1982 kz550

hey people im new to the riding world found myself a good deal on a 1982 kz 550 but i cant get it to run ive got it to crank as in turn over but im only getting spark on two plugs and there off the same coil my question is has anyone else had this same problem if so howd you fix it and id really like to know exactly how this system works in actually a auto mechanic but ive never touched a bike any help would be great. Thanks

If your bike has the original ignition coils, they might be failing due to just age and cracks in the housings letting in moisture.

7mm sparkplug wires should fit your coils(that is if the sparkplug wires are not molded into the coils) If they are, www.z1enterprises.com sells new sparkplug caps and a NGK sparkplug splice:

www.z1enterprises.com/SearchResult.aspx?All=True&KeyWords=NGK

www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=1890

Z1 enterprises also sells replacement ignition coils.

To see if your coils are getting proper voltages, remove the gas tank,get a multimeter, set it on VDC(Volts,D.C.) range of 20, put the RED probe on the terminal where the RED wire is going,and the BLACK probe on a good ground place or the negative(-) battery post.

Turn the engine over and read the voltage, if the reading is below battery voltage(make sure the battery is fully charged), you have a voltage/current drop.

Since the igntion coils votage source is the run/stop start switch on the right handlebar switch pod, I'd look there for corrosion/broken wires/dead bugs.

With the ignition turned off and all wiring removed from the ignition coils, they can be checked using the multimeter this time set on "OHMS"


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.

This should get you through the basic troubleshooting.

If not known, these bikes depend on a fully charged battery for a good spark as the charging system will not support ignition with the battery out of the circuit.

The coils can also be stressed using a hair dryer while checking the ohm readings, again with all wires removed from the coils.

If your bike has electronic ignition and not points, I wrote up a testing procedure for the pick ups(pulsing coils):

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.

Your bikes wiring may not match up for the connections for the ignition coil to IC Igniter, but the ohm readings should work.

You can test parts on the 550 ignition by swapping parts or wires.

On the coils, one has a black wire, and the other has a green wire. Swap the green wire and black wire. If the spark moves to the other coil, then both coils are good. In that case the problem is the igniter, or pickups, or wiring.

I can describe how to test the rest after you verify the coils are good.

k i switched the wires from the one coil to the other still no spark out of the coil in question woudl you agree thats the problem or is there anything else you recommend i check out before i replace it? and again thanks your help is greatly appreciated

Does the coil in question change ohm ratings when stressed by heat? Checked the sparkplug wire ports too?

One last wire swap to confirm dead coil. Swap the yellow/red wires from the coils. Then check for spark. If the coil starts working, it may be a bad wire and not the coil. In that case you'd follow Mfolk's advice on checking voltages.

Whichever coil is the one that's not sparking is the dead one.

We are only confirming it's a dead coil to make sure it's not the igniter or pickups.

If you can confirm one of the coils is dead, I recommend getting two new coils anyway. When one dies, the other is often not too far behind. I had a pair die within a few miles of each other.

This is because over time, they both develop tiny cracks, but they can work for a long time like that as long as they don't get wet. A good ride in a rain storm may kill them in a few days.