battery. If the voltage is lower when the bike is running, your charging system isn't working. You should, at minimum, see some jump in voltage when you twist the throttle.

4. If the charging system isn't working, grab your multimeter and go to the 'stator papers' on this site. It will guide you thru the complexities of troubleshooting your stator and R/R.