Replaced coils now bike won't start. PLEASE HELP!

Hi,
OK, here's the story, I have an 82' GPZ 550 that I recently replaced the coils on. I had noticed that occasionally(once every week or 2) the bike would seem slightly down on power at low rpm's and cylinder #4 exhaust would be lukewarm to the touch. I would check it the next day and everything would be running fine again and exhaust would be the same temp as the other 3. Changing plug wires and plugs around had no effect, it was always on the same cylinder. I figured since I had a brand new set of Dyna 3ohm coils I would go ahead and replace the current coils on the bike. The ignition had been replaced before I bought the bike with a dyna S unit. The only other modification to the bikes ignition system was a relay was added to power the coils. The bike's wiring system is for lack of a better word, OLD. I got all the components to make a new harness but got sidetracked over the winter with a multitude of other projects and haven't finished it yet. The relay gave me a couple more volts to the coils than I had before and really helped the bike to start easier. When I replaced the coils, I cut the spade connectors off the wiring for the ignition terminals crimped on sealed ring terminals for the dyna coils. The plug wire ends were modified to fit the sockets on dyna coils. I did one coil at a time so no wires would get crossed or missed. When I had finished, I checked the coils with a multimeter with the ignition on and everything checked out fine. The problem came when I pushed the starter button. As soon as I pushed it, I heard a slight click and the bike lost all power, almost like fuse had blown. Headlight was out, neutral light was out and there was no power at the coils even with the ignition on. I turned the ignition and kill switch off and on, off and on and still nothing; no power what so ever. I checked every fuse on the bike and nothing was blown(the bikes fuses are upgraded to the blade style). I was getting battery voltage to the starter relay and out of it, but nothing after that. At that point it was getting late so I decided to get some sleep and try again in the morning. The next day, I went out and put the key in, everything came on and I had power to the coils again. I tried the starter button again and the same thing happened. At that point I decided to disconnect the battery and check the ignition relay. Nothing seemed burned or overheated, so I reconnected the battery and tried again. Everything powered back up and there was power to the coils again. I have since checked and re-checked all the wiring and connections and everything appears to be wired correctly and connected firmly. I haven't tried to hit the starter again since the thing will surely happen and I don't want to fry anything(maybe I did already, I don't know). I have no idea what is going on and any help will be greatly, greatly appreciated. I am just hoping someone out there has had this happen on may have and idea of what is going on.
Thanks again,
Dan

Check to make sure the primary(small wires) side of the ignition coils are not touching the mounting spacers. Most riders when upgrading their coils, replace the metal spacer with a Nylon or plastic one. Also open up the right switch pod on the handlebar, as some of the older bikes are suffering failed or failing solder joints on the electrical switches. If you need a repair procedure, just ask....

Combustion failure in cylinder #4 might result from too high fuel level in #4 carb.

Could perform the clear tube test to determine whether fuel level is within specs.

Good Fortune!

Problem solved! I ran through everything that I could think of, including pulling the starter to make sure it wasn't stuck(metal spacers were at least 1/2" away from primary wires, good idea about using nylon ones though). Long story short, the last thing I checked was the battery since it was freshly charged prior to installing the coils and was reading 12.9 after I installed the coils and started having problems. I decided to load test the battery and it went straight to defective. I didn't think this made much sense since I had just started the bike a few days ago with the same battery but went ahead and replaced it with a newer AGM battery that I had in the basement all winter. I hit the starter button and she cranked right over and fired up. The bike has been starting and running fine for the past couple days. Patton, I had previously performed the clear tube test on the #4 cylinder and it came out within spec. MFolks, if you can give me the repair procedure for the switch pod I would greatly appreciate it.

Dan

Read this for a primer on hand soldering: technologyinterface.nmsu.edu/fall97/electronics/solder.html

Repairing Motorcycle Soldered Connections on the older bikes.

When repairing soldered wires on motorcycle switches or light bulbs sockets, have the following on hand:

1. A 25 Watt soldering iron or one that the wattage can be adjusted.

2. Rosin core solder of 60/40 type. SN60 or SN63 is preferred.

3. Rosin flux or soldering paste (Never use solder or soldering paste designed for plumbing work, as it contains an acid that will corrode the electrical joint, ruining it).

4. 91% rubbing Alcohol, or 70%. The lower percentage will clean up flux residue, but not as good as the higher percentage stuff. Acetone does a good job of removing excess solder flux too.

5. A cut down ½” paint brush, or acid brush for scrubbing the repaired solder joint.

6. Clean rags or paper towels

7. A damp sponge to keep the soldering iron tip clean.

8. Some “Solder Wick” a braided bare copper wire designed to collect heated excess solder, aiding in joint preperation, available at electronic supply stores.

9. Some wooden toothpicks.

10. Small Hemostats or clip on heatsinks.

A. Before soldering, “Tin” the soldering iron tip by plugging it in or turning the iron on, allowing it to get to operating temperature(2-3 minutes).

B. Unroll about 3” of solder from the roll of rosin core solder & then using a clean rag or paper towel moistened with Alcohol, wipe the unrolled solder, removing the finger print oils that will create a poor solder joint.

C. Apply a small amount of solder to the now heated soldering iron tip, wiping the excess off with the wet sponge, keeping a thin layer on the soldering iron.

D. The soldering iron is now ready for use, but before applying the heated tip to a wire, wipe the tip on the damp sponge, this removes any oxidized solder and makes for a much better connection.

E. If the joint to be repaired is grey in color or appears “Crumbled”, apply some rosin soldering paste or flux to the joint with a small toothpick or screwdriver, and then apply the soldering iron tip for a few seconds.

G. The fluxed joint should clean up, allowing for a better connection. If no luck, use the solder wick to remove all traces of the old solder by apply in it between the soldering iron tip and the bad joint.

H. Hemostats and clip on heatsinks will be used to prevent the wire insulation from burning, overheating & pulling away from the connection.

I. Apply a small amount of flux to the joint to be repaired & then a very short duration of heated soldering iron tip & solder(like a few seconds or so).

J. Clean off the repaired joint with the brush & rubbing Alcohol or Acetone, the newly repaired joint should appear clean and bright, almost as if it were polished, with no voids or holes.

K. When repairing the bad or "Cold Solder Joints" (as the Electronics industry calls them), it takes really no special skills, just patience, and a place to work(along with the mentioned tools. You've got to be sober, and not stoned, as the soldering tool can be at 700 F, possibly giving the impaired bike owner severe burns.

L. If you have fine muscle control problems, have a friend do the soldering for you. Moving a wire before the electrical joint has properly set up, can create "Cold Joints" too. If possible, practice on the bench top with some scrap wires before attempting repairs on the bike.

M. This information comes from years of missile test cable and equipment assembly, when I worked at General Dynamics/Convair Division in San Diego California, on the BGM-109 Tomahawk and later on the AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile. This was from 1983-1993. The company had a week long soldering school, where you learned to solder meeting “Mil-Spec” standards.

Motorcycle and car batteries can fail with little to no warning, They can work great, and then maybe a "Click" with no cranking power. If you can get 5 years out of a motorcycle battery, consider yourself lucky, as the bike batteries are subjected to vibrations, and voltage/current fluctuations due to the motorcycle's charging systems when compared to the car's systems.