kz750 ltd h2 1981 engine wont crank problem

Those are universal 3.0 OHM resistance Super Coils. I believe the discussion has mentioned the difference between having the 2.2 vrs 3.0 OHM coils. They will work, but if you bought the Dyna 2.2 coils you will get a slightly better spark. But at the price hes asking it is a reasonable deal for sure.
Now did you ever actually check your coils, and the voltage to them? Why don't you remove the coils and bench test them. Hook up to a fully charged 12v battery, positive wire to 1 primary side and briefly touch the negative side to ground. You should get a good spark every time. These old bikes suffer from wiring issues.

hi motor

thank you for your message!

i've never bench tested anything before. the wiring harness is off a 6,600 miles only bike. the wires are soft and flexible, just like new ones.

i don't know how to wire up the coils.
the 2 coils have 8 connections. 4 for the plugs, 4 for the harness. i don't what to do? i'm a complete rookie!
my dad has gone away and i'm confident enough to be guided on how to test the 30 year old coils motor!... i just need a little diagram to follow please.

i went to a classic and custom bike show yesterday! i will post some of the photos on here, if i can do!.. one competitor told me that he has been a japanese trained bike mechanic overseas in japan for 50 years and he just said, i know the bike, scrap the old coils and buy new and i guarantee that the tiny orange spark, turns in a big blue one!

however, i won't learn from this. i'm most interested in learning how to test my coils motor. please will you teach lovely female rookie mechanic!..

many thanks

angel

I found and stole this off of the net, I did not write it, sorry no diagram to follow. Look at you Kawasaki Manual as it has pictures of the coils.

"Preparation for Ignition Coil Test The first thing you want to do is always take the necessary precautions. When working near or around a running engine one must exercise great caution. You should be aware of any loose clothing. If you have long hair you want be careful that it does not make contact with any part of your car's engine and its moving parts.

Testing the ignition coil on your car is one of the fairly easier tasks to perform. It's not that complex nor does it require any special tools or equipment. One thing to keep in mind is that your ignition system produces a great amount of electricity. Should anything go wrong, the result could be very dangerous. Proceed cautiously.

If your coil has already been removed from your vehicle and you need data that is more specific about your coil, you can perform what is called a bench test. Set up the bench test by removing the one spark plug wire from its plug. Then remove the spark plug with a plug socket. Now you want to connect that spark plug back to the spark plug wire. Do this with great care; you don not want anything to fall into the empty spark plug opening or you'll have a problem.

Testing the Ignition Coil: The Bench Test: Grab a pair of insulated pliers. Hold your plug wire with insulated pliers. Now, you need a grounding point so look around your engine for one. You want a spot that is easy to access and that has exposed metal. You could even use the car's engine for this.

Hold the spark plug wire with your insulated pliers and make contact with your chosen grounding spot with the threaded part of your spark plug. Have some one start your car's engine and pay attention to the spark plug gap. You are looking for a bright blue spark to jump across the gap - the electricity. If you can observe this blue spark clearly, even in daylight, then your spark plug is working just fine.

Testing the Ignition Coil: The Multimeter Test There are a number of other tests you can perform for your ignition coil. However, if you want accurate information on the status of your ignition coil then you should perform a multimeter test. This test is far more accurate in determining whether you need to replace the coil or not. It is considered the only proper test for a coil.

You could rely to an extent on the bright blue spark you see in your bench test but if that spark is somewhat weak and your eyes can't really tell, using this spark plug can cause your vehicle to run rough or incorrectly which is the last thing you want.

Let go inside the ignition coil for a moment. The ignition coil contains two coils of wire that are right on top of each other. We refer to these coils as windings. There is a primary winding, the first wire, and a secondary winding, the second wire. The primary winding collects the electricity to create the spark. The secondary winding sends it out to the distributor. It is possible for either of these windings to malfunction causing your vehicle's ignition coil to fail. Sometimes an ignition coil can completely fail meaning it makes absolutely no spark whatsoever.

A multimeter test is performed with the ignition coil completely disconnected. This meter provides numbers to help you determine the status of the coil - far more reliable than a visual assessment. There are different types of digital multimeters and they can be found online or at your local auto repair retailer.

Of course, to use the multimeter, you will have to know the resistance specifications for your ignition coil. If you don't know what they are then refer to your vehicle's service or repair manual for that information.

Testing the Windings

To test the primary winding of your ignition coil:

As mentioned above, the primary winding of the ignition coil first collects the electricity or voltage from the car's battery. Have you found the resistance specification for your coil? You will need this before performing the multimeter test. If you do not have them take a moment to locate you service or repair manual for that information.

Once you have found the resistance specifications, locate your digital multimeter. If you have a traditional round coil, you will need to use the multimeter and place the leads on the small, outside poles of your coil. If you have one of the newer enclosed units, then place the leads on indicated or marked poles of your coil.

Observe the reading you get on the multimeter. If the multimeter reads within the range according to the specification in your service manual, then your primary winding is functioning well and you can go on to check the secondary winding. If you find the reading to be even slightly out of the range then you should replace the coil.

To test the secondary winding of your ignition coil: The secondary winding of your ignition coil sends the spark to your distributor and then to the spark plugs. A weak spark or no spark at all is an indication that the coil needs to be replaced.

To test your ignition coil's secondary winding, attach the probes to the outer 12V pole and the center pole of your ignition coil. The center pole is the spot where the main wire is located that connects to the distributor. Again, check the reading to make sure they fall within the specified range as indicated in your car's service manual. If your coil falls within that range all is well. If the reading should fall even slightly out of the specified range, then you should replace your coil. Remember a failing ignition coil will cause your engine to run rough and can cause other problems as well."

I also found this UTube Video that will show how off the bike spark test works.



