only 2 & 3 ?

clubhobo... It is most likely an electrical problem... before running around spending money nilly-willy, try and figure out what the problem is.

Troubleshooting THIS problem:

1. you have two wires coming off your coils... a green wire from the right set of points and a black wire coming off the left set of points. The left (black) is 1/4 and the right (green) is 2/3. Trace the wires to the coils and make sure there is no break in either wire.

2. turn the key on and measure the voltage at the OTHER wire going into your coil. It will be either yellow/red or red or pink. Put a multimeter in VDC scale POS (red) probe on the screw where the wire connects to the coil and the NEG probe (black) on a frame ground. The voltage SHOULD be about 12.2 VDC BUT it probably won't be... just make sure it is 11 VDC or higher on EACH COIL. If you have no voltage on one of the coils, we have found the problem. Ok, if you have voltage on both coils...

3. Take the point lead and power lead off each coil. Take the 2/3 coil and put it where the 1/4 coil was and connect the 1/4 wires to it and do the same for the other coil... YOU ARE SWAPPING THE COILS AND WIRES AND CAPS - See if the non-fire problem moves to the other set of plugs. If it does, the problem is in the coils, wires or caps (most likely coils) but if the problem STAYS on the same side after swapping the coils around, you have points/condensor problem. If the problem is with the points, condensor, either put in new points and condensors or just get rid of the junk and install a Dyna S (see www.z1enterprises.com for best pricing). If the problem is the coil OR wires or caps or even the two plugs are bad, then you can check and/or replace these items. Before tossing the coil, I would do some easy tests to see if it is likely the source of the problem...

4. Check primary / secondary resistance. You have two sets of windings in your coil. They either work or are shorted. While it IS possible the short can be sporadic and may test fine but go bad under certain circumstances, bad coils usually test bad. Take the coil out of the bike. Take your multimeter leads and put in one of the smaller Ohms scales. Put the probes on the two lugs where the power and points wire connected and check resistance. Should be ~ 3 to 4.5 Ohms. Put the meter in about 20K Ohms scale and put the probes on the metal connectors that connect to the spark plugs inside the plug caps. Should be ~ 12K to 15K Ohms. If the coils are shorted, you won't get readings in these ranges. A shop manual will tell you specifically what is called for for your bike... If the coils test OK, then I suspect, the more unlikely situation where both plug wires or both plug caps or both plugs are bad... just replace this stuff if you get to this point.

clubhobo wrote:

I was looking those Dynas...300 bucks? Thats more than I got the whole bike for? Anyway....I static timed it..same result. I will throw my light on it this weekend. I think it's weird after I run it 1 and 4 plugs are basiclly dry...you would think they would be soaking wet? What are the chances the needles are messed up on 1 and 4...making it sound like an electric problem. That would be my luck though...thanks for your help.

z1enterprises can get you a complete dyna s for 240.00 plus shipping..

Shoot arobsum, you gettting a commission? That is about twice what their website lists the Dyna S for hehe


cut from z1enterprises.com home page:


Improve starting
Set and forget - no more adjusting points
Smoother running, cleaner running

Dyna 2000 ignitions with coils $384.00
Dyna 2000 is now PROGRAMMABLE
Just added for the CB500/CB550/CB750

Dyna-S ignitions from $120.00

Dyna Coils from $120.00


Dealer inquiries welcome

Thanks George, the coil is good. The thing is...it has new points/condensors...I got those first thinkinig that was a cheap thing I needed to get anyway because the old ones were pitted. I gapped the new points, static timed it and I get better spark now...but I'm still not firing on 1 and 4 so the points or coil hasn't fixed it. The 1 and 4 pipes are cold during/after a run and when I pull the plugs to check for spark..I see spark but I don't see or smell gas? I do have something going with the carbs though...this bike hasn't really run in years so when I got it..I drained the bottoms of the carbs just to make sure the goop was out...put system cleaner in the tank etc but I'm getting the constant 18 inch wide puddle under the bike from one the carb hoses...no matter what position etc the petcock is in etc....as long as gas is the tank the garage is smelly! Do you think this is affecting the 1 and 4 not firing? Also, I bought some of that expensive Yamaha carb bath and let it sit in the carbs for a day..still get the puddle problem.

have you taken the carbs apart or are you just adding fuel injector cleaner in the tank

Ahhh. I thought you had said you cleaned the carbs, but now it sounds like you drained the carbs and put cleaner in tank? If you have fuel leaking out under the bike the floats are stuck! You HAVE to take the carbs apart and REALLY clean them. Helps if you have an air compressor to blow air through passages and jets etc, but can be done with carb cleaner with the straw attached to can. Thoroughly clean the carbs, remove the floats, remove the jets, clean everything as good as you can. If it had fuel in it when you got it and had been sitting an extended period of time, it's gonna be a mess in there!

Ron

Thanks George, the coil is good. The thing is...it has new points/condensors...I got those first thinkinig that was a cheap thing I needed to get anyway because the old ones were pitted. I gapped the new points, static timed it and I get better spark now...but I'm still not firing on 1 and 4 so the points or coil hasn't fixed it. The 1 and 4 pipes are cold during/after a run and when I pull the plugs to check for spark..I see spark but I don't see or smell gas? I do have something going with the carbs though...this bike hasn't really run in years so when I got it..I drained the bottoms of the carbs just to make sure the goop was out...put system cleaner in the tank etc but I'm getting the constant 18 inch wide puddle under the bike from one the carb hoses...no matter what position etc the petcock is in etc....as long as gas is the tank the garage is smelly! Do you think this is affecting the 1 and 4 not firing? Also, I bought some of that expensive Yamaha carb bath and let it sit in the carbs for a day..still get the puddle problem.

I'm almost there...I got #4 firing. I pulled the the bowl off #4 and it was pretty clean so I unscrewed the main brass nut that goes all the way up into the top...it has all the little holes in it (don't laugh). I cleaned it, screwed it back up there and it started firing? I'm trying to do as little dissasembly as possible...should I do the same on number one...what else can I clean while the carb is on the bike? Did I miss anything on the bottom? Can I do any cleaning with the top of the carb off too? thanks

There really is no short cut to cleaning the carbs. If you want it to run right you are going to have to take them off and clean them. It's not as bad as it seems There is no other way around it though. Trying to save yourself the effort of taking them off and taking them apart is just going to cause you lots of frustration and wasted time. IMO

Ron

Ron is very right, just take them off and clean them. You might want to buy a gasket set of those bowls also and I don't know which coils you were looking at but I got mine for 120 and they run great. You probably looked the wrong place. Just putting carb cleaner in your carbs isn't gonna do anything much, you need to add some strength to it, get your hands in there!