Loudhvx's ignitor diagram

otakar wrote:

I may have asked this before but I forget. Are there any outright benefits to the GM module ignition over the stock Kawasaki ignition as an Upgrade? I am running better coils the Dyna "Gray" coils intended for the 2.2 Ohm ignition.

One advantage others have noted and that I also am willing to say is that the GM system seems smoother at idle. This is because it has better noise immunity. With the stock KZ system you get the occasional sputter at idle. If you use a strobe light on the rotor you will see little ghost images of the rotor in the wrong position. This is a false-trigger event and will often be accompanied by a small puff noise in the exhaust. The GM system reduces this greatly over the KZ system. I suspect this is an age issue on the KZ ignitor.

The other advantage I noted is that it can use a wider range of coils. This means you can use hotter coils. It's probably safe down to 2 ohms. Then the current limiter will start to kick in at lower RPMs which means a little more heat generation in the HEI module, but as long as the modules are heatsinked, it should be fine.

In use, the modules barely get warm to the touch. That is because with KZ coils, the current limiter is probably not even being used.

Another advantage, if I recall, is that the HEI has a higher PIV voltage on the output. This means it has the potential to fire through higher compression or oil fouling better than the 30-year-old KZ modules. That is, as long as the coils are up to the task.

The last advantage is efficiency. I designed the reference voltage for the reluctor signal in such a way that you get even more dwell variance than the stock KZ had. This means you will save more wattage on the charging system at idle than the stock system, and the coils will run a little cooler at idle.

So, basically, slightly smoother, a few more coil options, slightly more efficient, slightly more potential voltage at the plug if needed. For the KZ1300, there may be a small 3-dual-post coil pack out there, somewhere, that is compatible and cheap.

The KZ1300 had at least two types of ignitions. This will obviously only work on the mechanical-advance models.

I should also mention, in our KZ application, the module gets nowhere near the usage it gets in a V-8 engine.

In the V-8, the module is on nearly all the time with heavy current-limit use. The KZ, relatively speaking, barely uses the module. This means it should last many more miles in the KZ than it would in a V-8.

loudhvx wrote:

Yes, that definitely looks exactly like the HEI module. I did not know that Alpha used those. Very interesting. If it's cheap enough, then I'd say give it try.

I just have purchased a pair so I will see what is coming. Not sure when I find the time as Xmas is fast approaching and I have not done any shopping.

With regards to all the other information, thank you very much for taking the time and explaining. Although I have some basic understanding of electronics I think I will need to read your reply a few times to get my head around it. Again, thank you very much.

loudhvx wrote:

Yes, that definitely looks exactly like the HEI module. I did not know that Alpha used those. Very interesting. If it's cheap enough, then I'd say give it try.

I just have purchased a pair so I will see what is coming. Not sure when I find the time as Xmas is fast approaching and I have not done any shopping.

With regards to all the other information, thank you very much for taking the time and explaining. Although I have some basic understanding of electronics I think I will need to read your reply a few times to get my head around it. Again, thank you very much.

I'd suggest using the white heatsink compound when mounting the GM modules. It makes for a very efficient heat transer and what with those modules running at low capacity, they should last almost forever.

Most if not all good electronic stores and computer shops sell the heatsink compounds. A thin film is about all you'll need on the modules where they interface with the aluminum plate.

I now try to get the bits sorted and have already a problem with finding a supplier of the 6way connector with the 6.3mm spades, which are at the end of the wiring harness and the igniter module. Any hints you can give? Can't find anything on ebay and nothing in the online shops which I normally use here in the UK.

Sorry, can't help you there. I just use single connectors to connect up to the 4-way connector.

The harness should have two 4-way connectors. One with four 6mm terminals, and the other with four smaller terminals.

The small terminals are the pickup wires.

The four bigger wires will have a green to the 2/3 coil and a black to the 1/4 coil. A black with yellow stripe should be ground. A red or yellow wire should be power for the module.

Now I have the replacement igniter and still no joy. I have checked the presents of a spark and I now find that I have a very faint spark. I have checked the voltage on the coil and as soon as the starter motor turns, the voltage collapses down to 6Volts on the + of the primary side. I found that the cells in the centre of the battery are a bit low on fluid, so I toped it up thinking that the battery is dragging the voltage down as it cannot keep it stable at 12V. I used one of those jump starter packs, thinking that this might help, but I still have the voltage dropping down well below 10V. I am now charging the battery, the battery is only 1 year old and should be still good. If you have any other idea, where I am loosing the voltage, I would be grateful for any advise.

The most common places to lose voltage are at the fuse holders, the ignition switch, and kill switch. Try taking out the fuses and cleaning the fuse holders with some fine sand paper. Also make sure the fuses are in very good shape. If they have been used in dirty holders, they get real hot and degrade.

To see if the problem is elsewhere, try to run a jumper from the battery + directly to the positive side of the coils. This is just a temporary jumper.

For those rider's using the 4 pin GM module ignition, I have researched some cross index numbers from the different manufacturers:

HEI Ignition Modules (4 Pin)


AC DELCO

---

DM 1906 or D1906

WELLS

---

DR 100

ACCEL

---

ACC 35361/ACC 35367

PERTRONIX

---

D2000

CAR QUEST

---

21040

NAPA ECHLIN

---

ECH TP45

NIEHOFF

---

DR 400

BORG WARNER

---

Select CBE4/CBE22

GM

---

10482820

Mallory

---

607

Jegs

---

555-40600

Moroso

---

97857

I don't know if you can get this contact cleaner/preservative over there, but it's what I use on all my electrical contacts.

www.deoxit.com is the website and is carried in the Radio Shack stores in the U.S. and most any other electronic supply places.

Thanks MFolks!