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81 kz550 dead on 2 cylinders
- nickleo373
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I was riding to work today on my kz550. I stopped at a light after riding for about 15 minutes and the engine shut off. When i touched the headers both cylinders 2 and 3 are cold and 1 and 4 are hot. They are attached to different coils so i ruled that problem out. What else should i be looking at so I dont have to tow it home?
1981 KZ550C LTD
"If you ain't first, you're last"
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- 650ed
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1977 KZ650-C1 Original Owner - Stock (with additional invisible FIAMM horn)
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- Patton
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nickleo373 wrote: Hey everyone
I was riding to work today on my kz550. I stopped at a light after riding for about 15 minutes and the engine shut off. When i touched the headers both cylinders 2 and 3 are cold and 1 and 4 are hot. They are attached to different coils so i ruled that problem out. What else should i be looking at so I dont have to tow it home?
Where 2 and 3 were cold right after engine shut off, the engine had likely been performing with combustion happening in just the two outside cylinders 1 and 4 .
Numerous possibilities, but here are some random thoughts.
Out of gas?
Is any black goo oozing from the ignition coils?
Loose spark plugs?
Valve clearances within spec?
Good Fortune!
1973 Z1
KZ900 LTD
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- nickleo373
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1981 KZ550C LTD
"If you ain't first, you're last"
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- Rockranch
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Vroom-vroom!!!.
(2)-1976 KZ900B-LTD's
1-all stock low mileage...
1 modified
1977 KZ1000 (awaiting resurrection!)
...and an old school Honda CB750 Chopper is next on my bucket list!
Oh...and a Pocket Rocket lol!!!
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- Patton
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But of course won't resolve the 2/3 non-combust issue.
Perhaps #2 and/or #3 spark plug has fouled out?
Is a tool kit available for removing #2 and #3 spark plugs to watch for sparks on them while spinning over the engine?
Perhaps installation of new plugs in 2/3 would enable combustion long enough to ride home (for example if too high fuel level was causing a plug to load up until it eventually quit firing).
Good Fortune!
1973 Z1
KZ900 LTD
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- nickleo373
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1981 KZ550C LTD
"If you ain't first, you're last"
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- loudhvx
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So check for spark on all plugs. You can do that several ways. The easiest is to take the plug wires off of the plugs in the engine, and put spare plugs into both plug wires and lay them on the engine so you can see if they spark.
For the 1-4 coil, use a screwdriver to tap on the center of the pickup with the black and blue wires going to it. The plugs on the 1-4 coil should both spark.
For the 2-3 coil, use a screwdriver to tap on the center of the pickup with the red and yellow wires going to it. The plugs on the 2-3 coil should both spark.
If the 2-3 fails to spark, remove the skinny black wire on the 1-4 coil and put it in place of the skinny green wire on the 2-3 coil. Then try the tap test again on the black-blue pickup. If 2-3 sparks, then the igniter or red-yellow pickup is bad, and the 2-3 coil is good.
You can put the skinny green wire onto the 1-4 coil, and try to tap the red-yellow pickup. If 1-4 sparks, then the igniter and red-yellow pickup are good, and the 2-3 coil is likely bad.
1981 KZ550 D1 gpz.
Kz550 valve train warning.
Other links.
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1981 KZ550C LTD
"If you ain't first, you're last"
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- TexasKZ
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1982 KZ1000 LTD parts donor
1981 KZ1000 LTD awaiting resurrection
2000 ZRX1100 not ridden enough
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1981 KZ550C LTD
"If you ain't first, you're last"
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