coils smell burnt w/melting plastic

The right side (if your sitting on the bike) coil burned up on my bike. It smells like an electrical burnout and there was some melted plastic hanging off of it. I had to ride about 3-5 miles on two cylinders (sucked).
I recently have been having problems with the electrical system. The starter stopped working even though I have proper voltage at the battery, so I disconnected the lead from the starter solenoid (thinking this was grouding the system). I'm still not sure what is wrong with the starter.
Is there anything else I should change when I replace the coils? Should I switch to a electronic ignition?

What process did you use to test the battery voltage?

Hi: Just went through the same thing on my 1975 Z1, coil burnt (right side) starter stopped working, hears what I found.
1. (r)burnt coil
2. starter stopped working
3. rear lights brake and running out, headlight out but turn signals still work
4. tac and speedometer lights out but indicator lights work.
These led me to the stop switch on (r) grip !!

I ran the cable from the stop switch to the connector under the (r)down tube, the wire you should look at is the coil trigger wire (yellow/with red stripe)this powers your coils.
Mine was melted from the coil pigtail back to the connector in side the cable wrapping and had shorted to ground (great time to do the Coil mod)
The condensed version:

1. Coil shorted and melted the trigger wire shorting out the cable.
OR
2. Cable shorted and took the coil out.
Ether way check your cable.
Hope some of this helps
Jimstan

OKC_Kent wrote:

What process did you use to test the battery voltage?

I just checked the battery terminals and I have about 13.6V DC.
I have also noticed that when I switch the handlebar switch from off to on everything dims alot, like there's a short somewhere. I guess it was the coil that was shorting out.
Could this have caused damage to the starter. When I check the starter terminal to ground, I get continuity, which would indicate the starter is internally shorted to ground, correct?
I guess I need some coils and a starter

:evil:

jimstan wrote:

Hi: Just went through the same thing on my 1975 Z1, coil burnt (right side) starter stopped working, hears what I found.
1. (r)burnt coil
2. starter stopped working
3. rear lights brake and running out, headlight out but turn signals still work
4. tac and speedometer lights out but indicator lights work.
These led me to the stop switch on (r) grip !!

I ran the cable from the stop switch to the connector under the (r)down tube, the wire you should look at is the coil trigger wire (yellow/with red stripe)this powers your coils.
Mine was melted from the coil pigtail back to the connector in side the cable wrapping and had shorted to ground (great time to do the Coil mod)
The condensed version:

1. Coil shorted and melted the trigger wire shorting out the cable.
OR
2. Cable shorted and took the coil out.
Ether way check your cable.
Hope some of this helps
Jimstan

I will check those wires. The PO apparently took the bike apart completely to powdercoat the frame. I'm starting to question his electrical expertise

have seen similar problems in overrestored cars, where the made all the parts pretty by powdercoating or paintion, then the electrical components have no ground path, have fixed some of these by scraping away paint/coating to provide a ground path.