can valves mimic elec trble??

my 76kz900 has a white wire ubder the right side cover that used to work half free and cuase stuttering and eventually the bike would die and not re-start... i fixed it a while back and know it is a suspect so i checked it again it is secure... i have a stuttering problem that i can rev down or up and get to clear out...allmost like i'm losing a cyl or two,,,on and off....I cleaned the 29's today , removed all the brass items in the bowls ,and they're still in good shape,cleaned reassembled,set mix screws at 3/8 turn out from lightly seated,,lubed the ignition advace, re-set the timing with a strobe timing gun,dyna s,checked the harness for the wiggly wire prob,re-charged my batterry -trickle- over night,new plugs & set gaps,and still my bike is coughing and stuttering ...but not popping or back firing thru the carbs...allthough it will hicup once in a while.....sunday i guess i'm gonna check valves????.. dyna failing?????...any ideas guys....thanks craig

it feels to me like it is getting cut off in the ignition then fires again...i am really not so hot at electric and while i bought a little tester thingy it may as well be written in russian....i think my dyna s has been put in maybe with a wierd box ..by P.O...i am kinda thinking about installing a harness and the other dyna i bought off ebay that is supposed to be off a running bike( the brain box looks dif and says dyna on it...hose clamps to a frame tube it looks...but think my problem may be solvable???

what do you have for a fuel filter that igniton box your talking about is a dyna111 box it uses a different ignition plate than the dyna s the box that is on the bike already sounds like it might be a rev limiter does it say drl 200 on it anywhere.

i also thought the filter might be restricting it but it ran fine with the cone shaped (gold sponge inside) directional filter from rob at z1E...i swithced to a pancake and clear line today from the same Z1E order and no dice...i knew i should have taken a pic of the suspect box it is the size of a bar of soap..finned...has colored wires(5 or 6)that have lttle 90 degree clips cover in little rubber boots and two bolt hole ofset in the center of the fins...my bike is not here now to photo...the dnya 111 has the plate with it i bought the whole harness and plate and box all together from a guy i've bought from befroe who told me it is all from one running bike....


timebomb33 wrote:

what do you have for a fuel filter that igniton box your talking about is a dyna111 box it uses a different ignition plate than the dyna s the box that is on the bike already sounds like it might be a rev limiter does it say drl 200 on it anywhere.

the dyna 111 is an excellent ignition i have two on bikes that i have had for over 15 years and they allways start first or second kick they are a set it and forget it type of ignitions if you suspect an electrical issue the first thing i always do is double check all my ground connections and especially the main ground from the battery to the engine usally if i get weird readings [resistance i will just replace the ground cable with one i built out of a heavier gauge wire since your on the coast you do tend to get some humidity and that can be hard on the copper in the ground cables

okay i'll start there and look into swapping the whole harness and brain and plate...it has the nib too i think... the harness on there now is kinda shody...it's a drag cuase it was running fine after i cleaned the idle circuits problems months back...then too rainy to ride...now sun...now this....it will be smiles when fixed...just sucks not knowing what ti is...thanks for the help ...craig

i wouldn't worry about the whole harness i be just be double checking the grounds

okay i here ...repeat check all ground and just install dyna lll if needed...???thanks i'll start there

timebomb got me thinking about a loose ground...then i thought ..i wonder if all the control wires are snug in the head light...i did not notice any power lights flicker..or a stall then take off like the bike would do if the igniotion harness was loose...anyone got any ideas on other stuff i might check???????thanks craig

my 78 ltd had a loose connection issue under/inside the ignition switch. I put a new key switch on and problem went with old key switch. (K&L unit)

it was where the wire contacted on the bakelight plate solder bubble and the brass spring loaded floating contact piece. the key twists and there are 2 of those spring contacts in there.

would the bike act like the power was cutting out and on while riding? did the instrument panel flicker...mine does'nt...thanks craig

trippivot wrote:

my 78 ltd had a loose connection issue under/inside the ignition switch. I put a new key switch on and problem went with old key switch. (K&L unit)

it was where the wire contacted on the bakelight plate solder bubble and the brass spring loaded floating contact piece. the key twists and there are 2 of those spring contacts in there.

Keep thinking about the white wire issue. The white wire is the main DC voltage coming off the regulator and rectifier. It goes to a dual plug where it splits. One leg goes to the battery and the other leg to the main fuse. It is the fundamental source of almost ALL the power on your bike... if there is a bad connection on the white, depending on where it is, it could affect your coil power... cutting them out a little bit now and then if the connection is sometimes poor. I would replace as much of this stuff as possible if the connections might possibly be bad. You know, if you had a bad connection, it doesn't hurt to remove the connector completely and solder the wires together. If you need to disassemble in the future, melt the solder. It makes for a much more solid connection. Alternatively, you can buy new wires and the proper new connectors from Z1E and do the job right. If that white DC power isn't good, you will have never ending problems.

I am not trying to say this will definitely fix your issues and lots of folks have chimed in with lots of very real reasons you could be having problems. I might not change ignition systems till I have tracked down what is causing the problem. The suggestion to check you main battery ground is also a good one. Easy to do and will cause this issue. The ignition switch suggestion is also a very real possibility.