One Coil Fires?

What would make only one coil fire? I swapped coils around and still no fire(spark)
I have even traced the wires and test cont. (My muti metter beeps)... Would have anything to do with the ignition system pick ups? Can they go bad?

So let me back up... can the stock ign magnet pick up go bad due to age?

I have a 1980 KZ750.

Which pair of cylinders isn't firing with either coil?

Did the malfunction occur suddenly on a previously well-performing engine?

Was any maintenance or repair work done immediately before onset of the malfunction?

Good Fortune!

Read this:

Ohm Checking Pickup(Pulsing) Coils

The pickup(Pulsing) 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,(BEHIND A RIGHT SIDE, CD SIZED ENGINE 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. The 550’s,650’s & 750’s may be backwards to the Z1’s,Kz900’s,Kz1000’s & Kz1100’s.

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.

8. The mechanical ignition advancer needs periodic service too, it's in the area of the pickup coils, mounted on the end of the crankshaft. Some light lubrication on the weight pivots and the moving shaft are about all it needs. A dab of Moly grease or 3-in-one oil will work for this.

OldSchoolZ wrote:
From my experience in shops, the pickup coils either quit working when the motor is good and hot and with ohm meter tested right after it quits, the ohms show bad, then while it cooling down, you'll see the ohms come back and it runs on that pickup again until it gets hot. OR they don’t work at all. High rpm doesn’t sound like a pickup coil. I'd suspect something in wiring or ignition coil.

P.S. remove sparkplug caps if they unscrew from wire and ohm them out where wire goes in to where the plug connects. Often an old cap builds high resistance and will only fire at high rpm. Your caps resistances should be similar to each other(5000 ohms). If you get one not showing continuity, that’s most likely your problem. And sometimes you need to trim wire back and inch or so to get good wire to screw back into. (if wires are not too short to do so) That’s just something to check that is problematic with hot running air cooled motors. They will eventually cook the caps and the resistor inside the cap goes bad.

If not already done, would also verify continuity of wiring into and out of the connector between the igniter and coils, and continuity of wiring into and out of the connector between the pick-up and the igniter.





Good Fortune!

Edited to include both connectors.

Yes the pulse generators do go bad. I do not trust 33 year old electronics, 33 years of heat and vibration can not be good for them. If one side goes bad you know the other is going to go sooner or later. I had a set on my GPZ1100 engine that tested fine with the meter but would not work on the bike, very frustrating. if you can, save yourself the headache and buy the Dyna S ignition, it will last the life of the bike. If you can't I have a "good" used set that will work for your bike, just pay for the shipping.

That's all great information. Since I plan to keep the bike and pass it to my son I will purchase the new pick up coils.

Side note the bike will turn over, but not fire up. I thinking because only two cyls are getting spark.

It's funny I just finished repairing the starter and now something else does not work.

So quick question; how can I test my pick up coils? NOT THE COILS TO THE SPARK PLUGS.

Patton wrote: If not already done, would also verify continuity of wiring into and out of the connector between the igniter and coils.

Attachment not found

Good Fortune!

So are you saying my muit meter should "beep" if I touch the oppsite side wires of the I.C.?

It could help to know which pair of cylinders isn't firing.

Good Fortune!

This is for the pick up(Kawasaki calls them Pulsing coils):

1.Trace back from where the pick up coils are mounted,(BEHIND A RIGHT SIDE, CD SIZED ENGINE 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. The 550’s,650’s & 750’s may be backwards to the Z1’s,Kz900’s,Kz1000’s & Kz1100’s.

I'm having a similar problem. I started bike on Sunday after tracing out a short that gave me a 1.5 mi bike push to get it home. It ran pretty good before short. After I started it I noticed that it didn't sound right and the throttle wasn't responding right. After doing some checking I found the outer two cylinder exhaust pipes were very hot to the touch but the inner two were just barely warm; I could hold them for several seconds w/no discomfort. I will be doing further trouble shooting on Tuesday evening. This problem sounds similar to Satsfyd's problem. I will be checking the areas you are recommending for him. Any additional assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Testing Kawasaki Ignition Coils For Input Voltage

When voltage testing Kawasaki Ignition Coils, the following needs to be done:

1. Remove the fuel/gas tank to access the coils.

2. Fully charge the battery.

3. Using a multimeter, set it up for VDC(Volts, Direct Current), range of 20.

4. Turn on the ignition switch and the run/stop switch to “Run”.

5. Put the multimeter’s RED probe on where the red or red/yellow wire goes on the ignition coil.

6. Put the multimeter’s BLACK probe on either the battery Negative(-) post/terminal or a good frame ground.

7. You should be able to see battery voltage at the ignition coil connection, but this depends on the current draw of other items in the same circuit.

8. If the tested voltage is down to 8-9 volts, you probably need to clean the many and various electrical connectors.

9. To check the spark output at the sparkplugs, use these:

Ignition Spark Testers
www.lislecorp.com/divisions/products/?pr...ivision=1&category=8
www.lislecorp.com/divisions/products/?pr...ivision=1&category=8
(Using the Thexton 404 Spark tester)


Instead of grounding the sparkplug with the sparkplug wire attached, looking for a spark. This method puts the IC Igniter and ignition coils at risk of failure due to high currents, and possible internal shorting.


Ignition Coils And Sparkplug Wire Choices

What came with the bike, were ignition coils that even when new were marginal, add years of cooking under the tank in the stop and go traffic, and the coils will probably fail when hot.

Replacement coils can be bought at www.z1enterprises.com I believe “Emgo” is the brand. They also carry the popular Dyna 2.2 and 3 ohm coils, along with replacement sparkplug wires.

Now, you have a choice on sparkplug wires:

1.Copper plug wires with no supression caps (the best choice, but will produce audio noise on Radio’s and TV’s). Not only do the copper core wires deliver better spark, they will also deliver a much longer lifespan - carbon core wires are prone to erratic spark delivery and early breakdown, & short lifespan.

2.Copper plug wires with supression caps (a built in 5000 ohm resistor, that can sometimes fail, like what came with the bike). These should be checked with a multimeter now and then, as heat can cause them to become intermittent.

3.Copper plug wires with no supression caps, but using resistor plugs(the “R” in the plug number).

4.Supression plug wires with no supression caps.

NEVER use resistor plugs combined with supression caps along with supression plug wires, as now there will be possibly three (3) sources of resistance in the secondary windings of the ignition coils, greatly reducing the spark energy.

Another choice is the Accel 3 ohm coils, with a similar, primary(small wire)electrical connection, using ring terminals as the Dyna ignition coils do. Whatever brand of coil you go with, make sure the primary wires will clear the mounting hardware, as the spacers come close, possibly blowing a fuse. Some riders have replaced the metal spacers with non conductive Nylon spacers, reducing the chance of an electrical problem.

7mm sparkplug wires will fit the stock ignition coils(if they have replaceable wires, indicated by screw off caps on the coils with ridges). The sparkplug wires fit into a port with a brass ”Stinger” that goes into the sparkplug wire or lead(the Brit’s. Canadians, and other countries call the sparkplug wires (“High Tension Leads”).