Cranks, no start.

Coolbreezin

Coolbreezin

Active Member
Hey everyone.
Keep in mind that I have no ehc and I have an electric ignition with a marine key switch. Think 70s minimal wiring design.
I rode my bike last night and it would lose spark for a nano-second then immediately come back to life and would keep going. This morning I went to check for lose wires. Started bike and jiggled wires around the battery. After about 30 seconds it died and I cannot get it to start again.
I r&r'ed the battery and checked my three 15amp fuses and wires in that immediate area. All is ok. I assume my 40amp fuse is fine or the engine wouldn't spin. Engine spins like crazy. My coil sends power to plugs, plus new plugs. I checked wires on coil and key switch. I removed the fuel line, gas flows freely. I don't need an OEM crank sensor because I have the electric ignition.
Any ideas? Thank you in advance.
 
mleach72

mleach72

Well-Known Member
Are you absolutely sure you are getting spark? Remove each plug. Then put them back into the plug wire. Hold the plug against the head and crank the engine. You should see the plug sparking. If that is the case, then the only logical answer is that you aren't getting fuel. Check the intermediate jet. Maybe a piece of gunk is clogging it. Rare, but I've heard of it happening.
 
chubs

chubs

Guru
You might also try a small squirt of gas from a syringe into the carb while cranking it over to help checking fuel starvation problems. I've had good luck doing that on small engines. Some had stuck float valves but most were plugged jets .Good flow to the carb doesn't mean it's getting through the carb, (just a thought)
 
Coolbreezin

Coolbreezin

Active Member
mleach72 said:
Are you absolutely sure you are getting spark? Remove each plug. Then put them back into the plug wire. Hold the plug against the head and crank the engine. You should see the plug sparking. If that is the case, then the only logical answer is that you aren't getting fuel. Check the intermediate jet. Maybe a piece of gunk is clogging it. Rare, but I've heard of it happening.
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Did that. But to be sure, I'll swap the coil with another I have on the shelf. Thank you.
 
S

Sven

Well-Known Member
Chubs and Rott narrowed it down. More like crank and spray WD40 into the intake. Tries to fire it's not spark, not compression, but fuel feed.

Narrow down the 3 bandit's that stop an engine from running, meaning, fuel/spark/compression. Has to be one or the others, usually not 2 or more.
 
Coolbreezin

Coolbreezin

Active Member
I checked for power at the three coil studs and both plug wires. Interestingly, both plug wires are a little dimmer than the three studs. I'm assuming they will be bright when power is sent through them to fire.
Here's my ignition. I have the single fire. Been working perfectly for about 14 years. This is as far as I go without stepping outside my knowledge & comfort zone. If I recall correctly, aren't the lights on the ignition supposed to flash when starting the bike? I turned over the engine and no flashes.
Any ideas for me to investigate?
 

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Mikeinjersey

Mikeinjersey

Well-Known Member
Coolbreezin said:
All 5 wires have power when bike is off. Reinstalled ignition (took pics before), no flashing lights when attempting to start bike.
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You must mean the engine is off not the ignition switch turned off. From your initial description I would have guessed a loose or bad wire to the ignition module. You may have caused the open when you wiggled the wires. From your WD I would read for power at the coil + (black and white wire) when you switch on the bike. If that checks good try to read from the coil + back to the ignition module. If you can verify it's getting power the module is probably smoked.
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Coolbreezin

Coolbreezin

Active Member
Based on the info above (thank you all again) and this video, I believe my module has perished. Other videos and articles I've read state heat kills these over time. I see his red light works once the key is turned, mine never lights, even while turning over. So I'm torn between doing an r&r myself and hope that's the problem or give it to my mechanic to find and fix the problem.
 
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