kz440 LTD spark problems

Hello knowledgeable compatriots,

Working on putting my wife's 440 back together and having problems getting spark out of it now. I did a valve adjustment and when I did this I removed the tank and the coil and what-not and did some cleaning and polishing while I was there. The bike ran before I did this, but not very well. When I went to put the coil and plugs back on I noticed the plug caps felt really loose and on further looking found the end of the wires under the boot to be discolored and worn looking. After thinking it over I decided to trim the wire back alittle in search of better looking wire, which I found about 10-12 mm's back from the original attach point. I then screwed the boots back on and put everything back the way it was. I tried starting it and got no fire. I tried taking the plugs out and grounding them to the case to check for spark and got nothing. Did I ruin something by trimming the spark plug wires? Is there something else I could have done wrong. Everything I did, except the plug wire trim, I have done before and on many other models and had no problems. Just hoping someone out there has an idea of what I should look into. I checked and double checked all the wiring connectors, I even took the panels off my Father-in-law's 440LTD to make sure everything looked the same. Thank you all for the help and advice you have given on this project so far, pics are on the way. One last thing, what do you do with the top vent hose when you switch from the stock air box to pod filters? Right now it is just open and vents a little exhaust smoke when it is warming up, well it did when it ran anyway. Thanks again for any advice or help you may be able to provide.

ktfrog wrote:

1.) Did I ruin something by trimming the spark plug wires?

2.) Is there something else I could have done wrong.

3.) One last thing, what do you do with the top vent hose when you switch from the stock air box to pod filters?

1.) The age of the wiring involved can always be brittle and unforgiving. What you need ot do is be sure you have power *to* the coil at the red/yellow, and that the points are triggering the blue wire. Use a little 12v light tester for these. If there is power and trigger, then it could be the coil, (these fail, mine did) or it still could be the wires/caps since they corrode after 20+ years! The wires *can* be replaced on these coils, just do a search, people have done it. If the coil's bad well, then, get another one.

2.) Just double-check the wiring.

3.) With pods, run the hose down somewhere or put a air-type filter right at the breather. If you use the hose, don't aim it right at your rear tire! If you use a little breather filter, make sure it does not get clogged with oil crud over time - this could be bad...

Just checking up to see if you had any luck with this problem.