GPZ 550 Wiring Nightmare

My 82 (looked like an 81) Had the wires for the stand Switch. I didnt have a switch on it so I Jumpered a wire into the connector and taped it in place and it worked for me.

Alright I got the starter working fine, next up is the coils. I only am getting spark on two plugs clearly from the same coil. Here is where I have an issue between the D1 and the H2 models. On the D1 it shows the white/red lead from the reg/rec connecting to the postitive battery lead from that connects the battery and sTarter relay. On the H2 model it shows the white/red lead connecting to the ignition switch. I currently have it in D1 setup, should I switch? Why would this one connection affect only one coil and not the other?

Thanks,
Nate

Shoey949 wrote:

Alright I got the starter working fine, next up is the coils. I only am getting spark on two plugs clearly from the same coil. Here is where I have an issue between the D1 and the H2 models. On the D1 it shows the white/red lead from the reg/rec connecting to the postitive battery lead from that connects the battery and sTarter relay. On the H2 model it shows the white/red lead connecting to the ignition switch. I currently have it in D1 setup, should I switch? Why would this one connection affect only one coil and not the other?

Thanks,
Nate

Wow, I never noticed that. The 550 F (82/83) is also wired like the H as you describe.

The difference in the two designs is basically the location of the main fuse. The D has the fuse between ignition switch and battery/reg/rec whereas the H puts the fuse between the battery and ignitionswitch/reg/rec.

It looks like Kaw changed their standard practice after 1981. (I often will put a fuse in both locations because it makes it easier to troubleshoot shorts.) Personally, if you are only going to have one main fuse, I think the D setup makes more sense. In the H setup, if the main fuse blows, the reg/rec is still supplying power to the ignition, but the battery is out of the circuit. This is bad. Without the battery in the circuit, the reg/rec can lose regulation and melt the electrical system. (it's happened to a few people on this forum.)

Stick with the D setup or put a fuse in both locations.

This is mostly a charging system issue. This really should not affect your ignition coil issue.

To check your ignition issue, first make sure both coils are getting 12v. When the engine is not turning, both contacts on the coils will have 12v.

As the engine turns, your ignitor grounds the negative side of each of the two coils in succession. The engine has to turn at normal startup speed (or faster) in order for that to happen. Turning the engine over very slowly will not cause a spark to happen.

If you have power to both coils, and you still only get spark from one coil while turning over at normal speed, swap the (small) wires from one coil to the other and see if the problem stays on the same coil. If so, then it is likely a bad coil. If the problem moves to the other coil, then it is a wiring problem, or a pickup problem, or an ignitor problem.

Post edited by: loudhvx, at: 2006/02/11 21:59

Well determined it is the wiring on one side, since I switched coils and it was still an issue on that one side. What should I check out first? Also with the reg/rec issue I have that white wire not connected to anything, what should I do with it? (I don't really understand the electrical system yet I'm just trying to make ends meet.) Also my turn signals flash a little slow, I'm assuming it is the relay since the battery was at full charge, can I get a generic relay at an autoparts store, or do I need to find the right one?

Thanks,
Nate

You can get a generic one. Look for a heavy duty (HD) flasher, which should flash at the same speed regardless of load. It'll set you back something like $13, if I recall correctly.

Shoey949 wrote:

Well determined it is the wiring on one side, since I switched coils and it was still an issue on that one side. What should I check out first?

The problem stayed with the wires and not the coil? (In other words both coils can produce spark?) Then you have to determine if its the ignitor module, the pickups or the wiring.

Easy first; check the resistance of the pickups. Disconnect the pickup wires from the ignitor. It's the small connector. Put an ohm-meter on the blue wire and black wire. It should be about 450 ohms. Check the yellow to red also. It should be about the same.

Shoey949 wrote:

Also with the reg/rec issue I have that white wire not connected to anything, what should I do with it? (I don't really understand the electrical system yet I'm just trying to make ends meet.)

So you have it wired like the D model (red/white straight to the battery). Then the white wire that went to the reg/rec is just a branch off from another white wire that goes from the main fuse to feed the ignition switch. That branch is no longer needed but should be capped off securely because it will have 12 volts on it all the time.

Post edited by: loudhvx, at: 2006/02/12 16:02

well I checked the resistance on the pickup coils and that appears the problem. The blue and black check out but I get no reading from the yellow and red ones after I triple checked. Funny thing is a bought an old, never used new in box Dyna III ignition system off ebay a couple months ago suspecting I was going to have an issue. Will this system work well with the stock coils? How hard is it to wire up?

Thanks,
Nate

Shoey949 wrote:

well I checked the resistance on the pickup coils and that appears the problem. The blue and black check out but I get no reading from the yellow and red ones after I triple checked. Funny thing is a bought an old, never used new in box Dyna III ignition system off ebay a couple months ago suspecting I was going to have an issue. Will this system work well with the stock coils? How hard is it to wire up?

Thanks,
Nate

The Dyna is easy to wire up, but you need 3-ohm coils. Dyna says you should not use coils with less than 3-ohms resistance (primary side, of course). The stock GPZ ignition uses 2.5 ohm coils. You could try it, but you run the risk of cooking the Dyna. If you have coils from a points-bike, they are around 4 ohms and should work fine.

I'd recommend getting new 3-ohm coils anyway since old coils do eventually go bad.

I use the Accels since they bolt right onto the Gpz 550 frame using a couple screws and they come with wires that you custom make. Making the wires takes some time and patience though.

From what other bikes will the pickup coils work? If I have to buy new coils I think I might just keep it stock. Also what is a good what to check the ignitor, b/c I want to make sure if I keep the pickup coils stock that the stock ignitor is going to work once I get everything else working. Just out of curiosity how much do you think I can get for a New Kz 550 DynaIII elec. ign. system?

Thanks,
Nate

Shoey949 wrote:

From what other bikes will the pickup coils work? If I have to buy new coils I think I might just keep it stock. Also what is a good what to check the ignitor, b/c I want to make sure if I keep the pickup coils stock that the stock ignitor is going to work once I get everything else working. Just out of curiosity how much do you think I can get for a New Kz 550 DynaIII elec. ign. system?

Thanks,
Nate

To check the ignitor, swap the red wire with the blue, and the yellow with the black. This way you can check the other circuit in the module. (There are two seperate circuits in the module and you've only been testing one so far.)

Look for pickups for 550's, 650's, 750 (4 cyl.) from about 1980 till 1983 depending on the model. They should look like yours.

In my opinion the Dyna III is better than the Dyna S because the remote ignitor is better protected. Most people like the S because the it all is hidden behind the ignition cover. I rarely hear of problems with the III, but maybe they were more rare. The III is worth about $50 to $75 depending on condition.