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gpz550 ignition switch 18 Feb 2020 07:59 #819525

  • Caleator
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hey Lou,

the ignition coils voltage being one volt away, is that too much of a difference?

also my slight ground voltage
1981 Kawasaki GPZ550 (KZ550D-1)

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gpz550 ignition switch 18 Feb 2020 09:45 #819532

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Did you ground your harness to the frame somewhere? If not you could have voltage flowing through the negative side and low voltage on the positive side.

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gpz550 ignition switch 18 Feb 2020 11:14 #819533

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Also soak your boots in armor all over night. It will soften them up. Works like a charm.

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gpz550 ignition switch 18 Feb 2020 12:11 #819535

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1 volt down indicates some losses. The fuse block is the first place to check.

My experience with armor all is that it leads to premature cracking on rubber parts over time.

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gpz550 ignition switch 19 Feb 2020 16:42 #819594

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I'll just order new boots, why not.

Got some time to open up the carbs and man, they were clean already. besides a little bit of crud in the bowls, the jets were clean and I couldn't even tell the difference between the float needles in the carbs and the brand new ones. so I'm gonna clean them up and put them back on

So it's definitely a electrical issue... of course...
What exactly would I be looking for in the fuse block? At some point I'm gonna be tempted to throw my old harness back on just the see....
1981 Kawasaki GPZ550 (KZ550D-1)

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gpz550 ignition switch 14 Oct 2020 23:28 #836882

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Hi all, Gonna be reviving this post. Its been a while. Hope you are all safe and healthy.

So I cleaned out the tank and carbs. running K&N pods not, could not stand to mess with that damn airbox again. Drilled out the pilots a little bit more the compensate. Got rid of the cam breathers and put on the ape plates (Which still come with bolts that are too short if anyone was wondering).New fuel lines, new gas. And just as I parked it it still doesn't turn over. So the issue isn't fueling. If I remember correctly last time around it had spark (not much of a strong one). Now she has no spark all cylinders. So culprit 1 coils, culprit 2 igniter unit? Is there anyway to test the igniter unit? Have these had any history of failure? With Ignition on, both the coils and igniter unit are getting power.
1981 Kawasaki GPZ550 (KZ550D-1)

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gpz550 ignition switch 15 Oct 2020 06:51 #836888

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Igniter failure is rare but can happen.

You can test it by simply tapping lightly on the pickups with a screwdriver where the rotor point passes by. That's the pole-piece of the pickup. That should create a spark.

You can test it off the bike to verify the wiring.

You will want to make sure the choke flaps are all working. And with pods, you will want to look into shimming the needle slightly using the correct method. The TK22 website describes how.

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gpz550 ignition switch 17 Oct 2020 11:28 #837078

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No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationhavent had much time to work, but i tested the coil resistance and im getting around 3.2~3.6 ohms. It should be around 2.1~2.5 correct? I saw on a previous forum post that your recommended these



Have you had any trouble with these coils?
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gpz550 ignition switch 17 Oct 2020 12:27 #837081

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Yes, they should be 2.1 to 2.6 ohms or maybe a bit higher like 2.7 with age.

Those *look* like the ones I'm using (and my buddy on another Kz550 is using). I haven't had a problem with them after 6 or 7 years.

My buddy had a strange issue after about 10 years. It was sputtering a bit. He replaced the plugs and wiggled some wires and hasn't had a problem since.

Be aware, we needed to get thicker wires than stock when using those coils. I just bought an 8mm wire kit for a V8 car and that was enough to do two bikes.
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gpz550 ignition switch 29 Oct 2020 09:57 #837949

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Just received the coils!

Did you run 8mm copper core wires or suppression wire?

looking at some Accel suppression wires, would an 8.8mm work?
1981 Kawasaki GPZ550 (KZ550D-1)

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gpz550 ignition switch 30 Oct 2020 11:45 #837995

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It is difficult to fit the weather grommets over the wire. I think 8.8 would be too tight.

Measure the grommets and opening in the attachment nuts for the wire.

We used suppression wire.

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gpz550 ignition switch 17 Nov 2020 15:47 #838587

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finally received everything. new coils, NGK spark plug caps, and wire. Got everything made and mounted up ready to test for spark, but starter switch stopped working. Solenoid is new and is getting power. starter span beautifully just last week (which was rebuilt a year ago). After enough attempts and multi meter probing my starter button lost is spring feel. and I lost my neutral light.... Does the starter button rebuild easy enough?

Crazy in love with this bike, but it just doesn't want me to succeed.
1981 Kawasaki GPZ550 (KZ550D-1)

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