2/3 Coil only fires half the time!!! RESOLVED :)

If the pulsing(pick up) coils test good, perhaps the IC Igniter is at fault. "Loudhvx" a forum member here has built a replacement for the igniter using off the shelf GM electronic module parts.

A new igniter might be $$$$, for about $50-$60 you can make your own igniter.

Thank you! That sounds more like what I was thinking the issue was! Does the key need to be in the "ON" position to check the resistance, or should it work on or off? And out of curiosity, which is cheaper...the Kawasaki ignition or the dyna-s? Ive read up on pros/cons already for the two, but just wondering about price now.

Ok...I just went out for a smoke and did the ohm test you described. The red/yellow read 453 ohms. The initial test between black and blue read 000, but I noticed some bare wire directly off the pickup coil. I made sure the wires weren't touching and tried again...443. Could that possibly be the issue? Could it be that all I need to fix this is a bit of electrical tape!!?? I didn't want to start the bike seeing that it is almost 1am and it might piss off my neighbors...

MFolks wrote: If the pulsing(pick up) coils test good, perhaps the IC Igniter is at fault. "Loudhvx" a forum member here has built a replacement for the igniter using off the shelf GM electronic module parts.

A new igniter might be $$$$, for about $50-$60 you can make your own igniter.

Ok, It seems that the pickup coils are not at fault. Is there a way to test the IC Igniter?

It should be listed in the shop manual for resistance testing.
looking at my bike's shop manual, I see 6 different resistance checks, but they specify using a multimeter with a R x 1 scale when most are R X 2.

I'll post what I've got if you need them....

I feel a little silly now, since I asked before checking my repair manual. I'll let you know what I find.

Actually, my repair manual only has 2 tests that require removing the plugs to check for spark. If you have something other than that, they may be helpful. thanks

Ok, new symptom to add to the list. I took a look at the bike again tonight, and while looking at the pickup coils, I noticed a small spring sitting inside the case underneath them. I'm assuming that it came off of the timing advancer unit behind the pu coils, but didn't pull anything out to investigate yet... :blink:

Can you take a picture of this spring? The mechanical ignition advancer is the only item I can think of that has springs. Possibly one has broken.

Ok...here is a pic of the spring, as I found it in the case:



This one is on the ground, next to the cover bolt for size comparison:



And it's nice to have a parts engine...never know what you might need from it:

It sure looks like a spring from the advancer to me. As you said, it's nice to have a parts source nearby....

I will pull the pu coil off tomorrow, but is there any trick for ensuring it is lined back up correctly when re-installing it? And could this little broken spring possibly be the source of my misery?