See about this, and test first your battery voltage when you switch on the key, and then the Red Or Maybe Red/ Yellow 12v positive wire at the coils. Both should be really close to the same. Please post your findings on the voltage measurement. This as stated is an issue on old motorcycles. Potentially you could replace the coils and still have a weak spark.
Now if there is a big difference in the measured voltage then I suggest taking a new wire, and going from the Switched 12v side of the Ignition coil back to the battery positive cable connection through a fuse is always a good idea. I would use 14 gauge wire, that's 2mm I think. Retry your cranking and holding the plug to gound and see if it improves. If you followed the above article, and your service manual, and the resistance is out of spec, then coil replacement is advised. But be sure of this voltage issue.

hi motor

i've just found a tech book on 'testing motorcycle electrical systems' by tracy martin. this is a beginners guide to the problem we've. i've actually tested the sparks from each ht lead against the engine head. the sparks are no smaller than your video. i've also found a multimeter and the above book, gives you great guidance in how to use the multimeter. i will test the coils (primary & secondary's) tomorrow, before rushing out and buying some new coils.

many thanks

norman angel

I may have previously posted this, but it's information on how to hook up the ignition coils:

Ignition Coil Primary And Secondary Wiring

Ignition coils on the 80’s Kz1000,Kz1100’s and Gpz1100’s are wired the same, that is as you sit on the bike, the LEFT ignition coil primary(small wires) are two wires, RED and BLACK. The secondary (or sparkplug wires) go to #1 and #4 sparkplugs.

The cylinders are numbered left to right as you sit on the seat; #1,#2,#3, and #4.

For the RIGHT ignition coil, the primary wires, again are two wires, RED and GREEN, with the secondary going to #2 and #3.

The RED wire gets it’s voltage from the run/stop switch on the right handlebar switch pod.

The BLACK and GREEN wires connect to the IC Igniter(if the bike has the Kawasaki supplied electronic ignition) it actually gives the coils their grounds to fire the sparkplugs.

Primary(small wires) side of the coils will read between 1.8 to 3.0 ohms.

Secondary(sparkplug wire ports)side of the coil will read between 10.4K to 15.6K ohms.

To stress the ignition coils, take a hair dryer, heat the coils and see if the ohm readings change from cold to hot . If they do, it’s time to buy new coils.

Keep in mind, the wiring is reversed for the 550’s 650‘s and 750‘s, that is the RIGHT coil primary will be two wires, RED and BLACK with the secondary(sparkplugs) going to #1 and #4.

The LEFT coils primary wiring would be again two wires, RED and GREEN, with the secondary(sparkplugs) going to #2 and #3.

These engines have what is known as a “Wasted Spark” that is, a sparkplug will fire during an exhaust stroke. It does no damage and many other motorcycle engines have this design.

And information on how to check the Pulsing(pick up) coils for the electronic ignition:

Ohm Checking Pickup(Pulsing) Coils

The pickup coils on the Kawasaki’s with the factory supplied electronic ignition can sometimes fail or become intermittent due to heat and vibration.

1.Trace back from where the pick up coils are mounted,(under a right side CD sized cover) locate and disconnect a small 4 pin connector. Using a multi-meter set on OHMS and range of 2K, check between the BLUE and BLACK wires(#1 and #4 sparkplug wires) for between 360- 540 OHMS.

2.For #2 and #3 sparkplugs the wire colors will be YELLOW and RED, again 360-540 OHMS.

3.If the pickup coils are suspect of failing due to heat, they can be stressed using a hair dryer without the need of the engine running.

4.A replacement set of pickup coils might be obtained from a dealer who serviced the police Kawasaki’s.

5. If replacement pickup coils are not available, your next choice would be to order a Dyna “S” electronic ignition system from www.z1enterprises.com It replaces the IC igniter with a smaller module located where the mechanical ignition advancer was mounted.

6. Checking with Kawasaki.com website has determined that the Pick up(pulsing) coils are available . The pulsing coil # is 59026-1133 and replaces the older # 1002, 1012 which were used from the MKII motors until the 2005 P24.

7.Check the small 4 pin connector that the pickup coils connect to for corrosion/loose pins too.

hi mfolks

many thanks for your informative message.
so sorry, my mistake, i've cut and pasted this for my bike file.

i will gladly follow your testing advice tommorow.


we're slowly getting there. it's best to check all that we can. i'm sure the dinosaur will roar soon!..

sadly the painter has ruined my gas tank. the clear coat has frosted over and has set like clear sandpaper.
i'm not a happy bike builder!..

kind regards and thank you for helping me!

angel

Probably shooting the painter is not an option! About all one can do is have the coating removed and repainted.

Angie:I've had these coils on my bike for three years without issue.The Rest of the ignition system is totally stock and original.

hi

thanks for your message!

could send me a photo of your spark from your plugs please>
a little photographic challenge for you. i would like to compare your modern spark to my oem olde worlde sparkie.

how do you find the starting, running of your bike please?

q) what is your kz750 ltd h2 like to ride then? i've never ridden mine yet?


many thanks

angel

Hot or cold it allways fires up after 2 or 3 engine rotations.It is a blast to ride.Very comfy,quick off the line,and able to cruise at 70 mph in hi-way traffic.

hi buddy!

thank you for your message!

i notice the speedo only goes upto 80mph.
will the bike go faster than this? i was advised the the bike is limited in speed, being the USA version, is this correct?

many thanks

angel

There is no built in limit for top speed, only the limit of the power and gear ratio's. The speedo limit was across the board on vehicles in USA in the early eighties, 1980 I think it started. The max speed limit was 55mph back then, and they sold everything the max of 80 on the speedo. Trying to save petrol back in those days was a government mandate, turns out we still need OIL!