Coil maddness

[Eddie Gravy]

Long time reader (38 days) first time registared (1 hour). You guys seem to know what your talking about. or well, i've been tricked and listend to some good ideas.


XS1100sf

I have done all the test i can from the yamaha manual and from Randys awesome TCI page. I have spark in 1/4. But none in 2/3
Ive switched the pick-up wires in the tci box.(yellows for whites) spark in 1/4. = Both pick ups working.
Followed Randys quick TCI test. Both, grey and orange wires grounded; danced on the voltmeter for me. = TCI Working (soders look clean)

Heres where it gets hairy.
I get a positive test when i measure the Ohms(?) on both coils. Following a Yamaha book test. When i flip the orange and grey wires at the coils and get a spark in 2/3, none in 1/4. = 2/3 coil's good & the grey wire is bad.
I ran a hot wire from the TCI to the coil. grey will not fire. orange will fire both 1/4 & 2/3. = grey hook up from TCI...
well wait the quick TCI test tells me that there volts(?) running through both orange and grey TCI connections.

Can the coil be bad even though it sparks when hooked to the orange line instead of grey? Why won't the grey fire either coil?
The Resistor Balast would effect both?
Can the TCI be bad even though i have Dancing Voltmeters?

Help me...please

[randy]

Eddie,

Received your e-mail, but yahoo wouldn't let me respond (yahoo problem?). Anyway, try cleaning your connections at the coils and some solder joints may look good but still be corroded inside. My reference to 'shiny' joints was intended to mean after you re-solder, re-do all of the pins at the TCI connectors and I'd be surprised if that didn't fix your problem.

Some corroded solder joints, although they may look good and pass enough current to show on a meter, may not pass enough current under load to work the coil.

[Eddie Gravy]

Pulling out hair

No luck on the resoder. I still have no spark on 2/3. Didnt change my out look. Do the 2 big transistor on the top of the board ever fry? the good news is i didnt F anything up while sodering.
bad news my brunette is killing me.

any other suggestions or details i might be over looking. maybe god hates me.

[RUSH]

Hate him back.
Seriously, do you need some replacement parts? Spare coil, TCI unit
cheap prices.
Rush

[CUBuffs]

Pickup coils vs. Ignition coils

I've worked on Ignition coils before but what and where are the pickup coils?

[RUSH]

under the left hand case.

[CUBuffs]

So what is the difference between ignition and pickup coils?

[Eddie Gravy]

day 5 no luck

the pick ups send the open and closed signal to spark the ignition coils through the TCI. Pick ups spin on the crank under the left side.

Rush: you have a working TCI box?

Randy: i might take it to a TV Vcr repair man. any other suggestions?

[RUSH]

I have one off an 80 special, but odds are its not the tci unit.

[rockjok]

Here's a link to Ken Talbots pickup coil fix:

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...=&threadid=543

Rob

[Eddie Gravy]

went through that phase

I've got good pick up conection. wires are solid and when switching the pick ups at the TCI box, it fires the same cylinder or "Orange" line.

I took the TCI box to a Old school TV repair man, now old school is circut boards with Transisters, not Tubes. Have no clue if it will work out. i mean its a 1979 brain box. for a pro how hard could it be.

sodering gun is my least favorite weapon.

[Eddie Gravy]

Back from the repair shop

So the tv guy loved working on a bike part. Think it lit a flame.

but No good. still Fireing on only one coil. While retracing all my steps i've come across something in my research from the tech tips page.
Ignition Problems - Cylinders Misfiring
it reads
"To completely eliminate the ignition coils as the problem, swap the orange and gray wires leading the ignition coils. Crank the engine again. If the dead plug now fires and the good one is dead, then you have a bad ignition coil . Otherwise, it is either the ignition unit, the pick-up coils, or the wiring."

Please i beg apon all of your guru's wisdom. WHY?

if you switch the lines at the coil and it fires, why is it bad. The ignition coil(#2) shows spark but only when hooked up to the #1 ignition coil's orange wire. why wouldnt the grey fire the #1 coil?

is there different V - A - Ohms - electrical current?

had a second opinion on my pick up wires. little flimsy but definet reading on the volt-o-meter.

she's stressing me out.

[John]

By swapping the gray and orange wires you will be trying to fire the coils using the other circuit in the Ign module. Lets say that # 1 & 4 aren't firing, but # 2 &3 are. That tells you that 2&3 are known to be good. Now swap the wires, and you'll be sending a known good signal to the questionable 1& 4 coil. If it does fire, then the coil is good. If it doesn't, then either the pick up coil for the non firing ign coil or the module is bad. If the known good coil doesn't fire, that will also tell you that either the P/U coil is bad, or has a broken wire leading to it, or again the module is bad.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Eddie,

Regrettably that tech tip you quoted was written many years ago, and after reading it myself, is rather ambiguous and misleading!? Looks like it needs to be editted and clarified! What John has said makes more proper sense! Sorry for the misinformation!

Just reread your thread, to summarize:

1) swapped pickup coil wires at TCI, still had fire in only 1 pair of coil wires, but was being triggered by OTHER PU coil!
2) Swapped wires at coils, then had fire on DEAD coil, no fire on previous live coil!
3) Ran bypass lead wire from Grey connector(Bad) on TCI directly to coil instead of going thru wiring harness, still No Fire on 2-3 coil.

All your tests sound like they point directly to the TCI! Perhaps someone on the list has a spare they could LOAN you until Randy can look at yours?
T.C.

[Eddie Gravy]

Well what could it be

I'll talk to my tv repair guy tommorrow he was intrested to see if it fired. didnt have the heart to call him tonight.

Randy: the board has been resodered. what should i tell my repair man that might clue him into how to fix it. what should a "Pro" look for...


and so to clarify if a ignition coil fires its good. period.

its crazy cause the grey line gives me voltmeter readings.