Gsx1100(82) too many sparks

[Anonymous]

Hello!

A friend of mine owns this gsx1100 he came to me with this problem.
There are sparks on all the four cylinders at the same time.
How is that possible?
The cables and connections are o.k. the engine runs but not every
cylinder.When you start the engine each time different cylinders begin
to run and the exaust sounds like it's going to explode.

Thanks for the help.
Robert
Hungary

[Anonymous]

It's odd that all 4 are firing at once. However, they way it should work is two will fire at once. One coil feeds cylinders 1&4, the other 2&3. Check to make sure the wires are going to the correct cylinders. In stock configuration, the left coil feeds the two outside cylinders, while the right feeds the two inside cylinders.

[Anonymous]

I've been accused of being crazy many times, and now probably again. I think that the plugs fire both on the compression stroke & the exaust stroke. Kind of like a 2 stroke, every time a piston goes to the top, that plug fires.

[Billy Ricks]

I think that the plugs fire both on the compression stroke & the exaust stroke.

You are correct, the plugs fire on each stroke. This simplifies the ignition system and burns off any unspent fuel on the exhaust stroke leading to a better fill on the intake stroke.

[Hap Call]

I think that the plugs fire both on the compression stroke & the exaust stroke.

You are correct, the plugs fire on each stroke. This simplifies the ignition system and burns off any unspent fuel on the exhaust stroke leading to a better fill on the intake stroke.

Billy is dead nuts on but only two plugs should fire at a time, just as the pistons begin to reach top dead center. Doesn't matter if it is the compression stroke or the exhaust stroke.

Hap

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info but I'm sure that all cylinders fire at the same time
and I have no idea what couses that.

Robert
Hun

[Dink]

Swap the wires that lead into the coils they may be crossed or some such, from the loom not the ones to the sparkplugs.
Dink

[Don Lobacz]

It is very difficult to differentiate the spark timings by looking at all 4 plugs while they are sparking. A good strobe timing light will show exactly which set is firing when viewing the timing plate. It is possible that all are sparking at the same time: 3 ways come to mind. 1) the leads coming from the pickups have been shorted together (pinched by a bolt/frame, burned on the exhaust, etc) 2) someone made a 'Y' connection to the coils for the power AND 1 of the coil firing leads (or again, the coil firing leads have been shorted together), and 3) someone wired the coils in series (Triumph coils were wired this way). I don't think that a bad ignitor module would ever fire all 4 at once, instead you lose one side or the other or both. Get a timing light and check that first.