cylinders 2 and 3 randomly cut out?

Hey everyone, im new to the site, and this is my first post. i have a 79 kz650 tat i bought about 6 months ago and its my first bike. its got accel coils, and according to the P.O., it has the 810 big bore kit. lately as im riding, cylinders 2 and 3 cut out randomley and then come back after varrying amounts of time. sometimes i can ride for a month without an incident, and sometimes it will happen 2 times in one ride. im no motorycle expert, but my intuition told me it was an electrical issue, so i replaced the coil that runs cylinders 2 and 3, but no luck, idk what else the problem could be, ive spent many hours following wires and checking connections, but i didnt find any problems. any suggestions?

Welcome aboard! The charging and firing of each coil is controlled by a set of points. Over time, points will pit, and this will eventually degrade performance. You may have one set of points that is more pitted than the other, and it may be causing the problem you describe. If you do not know when the last time the points were replaced it is probably overdue. When replacing the points you should also replace the condensers (they are adjacent to the points) and lube the points cam and the rubbing block wick (everything is i the same vicinity).

Do you have a Kawasaki Service Manual?

Ed

no service manual yet, is there any one in particular thats better than another? i was planning to get a clymer.

Forget Clymer. Get a Kawasaki Service Manual (by Kawasaki). They can usually be found on eBay. Be sure to get one that covers your bike's year/model because there are differences between the various models. Your posting says you have a 1979 KZ650. Which model do you have (B3, C3, or D2)? Ed

650ed wrote: Forget Clymer. Get a Kawasaki Service Manual (by Kawasaki). They can usually be found on eBay. Be sure to get one that covers your bike's year/model because there are differences between the various models. Your posting says you have a 1979 KZ650. Which model do you have (B3, C3, or D2)? Ed

Try this down load link: jarlef.no/Kawasaki/PDF/Z650/Files/KZ650-1981manual.pdf
Not sure if it will have the 79 points system, but easy enough to check it out.

Here is one for a 77, that will have the points info: www.scribd.com/doc/48655900/Kawasaki-KZ-...B1-77-Service-Manual

its a c3. will the manual have detailed instructions? like i said, im certainley no mechanic but i do like to think of myself as being mechanically minded and try and fix things myself.

The Kawasaki manual has great, detailed instructions for everything. Unfortunately, the 1981 manual Motor Head provided the link to doesn't cover your bike's ignition because those models had eliminated points. The link below is for the 1977 KZ650-B1 model. A BUNCH of stuff on that model is different than your C3, but I believe the points system is identical. Click on "regular Download" in the link.

hotfile.com/dl/148056848/131ba5a/Z650_B1...vice_Manual.pdf.html

Here is a writeup I did for installing new points:

The manual has several pages of instructions, pictures, etc. on how to set the timing using the static method plus timing light, plus dwell meter. I can give you a fairly easy way that will get you in a pretty close ballpark without a timing light or dwell meter, but you will need a 0.35 mm feeler gauge and a multi-meter or other device to test continuity. To be very precise, the timing light and dwell meter will be needed.

Remove the points cover on the right side of engine. Under it you will see 2 sets of points. The set on the left fires cylinders 1 & 4; the set on the right fires 2 & 3. When replacing points observe carefully how the little bits and pieces are arranged where the wires attach. Some of those pieces are actually insulators and if you leave any of them out or put them back in the wrong place the points will be grounded and won't work. Take a very close look at the contact surfaces of the points. If they are pitted you really should replace them. You can sand down pitted points, but they will quickly pit again. Replace one set of points at a time so you can look at the other set in case you get the little bits confused.

Use a 17 mm wrench to turn the nut NEAR the end of the crankshaft clockwise while looking in the hole above that nut. (Do NOT use a wrench on the smaller bolt on the very end of the crankshaft to turn the engine.) Inside that hole you will see a vertical pointer cast into the casing. As you turn the 17 mm nut you will see a 1 & 4 and F and T roll by and then you'll see a 2 & 3 and F and T roll by. Each F and T has a line next to it.

Here's the method I use for static timing. I turn OFF the ignition. I disconnect the green wire near one coil and the black wire near the other coil. (This is not in the book, but it makes checking continuity much easier for me.) After installing the new points or cleaning up the old ones, turn the 17 mm nut while watching the points. When points set 1&4 are at their widest gap adjust them (by loosening the 2 screws that hold the points to the backplate) so the gap equals 0.35 mm. Turn the 17 mm nut clockwise through a full revolution again and double check this gap. Then repeat this for points set 3&4. Now set your meter to test continuity and clip one wire to the leaf spring on points set 1&4 and clip the other wire to ground. Turn the 17 mm nut clockwise until the 1&4 "F" mark aligns with the pointer mentioned above. You want the continuity across point set 1&4 to just break when the F mark aligns with the pointer. The idea is that when the continuity just fails is when the points will fire their respective coil and cylinders. In order to adjust the point at which continuity fails you loosen the 3 screws that hold the backplate to the engine and slightly turn the backplate until the meter shows a break in continuity. Once you have the 1&4 set timed properly you can check the 2&3 set to make sure they break when the 2&3 F mark aligns with the pointer (they should or something is not right). Don't forget to plug in the green and black coil wires when you are done, and put a little grease on the rubbing block felt. Assuming you are using new points of the correct type this should enable you to get the timing very close. Trying this with old points may give poor results, especially if the points are pitted and/or the rubbing blocks are worn.

After you have set the gap (which in effect sets the dwell) and the timing using the method above you can use a dwell meter and timing light to fine tune dwell and timing. If you have followed the above procedure carefully, very little if any fine tuning will be needed.
Sorry this is so long. It's not as difficult as it sounds.

Here's some general KZ info you may find useful. Ed
kzrider.com/forum/10-new-members/589649-...r-savannah-ga#594587

pulled the cover of today to start on what you suggested, only to find a Dyna s system. i found a few corroded connections and fixed them and maybe that will solve my issues